London
June 2019
Racing home from work in the afternoon, I quickly packed my bag and met Amy at Glasgow Central station. We made our train by 4 minutes, which allowed Amy to enjoy a fair amount of afternoon anxiety.
Arriving again in Euston station, which is feeling all rather familiar nowadays, we travelled on to Kensington, to meet up with Amy’s parents, Jane and Peter, and her brother, Sam, at a nondescript pub. Since they had only just flown in we didn’t stay out too late - we shared a few stories, enjoyed a few drinks, and headed home. Having been in the North, where most things are cheaper, for almost a year, Amy and I were caught off guard by how much a pint cost. We’re now amongst the large group of people that will happily complain about London prices.
The next day we wandered through Kensington Gardens and Hyde park towards Oxford Road, where we met up once again with Zivian and Tahlia, Amy’s friends from Perth. We caught up at the Riding House Cafe for a well-prepared breakfast. The talk mostly centred around Ziv and Tahlia’s upcoming wedding and our future travel plans – including our collective ideas for a trip to Edinburgh later that year...
After a quick bout of shopping along Oxford Street, we headed home to regroup with the rest of the family.
Not usually being one for live music, I’ve particularly enjoyed the sheer variety and intensity of the British music scene. Having already seen a few shows, this trip was basically planned for us to see another one – the 40th anniversary show for British Ska legends: Madness.
After catching the tube to Highgate, and trying and failing to see Karl Marx’s grave along the way (FYI: the graveyard closes early on weekends), we walked a winding path through suburban streets and elegant parks to Kenwood House, where the show would be held.
Checked shirts, suspenders, pork pie hats, Fez’s and Doc Marten’s were the order of the day - I adore seeing people who never really left a scene. Although perhaps not the most energetic show, it was one full of passion and gratitude from the band, and a show we all enjoyed from start to finish. The only downside being the very British weather that began halfway through the show -Oh well, that's Britain.
The next day began with a run through Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, with it’s perfectly manicured gardens. Seeing as though I was up early, I felt somewhat like a trespasser, as I was the only one about.
Afterwards, I joined the Gillies for breakfast at the Brompton Food Market in Kensington, prior to heading to the British Natural History Museum. With the weather having cleared from the day before, the grounds and building itself looked spectacular. Filled to the brim with dinosaurs fossils, animal specimens, and all manner of peculiar exhibits, it makes for a wondrous experience, which was only diminished slightly by the holiday crowds. Surprisingly, it’s also free, which makes it easy to recommend. Amy and I particularly liked the volcano and geology exhibit upstairs, with a nearby global warming and disaster wing, it made for somewhat dour viewing.
At short notice, Amy and I then caught up with a friend from Perth, Alex, whom I went to Nepal with some years ago. We travelled back to Oxford street and went to nearby Workshop Coffee to meet. Although it was only a brief meeting because of how things lined up, it was, as always, nice to see a friendly face and hear a familiar voice. Alex having only just moved to London, we swapped expat stories and advice. We of course also told him that he simply had to come up to Scotland, since we're not at all biased.
Returning to Glasgow that evening, Amy and I felt as if we would leave London for a time, having spent so much time there recently.
Sitting on the train watching the English country side slowly change to the Scottish lowlands, I was again grateful that we have the opportunity to see much and cross paths with so many people - I have no regrets whatsoever about moving and will continue to urge any of you with any interest in living abroad to do so.
File the paper work, make the savings, and book the flight - take the leap of faith and just do it.
No-one else will.
Onwards to Glasgow.
JC
“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.”
Anna Quindlen
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