One Month in London: First Impressions

Today marks my one-month anniversary in London.

Now I’m not normally the sentimental type, but it has been such an interesting and turbulent relationship that I think it deserves a little tribute.

In celebration of our anniversary, I wanted to summarise my first impressions of this beautiful, quirky yet slightly disorganised city….

• There is a pub on almost every corner.

• Tap water tastes a bit funny but not as bad as I expected.

• Pedestrians need to pick a side to walk on and stick to it! Cars drive on the left, escalators make you stand on the right, this leaves pedestrians to walk all over the place. LONDON YOU SERIOUSLY NEED TO PICK A SIDE AND STICK TO IT!
• My hair needs less washing for some reason, which is nice.

• Buses need to stop terminating early and take me to the destination you said you would when I originally got on (yes, I’m talking to you Bus 38).

• Amazon.com is amazing.

• Breakfast sucks. I’m used to an amazing Melbourne breakfast scene, and London is seriously behind on their breakfast café culture. Tinned baked beans should never, EVER be served anywhere other than in your own kitchen.

• London coffee has surprised me – I was expecting terrible coffee but I’ve found quite a lot of places with serving up quality roasts.

• Tesco is actually the crappiest supermarket, but Waitrose and Whole Foods are awesome. Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and M&S are a good in-between.

• There are Maltesers and Aero-flavoured hot chocolates, Mars Bar and Snickers Ice-cream bars – need I say more?

• Green parks everywhere and people are always using them.

• Very dog and cat-friendly. I LOVE seeing dogs inside shops and cafe’s.

• Brits love to complain about the weather, even though it’s not so bad.

• London’s Fried-Chicken shop market is extremely over-saturated (there’s more fried chicken stores than pubs – that’s saying something).

• You can always find a local market. They’re everywhere.

I think that pretty much summarises my thoughts so far. London, there is definitely a little room for improvement (especially on the breakfast-front), however this has been one of the best months of my life and I can’t imagine how dull my life would have been if I had decided not to go through with this move.

I’m still loving every single day here, and there is still so much to see and explore that I don’t think I will ever get over London.

One month and still going strong baby!

The London New Girl
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