I’m back in London… and I’m kinda diggin’ it.
Does absence indeed make the heart grow fonder? I’ve been pondering this old adage since my return to London just over 24 hours ago. You see, I abandoned London eight months back to put down roots in Hong Kong — stepped on a plane, chucked up my deuces, and left The Big Smoke without a look back. At the time, I wrote that despite London’s reputation as the cool kid on the travel block, the city, even after two years pottering about its historical centres and trendy neighbourhoods, left me feeling, well… uninspired. Somehow, some way, I had grown to mildly dislike the city everyone loves to put on a pedestal.
And then something changed. In the months after the move, I began to regard London through a fond, sepia-tinged lens, espousing her virtues to both friends and strangers. First, I found myself chatting Spitalfields and Stratford City and Sloane Square with anyone who would listen. Next, I began conjuring up my former commute on the rickety, finicky, over-priced tube with longing. And lately, I’ve been thinking about how having autumn-like weather all year ’round ain’t sooo bad (Fall clothes are the cutest, after all).
Now, don’t you go thinking that I’m packing up my suitcase and moving back to the UK, because I’m not. I know myself; I’m a frequent sufferer of the-grass-is-always-greener-itis. I’m the girl who’ll crave a Big Mac for hours and then, upon its purchase, fret that I didn’t go for the McNuggets instead. Quite simply, I’m realising the merits of London precisely because I no longer call it a place of residence.
But.
Despite my constant neurosis mental wavering, it can’t be denied that I’ve fallen victim to London’s charms in the hours since my brief return. Liebling and I embarked on an epic six hour stroll around its most salient landmarks and I was seduced by my surroundings.
The first part of our walk took us from Bank tube station, past St. Paul’s Cathedral to the southern bank of the River Thames. Southbank was hopping with activity on this Good Friday.
After a brief nod to the London Eye and Big Ben, we crossed the Westminister Bridge, then trekked up to Trafalgar Square and through Piccadilly.
Once at Piccadilly Circus, we braved the crowds on Regent Street, dipping into our favourite high street shops before grabbing a late lunch in the Carnaby Street pedestrian zone (tasty Thai at a place called Rosa’s — more on that in a future post). After that, we walked along High Holborn to Farringdon, then through an empty Smithfield Market to our home base adjacent Brick Lane.
I’m not going to lie, the walk had me sprung. Maybe it was the sun, but I found these parts of the city so beautiful that I fear separation anxiety when I board the plane back to Hong Kong next week. Then again, given my proclivity for erratic changes of heart, this feeling may not last for long!
So, where do you stand on the matter? Are you a London lover or someone who can’t see what all the hype is about? What’s your favourite neighbourhood in London?
90 Comments
I probably don’t even have to say it, but I’m a HUGE fan of London! These photos made me feel very nostalgic for it.
poooooop
I am a London fanatic. I have been to many countries but when someone asks me my favourite place in the world I say London without any hesitation at all. I fell in love the first time I visited in 1975 and that love keeps getting stronger and stronger. Yes some things do annoy me but no love is perfect. 🙂 My fantasy of living there for a while will (hopefully) come true next year when I base myself in London for six months over Spring and Summer..who knows maybe I will overdose on London but somehow I don’t think so!
London is one of my favourite cities! I was there for visits in 2010 and 2012 and absolutely loved both of my trips. I’m lucky to have a great group of friends throughout the city, which really makes it feel like another home rather than just a place to holiday. If you’re still in the city, my favourite restaurant is Tayyab’s in Whitechapel — some of the best Indian / Pakistani food I’ve ever had outside the subcontinent.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your travels!
xx
London is still my favorite city! I stopped counting after 15 as far as how many times l’ve been, and l still have so much to discover too. We’re headed back there in 4 days again. Yeah!!!!
I can relate. I left London in 2001 after a year and a half and was glad to say goodbye. But, soon after, I became nostalgic for it and have been back for at least one week every year for the last four years. It’s one of my favourite places now, In fact, I want to hop on a plane right now after seeing your photos….
I have lived in London for some time, and like you I have ambivalent feelings about it. I feel nostalgic when I’m not there and people tell me about their strolls along Brick Lone or, indeed, Spitafields Market, but at the same time there are things that annoy me about it. I think that when you live there it’s much more difficult to bear the constant overcast sky, the craziness of its prices, the grumpy people who never start a conversation with you and so on. When I was only visiting, I appreciated its museums and its vibe much more!
I have been to London once for 5 days…I am headed back with a working visa for two years around August eeeeeeeeek!
Beautiful pictures! Shame the sun didnt last very long as its been pouring cats and dogs and possibly squirrels too! 🙁
The verdict is still out on my feelings about London. I know that I like it but not sure if I can ever fall in love with the city. I certainly like the hustle and bustle of London and I definitely LOVE how you can get ANYTHING you want in London. Living in the Middle East also makes me love how multi-cultural the city of London is..BUT I am still not in LOVE with the weather. I’m such a sun lover, living in gray old London affects my mood and brings me down a bit. But, I guess one city can’t have it all. As London will be my new home, since my hubby is from there, I’m hoping I can make peace with the weather sooner rather than later.
Welcome back 🙂 I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way… As I am living here now, I have to remind my Self all the time of how amazing this city is… and every time I leave it, I come back from a trip and I see it through new eyes all over again. It’s a tough one – but it is a wonderful city. I’m moving soon and I know I will miss it, even when I take it for granted most days 🙂
I ADORE London. I’ve only been there once for a weekend, but did not expect to fall for it as hard as I did (I’m a country girl at heart!). Now I can’t wait to go back for a much, much longer visit!
Some beautiful snapshots here of home 🙂 I’m a little biased as I’ve been in London for so long but I love it dearly , am most fond of Greenwich, Brockley and Blackheath South East London.
I moved to London last November and even though I’m British and have been coming to London on and off for years it’s so different now that I live here because I notice so much more! I love taking photos of the old buildings against the new ones, the street art, the river views. It’s a stunning city and even better in Summer 🙂
I must say, I’m one of the few people who will admit that I do not like London at all. I can’t get what the hype is and I more than likely would be okay never going back (I’ve been more than once). The sad thing is, I’m longing to be an expat and the easiest place (jobwise) for me to move would be London! Oh how funny life is :-/
Its so interesting that you wrote this. Growing up, I was never fond of London. My family would always detour for a few days in London and I would detest those few days. For me it was mostly because most of my trips were spent with family members and cousins I didnt really relate to. Recently I went back with a friend to see the city on my own and loved it. Its amazing how cities can surprise you when you go back to it with a fresh perspective.
I’m so glad that you love London again Oneika as it’s such a wonderful place. I guess you know the saying that “If you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life.” Of course, London can be over-whelming and with traffic, quite horrific. I lived in London for 6 years and I had a whale of a time. I used to work in a corporate company so had no time to do much but when we did, it was brilliant. We used to spend the weekend as a group and just go from art gallery to art gallery, shuffle into an obscure cinema and then go clubbing, or spend the weekend in Berlin!
So to answer your question: Am I a London lover? Absolutely! What’s my favourite neighbourhood in London? Well, I lived in Islington, Dulwich and Ealing but I liked to hang out in London of old thus London Bridge, Southwark, Westminister, Putney, Chelsea, Hammersmith, Greenwich, Convent Garden, anywhere near the river, and ye ole City of London mainly for the art, culture and bars you understand!
ok, ok, London is the greatest, I do agree, but how can anyone possibly afford to live there? I’ve been loving London as a tourist and tour guide 29 times, my favorite city no doubt, but how can one figure out how to live there and not commute for one hour, maybe standing in a sweltering tube, from a crummy little flat? That central square mile, no, not The City square mile, the real square from Strand to Oxford, Bond to Cov Gdn, is the most amazing urban conglomerate ever. I’ve made lots of movies about this place from a visitor perspective, what to see and do, take a look at http://www.tourvideos.com
I definitely have a love/hate relationship with London. I ended up living there for 7 years so I guess it was more love than hate (most of the time). My favourite places are Greenwich, Hampstead, Borough Market, Soho and Primrose Hill but most of all Richmond. We lived on a houseboat on the Thames for a year in Richmond and it was heavenly. It’s great that you are enjoying it more this time around, definitely head out to Richmond if you get a chance 🙂
I just returned home from London… and I absolutely loved it. I could totally relocate there in a moments time. Actually I am trying to raise money for my next adventure. Ta ta for now! http://www.gofundme.com/8qaym0
I was born in London, but moved to America years ago. I’d been going to London every year, then I took a break and hadn’t been for two years. Well, I was in London last month and again from 17th to 20th April, and I tell you I’ve completely fallen in LOVE with London. The weather both times was lovely and just to walk around, rent a bike and eat, I was in heaven. After being to almost forty countries, England is definitely my favorite.
Maybe it was the weather? 😉 It’s so nice in the summer especially!
I work in London and live just outside, I have done my entire life. London is great, she’s a beautiful city full of character, art and culture, but the city doesn’t do it for me. It doesn’t fill me with longing or desire. I’m moving to Melbourne next year so I’ll be interested to see how the two cities and my feelings towards them compare.
However, despite everything, there’s nothing quite like a weekend in Spitlefields…
Oneika – you know my feelings on London. Love love LOVE it. I can’t believe we were there at the same time and we didn’t get to do a quick meet up. I think one of my favorite things to do in the world is to wander the streets of London with no agenda or time restrictions (and of course a wallet full of money so I can shop!).
I’ve never been to London. I’ve always wanted to go. I would love to see where Queen Elizabeth lives and where Lady Di grew up. I would love to ride a Double Decker bus and I would like to shop at Harrods. I really enjoyed your photos and talk. Glad you’ve had a change of heart about London, England. I think a true blue London man would be quite interesting and charming.:) I know, you didn’t ask.
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I love London when I get to exploe it alone. That comes from when I studied abroad in Reading a few years back. I lived in a house with mostly students from my university back home and they were way too eager about all of us going on the tube TOGETHER when so many of them were unsure/hadn’t taken public transportation before. The DC girl in me said “no way” and stuck out of my bedroom window to take my time and travel on my own terms. Much much better way to explore it.
I love it when I decide that I detest a city the first go round and then decide that I like/love it the second. It just goes to show that there’s always something more to learn about a place. Thanks for posting this!
I love that with a bit of distance our perception can drastically change!
I’m one of those who adores London. I graduated and left London in 1994. 20 years later, last May, I was back in London with my wife. It was a trip down memory lane (we met there). We had such wonderful & magical time. The weird thing is, it felt like I had left only a few months ago. The red buses and black cabs have changed, but the feeling was very familiar. The joy, excitement, expectation…, they were all there. Brilliant. We didn’t bring the children, so we could only manage to be there for only a week. Guess what? The magic was too powerful. I have started planning for another trip to London in 2016. Till we meet again, London.
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