{#25inLondon} oh, hello there

Well, I hardly know what to say about this city. London. It’s been overwhelming, beautiful, sad, cold, complex, friendly, and exciting, all at once. It’s still all so new. And I’m just longing for home and familiarity. The vacation is over (well, it never really was one, was it?). Instead of writing on and on about my impressions so far, here’s some of my highlights.

CAFÉS

This city is exploding with new coffee talent, beautiful cafés, and excitement about what’s going to come next. I have only visited a handful and already have some favourite spots to sit in (currently writing this from one of the newest shops on the scene, Curators). I can see a lot of great things happening here, some things that could be worked toward, and some new perspectives on coffee I need to learn. If you ever want to chat about an outsiders perspective, I’d be happy to meet up for a coffee!

In no particular order, some of my favourites so far are:

Workshop (Clerkenwell Road)

– Where I’m working now!

Prufrock (Leather Lane)

Tapped & Packed (Rathbone Place)

Curators (Cullum Street)

Protein (Hewett Street)

SIGHTS

Around every narrow corner there is another little surprise in this city. Beautiful gated parks, old churches, weathered doors, tired streets. It’s a bit of a beaten down city that just doesn’t want to give up quite yet. It’s full of whispers about lives lived and past truths and current lies, hidden beneath crooked pathways and wobbly houses.

I’ve been looking for a flat, something with big bright windows, perhaps overlooking a garden, and wooden floors, with character. Sometimes, places here are so rundown and full of character they no longer seem liveable. I just know that little Victorian flat is just waiting for me somewhere.

The energy of this city is, as I’ve mentioned, a bit like an old weather beaten house that refuses to stop living. Already, I can sense how hard this city is. But it’s not unfeeling. And it’s not without its beauty, even if it is a devastating sort. I’m slowly learning to appreciate the rough edges here.

2 Comments

1. Chelsey

   April 23, 2012

   

   Love all your London instagrams. Thanks for the update!

   Reply
2. Stephanie

   April 26, 2012

   

   Love following your journey on instagram! When I lived in England I found that it was close enough to Canadian culture that I had a false sense of being at “home” but different enough culturally that even after a year things would still surprise me. Hope you find that flat!

   Reply

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