Why I Love London

People in South Africa often ask me what it is that I love so much about London.  Well I thought I'd make a list to explain myself better.

1.  The People:  I met the most amazing of friends whilst in London, people that I know, no matter how many years it is since I've last seen them, we will be friends forever.  Friends that I could call in the middle of the night if there was a problem and they would be okay with that.  Friends that did not judge each other.  Friends that make an equal amount of effort to stay on contact now that I am back.

2.  The Amount of Things That There Are To Do:  there was never enough time to see and do all that London has to offer.  There is always another attraction to explore, another restaurant that you haven't eaten at, another pub you haven't been to.  Another experience you haven't tried.

3.  The Daily Excitement of Living in London:  There wasn't a day I didn't wake up and smile because I was so excited to be in this amazing city.  It is hard to explain how amazing it is to live in a place which you feel this way about.

4.  The Work:  It is so great to have a job where you jump out of bed in the morning to get there, and you get paid properly to do so.  Its like the best of both worlds!!  

5.  People Are Opening To Meeting New People:  Everyone is so open to meeting new friends, if you go to a party there only knowing one person, you will never leave not having met lots of new people.

6.  One Big City But So Different:  Take South London for example the Clapham area (one of my favourites in London).  It has such a great vibe, a great common, lots of great bars and restaurants and great events all year round.  Then take East London with Brick Lane and all the Indian shops on the high street.  So different but great in their own ways, and all within a maximum of 45 minutes commute from each other.

7.  So non-judgemental:  If you were a person with purple hair, a pink dress and green shoes and you got onto the tube, no one would even bother looking up, no one cares about how others choose to live.

8.  Public transport:  There was never a day that the fact that I didn't have a car became an issue for me.  The tube is amazing, and the night buses are great for getting home late.  The factor of not having to worry about drinking and driving is amazing.

9.  The Safety:  Walking home alone from my night bus stop to my house at 3am with my iPod on was just a great feeling after being scared to drive in my own car after 8pm.

10.  The Liveliness at Night:  there are stacks of people on the street no matter what time of the day or night it was.  You could never tell the time of the night but seeing the number of people decrease, the city never slept.

11.  The Markets:  Brick Lane Market, Spitalfields Market, Borough Markets, Portobello Road Markets.....what more can you ask for.  I once got an amazing top for a pound!!

12.  The Shopping:  Primark....what more can I say!!  I could spend just £20 and walk out with 5 shopping bags of anazing stuff.  And hey, if I didn't find what I wanted in there, I could just cross the road to Matalan, or hop on the tube 2 stations to Stratford Mall and go to heaps of other places like New Look or Peacock.

13.  Up-to-date technology: One word...WI-FI!!! Uncapped wireless internet at a very cheap price was the norm in most households.  A 'cap' on your internet is almost unheard of and so downloading movies and series is as easy pie.

14.  Quorn!!!!!  Vegetarian or not, Quorn is amazing!!!!

15.  Online shopping:  Order anything you could possibly think of online and have it delivered, free of charge  to your doorstep within 2 or 3 days.

16.  Things Being Cheap and Affordable:  DVD's costing £3, my weekly groceries costing a maximum of £20 and a travelcard which was half the price of what I spend on petrol, and allowed an unlimited amount of travel in your selected zones.

17.  Things To Do All The Time:  When I felt like going out after work but none of my friends were about, I could take a stroll on London Bridge, head down to Piccadilly Circus and take in the sights....there was always something to do no matter what.

18.  The Free Mayor of London Events:  From the Thames Festival, to Chinese New Year, to the Guy Fawkes Night displays, there was always something going on and it was for free!

19.  Annual Pride Parade:  Such an amazing event with amazing people and just an amazing party!!

20.  A 30 Minute Flight from Europe:  Get to Amsterdam or Paris in less than an hour, and on flights that cost as little as £20!!

21.  The Rest of England and the U.K.  There was so much to explore in the rest of the UK and it was so affordable to do!!  My personal favourites being Bournemouth, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin, Dolgellau and Brecon Beacons.

22.  The Festivals:  whilst I didn't get to go to many, there were so much to choose from all summer!

23.  The Constant Flow of Concerts by International Artists:  who ever your favourite singer is, it was just a matter of time before they would be doing a show in London.

24.  The co-incidence of Famous People:  Only in London do you step out of a budget restaurant with a friend only to be greated with a red carpet with Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo on it!!  Or get to plan a trip to the Harry Potter Primere at the last minute and get to see all the characters as well as J.K. Rowling.

25.  The Parks:  Hyde Park, Green Park, St. James Park, Greenwich Park, etc etc they are all just so massive and green and amazing.

26.  Westminister and Buckingham Palace:  such a privelage to get to see these amazing places.

27.  Non-Corrupt Police:  I remember a friend of mine's phone getting pickpocketed at a pub and the police took it so seriously and were so caring.

28.  Un-predictable Elections:  the politians have no guarantee of winning, they have to actually fight for your vote and no one knows how it is going to turn out.

29.  Free Newspaper Everyday:  Metro, Evening Standard, London Lite....all yours for the taking for free, and good reads too!!

30.  Free GOOD Healthcare:  Being on the NHS was not something bad, their healthcare was fantastic.  I even got 6 free pilates classes to help with my backpain.

31.  The Good Old English Fryups:  Unbeatable on a Sunday morning!!

I could carry on and on and on but DAM I miss the place I still consider home.  I love you London!!!!