What's to Love about London?

This week I decided to round up a bunch of brains (aka my friends and work colleagues) and ask them what they love most about London.  The great thing about rounding up these brains was that they're all from different parts of the world so they all had varying answers for their "London Loves." 

A view of the Shard at dusk

First person on the list of interviewees was a good friend of mine that I like to call Madz.  She was born and raised in a small town in Australia and initially moved to London for a GAP year however that slowly changed when she formed a love for travel - making it less of a GAP year and more of a year for adventure!  Her favourite things about London include:

The way that no one cares what anyone thinks of them - clothing, hair, makeup, tattoos, piercings, heck even the book you're reading!  It's a place where you can find a huge variety of people and feel completely comfortable.

All of the nooks and crannies; so much to see and do!  The cafes that are tucked away down the tiny alleyways, the street performances, the walls where people have expressed themselves via art.... "Meh, I've done London - seen it all," said no one ever.

Next up was Anna, one of my four housemates (fast becoming a good friend) and someone that has lived in England all her life.  With an enthusiasm for running, yoga and all things environmentally friendly she moved to London to initially be closer to work but has ended up pursuing her dream job as a restaurant manager instead (good on her!).  Anna's "London loves" are:

Hampstead Heath and it's swimming ponds!    

The fact that London is 40% green spaces and the "greenest" city in the world.  

The diversity of cultures and that you can eat almost any food you've ever wanted to try!

All train lines stop at London so you can fall asleep on the train home and not miss your stop. Hurray! (for a bit of context here - she was on the train falling asleep at the time)

Shadows on the Millennium Bridge

Interviewee number three was Ruth, a work colleague and friend who is familiar with the sights and surroundings of London itself.  Ruth was born and bread in London and her favourite things about the old smoke are:

The autumn leaves rustling beneath her feet. 

There is always somewhere new to go even after she has lived here for 25 years. 

Beautiful parks & canals. 

If you take the time to hunt for it there is always something free and interesting happening.

Imran, a work colleague and friend was interviewed fourth.  With opinions and a religion that differs from the majority of England he was keen to share his "London Loves."  So here they are:

Diversity and multiculturalism: there are people of every nationality in this city and we all get along pretty well and accept each other. 

It feels like the world revolves around London and it might possibly be the most important place on this planet!

The Tower Bridge reflecting its lights onto the Thames.

Next up an Aussie that moved to London in search of adventure, travel, a job and an entirely different atmosphere.  Emily, a workmate and friend, is constantly flying away for weekend getaways to many different European destinations.  Emily's favourite things about London are:

The ability to be able to travel so quickly and cheaply to so many parts of Europe and other parts of the UK.  Love a good weekend getaway! 

The reflection of London and its city lights on the Thames... I don't think there's a better view of London than at night time (there probably is, but I don't want to know about it)!

There is actually too much to do here. You could go out every night of the year and do something completely different on each night.  It's easy to have a great unplanned night in London... especially random outings to see free plays in the centre of London (score!).

The rush of wind that proceeds a Tube arriving on the platform

Last but not least, Joe.  Joe, a work colleague and friend, is a part-time musician and has seen the many nooks and crannies that everyone speaks about when it comes to London.  This is what he said about his absolute favourite thing about London:

As a musician there's really only one place in England to be.  You can see most types of music on your door step and it's so easy to meet and play music with people.  This is the same for anything cultural and a lot of it is free... so even though rent is a joke, there is so much to do without putting your hand in your pocket.

Buses and cars passing by on Tower Bridge

That's all for the "London loves" this week, if you've visited London or currently live in London feel free to comment with your favourite "London love."  As for now, I'll leave you with a bunch of words that sum up London completely.  This is something I asked all of my work colleagues to participate in therefore these words are also from a bunch of random brains!  So, I just want to quickly thank everyone that had a load of fun sharing their London loves and London words with me over the past week.  It's been brill!  Thank YOU!



"London Words" created via Wordle
(sorry for the not so great picture quality)