Things we won't miss about London:
- being so far from family and friends
- drivers/motorists having the right of way and still not knowing which way to look when we cross the road
- hearing about rats and mice in the streets, flats, tube... way more often than I would like (although I've never actually seen any)
- not being able to jump in a car when you need to get somewhere quick... although there's always a taxi
- hearing our neighbours above us (and below us, and beside us)
- everything to do with renting rather than owning
- 20% VAT! (goods and service tax on everything)
Things we will miss about London:
- friends we've met and are just starting to get to know
- walking everywhere instead of having to get in a vehicle; to take Carter to school, get groceries, the playground, shopping...
- double decker buses; especially riding front row on the top level!!
- a rich history, complete with heros, battles, monarchy...
- markets, markets, markets! Borough market, Portobello market, Spitafields market, Columbia Flower Market...
- cobblestone streets
- pub culture and the historic pubs that have been here for a hundred plus years
- awesome british bitter ales
- museums, museums, museums! free to go in and full of amazing stuff
- Carter's school; especially the diverse culture of the students
- the Queen and everything that goes along with having a monarchy
- watching Carter play football every Sunday morning in Hyde Park (all year round!)
- proximity to the rest of Europe and being able to travel to practically anywhere in Europe easily and cheaply
- being able to jump on the tube to get virtually anywhere you need to go and not having to deal with traffic
- endless areas and pockets to discover in London; there's always an adventure to be had
- curries, curries, curries!
- our pub, the Hollywood Arms
- watching the kids "scoot" to our destination
- +15 degree Celsius weather from February to November
- Hyde Park, Holland Park, Battersea Park, St. James's Park, Green Park
- Roman ruins discovered under new buildings being constructed
- the historic architecture and monuments
- horses in the parks
- new funky architecture where buildings are nicknamed things like the cheese grater, the gherkin and the walkie talkie...
- musical theatre and stage plays galore!
- amazing weather and scenery for running!
- crazy, daring London fashion and not being afraid to wear the strangest clothing combinations (at all times of day)
- cast-iron fences lining the streets
- London taxies; no other car can look as unique as a London taxi car but have the surprising endless room inside kind of like a magician's hat
- shopping on King's road
- bangers and mash
- British vocabulary: being very cross or having a row, are you taking a piss?, being "sensible", wellies, chips, crisps, you alright?, I'm feeling quite knackered, bullocks, rubbish, through it in the bin, gotta take a wee, brilliant!, (we could go on forever!)
- european cafes (mmmmm..espresso, latte, cappuccino), we forgot all about Starbuck while being here
- always being offered tea at every visit to people's houses
- amazon.co.uk!
- being able to get virtually anything delivered to your door for free: groceries, amazon everything, every clothing store...
- proper British department stores: Peter Jones, Selfridges, Harrod's, Harvey Nichols...
The funny thing is that about 2 years ago we talked about all the places we wanted to travel and when the topic of London was raised, we both said it wasn't very high on our list. But now that we have experience it, not just as a tourist but as a resident, we can honestly say that it's an amazing city with so much to offer. London is highly recommended by the Lembke's. Thank you to all our friends and family who have followed along on our adventure!
Cheers.
Mike, Jenn, Carter and Averie
