Do you remember that Sex and the City episode, where Carrie decided to date New York City? And pretty much spends the days embracing the best of what makes the city great. Well, when I was first watching that, I was in small town New Zealand and I just didn’t get it. Yeah, I’d been to New York but… it was amazing but not, the one you know?
Well fast forward a few years, I finished my last exam in my final year of Uni, didn’t even wait for the result when I jumped on a plane and headed to the UK to do a heap of travel. I based myself in Manchester where some of my family lives; my sister had been living in London for a few years by this point. I had been to London once, when I was still a kid though, so my memories mainly consisted of being terrified in the London dungeon. So I decided to jump on a train and head down for a visit.
It’s one of those feelings which you can’t totally put a finger on it, until you get it. The feeling of being somewhere full of possibility, where you can walk down the street and not recognise a face, where anything really can happen. From a city where I knew everyone and all their dirty laundry, to a city where people were so swept up in living life to the fullest, where most people were from all around the globe all looking for the same thing.
It’s a bit of a weird one, in that it was really the transport system which cemented it for me. The tube totally represents London to me. I was used to somewhere where a bus came once every 30 minutes, to get to a city where I could get anywhere in pretty much 30 minutes, where if I wait for more than 4 minutes, I have concerns on whether the whole systems gone down. Before I got a job, I’d love to just put on some music and ride those tubes, ogling at the total cast of characters who are on the tube.
It only took a grand total of about 2 days until I was sure that London was where I had to be. I needed more! I headed back to Manchester and began the job hunt. A couple of months later, job in hand, couch ready to be slept on, I got the train down to London and never looked back. I’d fallen in love with London!
Now, here we are, a few years later and I spend a whole lot less time in London than I would like (something which will hopefully change!). And sometimes those things you hear about London rear their head, it’s expensive, it’s busy, there are too many people everywhere. My mind wonders whether that small town is really the place to be. But don’t worry, it only takes one evening wander through London with some music, a quick glance at big Ben whilst crossing Waterloo bridge, popping to a blog event, seeing a new museum exhibit, eating a new restaurant even just cozying up by the fire in a pub to remind that London is home and where I need to be.
Big thanks to Amanda for letting me guest post on her blog whilst all the exciting wedding plans happen! I blog all things London, lifestyle, travel and tech over at jasmincharlotte.com.
>>> Thank you Jasmin for the wonderful guest post. You can also get more of her blog on bloglovin. Or you can find Jasmin on Instagram || Pinterest || Twitter
Have you fallen in Love with London yet?
