"No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."— Samuel JohnsonMy Friday Favourite today is London - a city I love although I have never lived there. Maybe it is in my genes since my father was a Londoner and my mother lived there in her 20s. An aunt worked as a nanny to an actress in London when I was a teenager and I used to visit her and spend a few days in London and also later in my 20s when she worked as housekeeper to a family who lived in Brompton Square although I never stayed there. Strangely I visited London more often when I lived in Dorset before my marriage and again now I am living in Somerset than I did when it was just 30 minutes away from our home in Surrey. Always I have a feeling of coming home when I approach the city and although I would not want to live there if I ever won the lottery - not likely since I so rarely buy a ticket - I would buy an appartment there so that I could visit whenever I wanted to and not have to be content with day trips.
a
According to Wikipedia London is a leading global city, with its strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence.... London has a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries.
I think it is this amazing mix which makes me love it so and the fact that however long one lived one could never see everything - there is always something new to discover - blogging is a great help here and I have a long list of places and exhibitions I want to see - thank you bloggers!.
I am supposed to be meeting a couple of friends there next Thursday for a visit to the Garden Museum (which I first heard about here and which was then suggested by my friends as a suitable place to meet) so am hoping the weather will have improved sufficiently by then for me to make the journey.
Hope you have a great weekend and to those of you in UK that you manage to keep warm.
a
PS Have just remembered the name of the stuff we used for chilblains - mentioned on last post here it is:
Oh it's chilly Jane. Lovely pictures though, hope you stay cosy and warm this weekend x
ReplyDeleteOh that was odd! I thought I was commenting on the last post and then this one appeared! x
ReplyDeleteI love London, too and I'd love it if I were able to visit it once a year (at least).
ReplyDeleteLondon is not a city I'd like to live in, but I really enjoy visiting. I used to take a train down there quite regularly when I lived in Newark and it was just over an hour away. I'm always fascinated by the galleries, and used to love visiting Liberty's just after Xmas when they sell all their beautiful baubles at cut down prices. I used to always end up popping in to Paul's in Covent Garden too for a delicious fruit pie to bring home with me. Perhaps when Violet's a little bigger, I'll be able to take her to the British Library and the Natural History Museum.
ReplyDeleteThanks for finding the Mince Pie poem - I wonder if anybody else will join in.
Jill
I love London too and enjoyed a visit at the end of the summer!
ReplyDeleteHope you cam make your trip next week.
Have a great weekend. :)
Vivienne x
We visited London a few years ago - I must admit I find cities hard to enjoy. I did live in Nottingham for 10 years but returned to my native North Yorkshire in 1986 and have never moved! lol!
ReplyDeleteDespite being born in London and living in London, I have never heard of the Garden Museum! I have love/hate relationship with London. It is a wonderful place to live in if you have money but there is much poverty there too. The streets are definitely not paved with gold. x
ReplyDeleteHubby and I visited the U.K. in 1988 and London was one of the places we visited. I loved it was so, well English. :) When you've seen a great city only in movies, T.V. series, on the news and read about it in books and then you actually get to visit, WOW. I had to pinch myself that I was actually looking at Big Ben, the Tower and all those other things.
ReplyDeleteHope to be back in 2012. Fingers crossed.
Anne xx
I have never heard of the garden museum either.
ReplyDeleteLooks fascinating. I used to 'pop up to town' quite a lot in the past, but don't relish the journey these days. It is not difficult, but not pleasant either. I always resolve to get to a good exhibition or two. Next year...
I love London too. I'm not sure whether I would want to live there, I would prefer to live along the south coast in a lovely village in Dorset or Somerset.
ReplyDeleteI hope the weather improves for you. It's like winter weather here at the moment (our winter, not yours) not at all sunny and warm.
I love London too and each time we visit we feel more at home. I don't think we'll ever run out of things to do either but a week at a time in most cities is about my limit.
ReplyDeleteAbout those lottery tickets - I've got no chance of winning 'cos I NEVER buy a ticket!!
Cheers
Helen
I've visited London a few times, but it's not somewhere I would like to live. It's too big and noisy for me and no matter how hard I try I always get lost on the tube! There are some places I'd like to visit there, but it's a long journey from up here! :) x
ReplyDeleteI love, love, LOVE London, but only for a day out. It is such an exhausting place.
ReplyDeleteYAY! I remember "Snowfire" (but only now that you have published that picture!!!)
I can't imagine living anywhere else. It all seems too small. I grew up in Southwark so very close to the centre but since I moved out by one borough I feel like I'm in the sticks!
ReplyDeleteI can't be bothered with rush hour now, luckily I don't have to face that trauma but I can still get home from the theatre within 45 mins if the trains are nice to me!
We enjoyed our trip into London on Thursday and looking at the Christmas lights and having a dinner out. It's nice to come home though.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a lovely time next week.
I love visiting London too, it always makes me feel inspired whenever I visit. I often go for a couple of days on business (meetings and exhibitions often take place there for my work) but I always count it as pleasure! I hope you have a lovely trip there next week. Enjoy your weekend. Helen x
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading Thursdays post very much. Hope you manage to get to the Garden Museum, I enjoyed it when I went there. The cafe does very nice cakes.
ReplyDeleteBeing London born and bred (with a few years living in the Chilterns from the ages of 3 to 8)and leaving London in my early 30s to travel, I can only agree with you Jane. Although today's London is a very different place to that of my childhood and youth and I guess that goes for most cities. It is certainly a vibrant cultural place these days.
ReplyDeleteI visit London as often as I can as I still have friends and family there, I especially love the The British Museum and British Library, however my shoulders never fail to relax as the view from the train home gives way to green fields and open skies!
Jeanne
x
Did you rifle through my draws to get the photo of Snowfire? I have a tub hidden away in it's box!
ReplyDeleteYes, I certainly remember warming up the Snowfire in front of the coals.
ReplyDeleteLondon's only an hour away for me, and I go when there's something special to see, but we always go down just before Christmas and drive along the Embankment, round the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, St. Pauls and all the places where the buildings are all lit up - I LOVE IT!
Hi Jane, I am a Londoner, and very proud of the fact. I always say I have London in my heart, and the countryside in my soul. When I was a child my father would take my brother and I to all the tourist attractions.....Tower of London, Hampton Court, Natural History Museum etc etc.
ReplyDeleteThen I married Mr P and he would take me to musicals and restaurants. It has always been part of my life and I feel blessed that it is so.......
Lovely post.....have a fun time.
Love London too although it might be a bit cool for me at the moment! Lovely blog.
ReplyDelete