What I Miss About Living in London
Life in Sydney is great, don't get me wrong. The weather is great (this is a big thing for anyone from England). Even in winter the sun always shines and you can walk around in a t-shirt most days. You've got countless beaches on your doorstep and loads of places to explore outside of the city. But nothing compares to home and there are some things that I really miss about London.
Public Transport
I miss the tube so much. Seriously. I can't believe I'd ever miss the hot, over-crowded hell-hole that is the London Underground, but oh my days I really do. Sydney transport by comparison is shocking. Give me the dysfunctional District Line any day. The Sydney underground/ train network is virtually non-existent and busses are the most common form of public transport. I don't know if it's just because I have a long journey to work in Sydney and it's made me bitter, but I seriously can't stand sitting on a bus for an hour. Especially as that bus is full of screaming school children. Just build a tube network that goes further than the CBD. It's not hard people!!
Nightlife
In case you hadn't heard, Sydney nightlife isn't the best. In fact, thanks to the lockout laws it can be pretty pants. London on the other hand is in a completely different league. There's something for everyone in London and there are always new bars opening and pop-ups appearing throughout the year. You could go to a new place every night for a year and still not cover everything. Bouncers in London also have 100% more chill than in Sydney. If you even dare mention the fact you've had more than 2 drinks before going out, your chances of getting in are non existent.
Being Close to Home
Despite my parents both living in Northern England, they were only ever a 2 hour train ride away. At the time this seemed pretty far, but being over 10,000 miles and a 24 hour flight away really puts that into perspective. Australia is so far from home and I didn't really understand just how far away it was until living here. Popping home for the weekend just isn't an option and I really took this for granted when living in London.
Having Europe on my Doorstep
The amount of European city breaks I went on while living in London was pretty ridiculous. I think I went on 7 during my first year in London. But it's so cheap and so easy. With 5 airports servicing the city, budget airlines selling cheap fares and scores of destinations less than 2 hours away it was always easy too organise a city break. Sadly, I'm not so lucky in Australia. You can fly for over 4 hours and still not leave the country. And it will cost you at least $200 for the pleasure. No thanks.
Having Europe on my Doorstep
The amount of European city breaks I went on while living in London was pretty ridiculous. I think I went on 7 during my first year in London. But it's so cheap and so easy. With 5 airports servicing the city, budget airlines selling cheap fares and scores of destinations less than 2 hours away it was always easy too organise a city break. Sadly, I'm not so lucky in Australia. You can fly for over 4 hours and still not leave the country. And it will cost you at least $200 for the pleasure. No thanks.
I do love London for a long weekend. I’m not sure I could live there now though. We are considering spending a month in Brighton though which would give us plenty of opportunity to visit The Big Smoke! I love the Bethnal Green area.
ReplyDeleteI think the main tourist attractions are popular for a reason. While getting off the beaten track can be fun, the things you’ll see are rarely as impressive as the popular sights.
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