I'm in London still

 

Do you remember the 60s TV show Greenacres?

For the husband (Eddy Albert) ‘Farm living is the life for me.’

While the wife (Eva Gabor) loved the big city ‘Darling I love you, but give me Park Avenue.’

 

Now that we are living the quiet life on our Greenacres in Tasmania you may well ask ‘How does it feel to be back in the big smoke-London?’

The answer in one word. Exhilarating!

 

‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life’ Samuel Johnson

 

So, what’s to love about this great city?

 

The Number 4 and 19 the big red electric double decker buses that run every few minutes from the Highbury Centre and deliver us into the city centre.

This welcoming Christian guest house, about 6km from the city is our home for a few days. It was established in 1893 as a place of furlough for weary missionaries returning from service in the far flung parts of the empire.

 

The London Underground (the tube). Crowded, noisy, bustling, alive, not pretty, but (usually) extremely efficient for getting around such a big city.

 

The Theatre. MJ: The Musical. Even though we are not necessarily big Michael Jackson fans, this show (which is scheduled to come to Australia in 2025) is what our grandsons would call ‘epic’!

 

A stroll up Bond Street. Nothing in our price range, but it’s always fun to walk with the glamour crowd.

 

Holy Trinity Brompton. The home of the Alpha Course. The service was packed with a young, vibrant, multi-cultural crowd. The church building was smaller than we expected. The service was not really our theological cup of tea and sadly left us rather underwhelmed.

 

Dinner in a very hip joint called Seven Dials. An indoor market of contemporary food and drinks. Sort of street food meets Covent Garden chic. We ordered a Syrian dish, a cross between lamb stew and nachos. Different, but very tasty.

 

A stroll through the magnificent Hyde Park past Buckingham Palace as the sun shines at a glorious 22 degrees.

 

Watching the locals basking in late spring sunshine. The English don’t always have the greatest weather, but they sure know how to get out and enjoy it when it arrives.

An overground train ride to Hampstead Heath. More than a park and slightly less than a forest. We understand why Londoners love this space. Unlike the locals, however we are not tempted to join them for a swim in the pond.

 

Travelling through London reminds us of the Monopoly Board. The Angel, Islington, Piccadilly, Mayfair and Pall Mall. All such familiar names for those who have bought and sold these properties over the years.

 

Muggle Mania. A bizarre queue of people waiting over an hour at Kings Cross Station to get a photo as they attempt, in vain, to enter platform 9¾.

 

London today is populated, propelled and powered by the young. We embrace our youthful, adventurous spirits for four delightful days and leave London exhilarated. We are not ‘tired of London’, just a little exhausted!