Friday was my last day working in Hampstead. We are moving to Soho now—the heart of London, they say.
It’s been a wonderful year and I’m already missing Hampstead, but I can’t deny that the excitement of the move, of new things and new days is clouding the sadness.
This past weekend, while walking around Brick Lane, I entered a bike shop, and something I had never thought came to my mind: bikes look nice.
I like things that look nice. So the thought of buying one has been crossing my mind lately. It doesn’t mean I will ever do it though—I don’t even know if I can still ride one—but that alone is a big deal.
If anyone would like to buy me one, the one of the photo is exactly what I want 🙂
I am under the impression that police men walking in pairs use a different type of hat each. Am I terribly wrong?
Fact: cars drive on the wrong side of the road here in London.
During the first few months of living in London, I would always look at the right side of the road and then be startled by any cars that were passing in the wrong direction.
Now when I go to Portugal, or any other country that has its traffic on the right side of the road, I’m really confused.
So now I don’t know in which direction to look at in any country of the world, not only the UK. Thanks, London.
A lot of Londoners don’t own a car. I own a car in Portugal, but when I’m here I don’t feel the need for one (plus all the headaches and bills it brings).
I would say it’s because you can go almost anywhere easily by public transport (and sometimes faster). I find public transport is quite reliable and frequent (most of the times), as opposed to Portugal.
I like the freedom of not having a car (even if I still have to pay my car’s insurance every year…).
A lot of people cycle to work here in London. I would say about 60 to 70% of the people I know do, but I guess that’s not the correct percentage for the whole of London’s population.
I’m still not convinced to do it myself, for various reasons: even though I’m getting used to it, traffic is on the wrong side of the road; I would have to carry the bike around; I would have to buy a bike (I waste a lot of time online when I have to buy something); I’m afraid of buses; I don’t mind the Tube (most of the times).
Maybe one day…
“When I first came to London, I wasn’t in a hurry. I had nowhere to be at any particular time. But I saw how everybody seemed to be late for something, so I just started running too, even though I didn’t have to.”
A friend of mine told me this. I wonder if we’re all just copying each other.
You rarely see a cat in the streets of London. And when you do, they all look like they’re just out for a walk, and are not abandoned. Where are all the other cats?
One of the things I like most about London are the dogs. They all look so cool and nice.
I like especially that brown dog that sits every morning outside the McDonald’s near the Hampstead Tube Station. He seems to be the nicest of them all, and he even wears a little jacket when it’s raining (to be honest, I think any Londoner dog has its own closet full of clothes; probably with more pieces than I do).