My Random Observations of London:
During my first few hours in London, while strolling down Columbia Flower Market, I concluded that Londoners are a stylish bunch.
Londoners don’t smile, and according to a viral Tiktok video about the city, you are not supposed to smile at them too.
And Londoners jaywalk confidently – they DGAF about the crazy traffic. Actually, cars and buses also drive chaotically. None seems to follow the road rules, but it works there.
Still, on topic, the pedestrian crossing sound is unpleasant compared to Australia, Japan and Singapore.
- Riding the tube, aka London Underground, the world’s first underground passenger railway, was pretty cool.
- Pets are allowed everywhere, including trains, malls, and restaurants – I saw a dog sitting on a chair in a cafe, sharing a meal with his owner.
- The city is a chaotic beauty; it gets busier and prettier when night falls.
- London architecture, especially the terrace houses, is eye-catching.
- Riding on the top floor of the double-decker bus had become one of my favourite activities while in the city. I got to see people’s living spaces through the tiny windows of their homes. Most Londoners have houseplants, and some have tasteful art.
- I loved the double-decker bus so much that I almost got a tattoo of it, but after spending hours of my limited time there, I couldn’t find a tattoo artist whose art suited my style.
- I didn’t enjoy shopping there, which apparently is a big thing.
- Many London bookshops are worth visiting.
- More than the bookstores, there are so many markets! There is even a book specifically about the London markets. Yes, this made me consider moving to London.
- To avoid peeing in a public toilet, you can purchase the cheapest item in a cafe to obtain the receipt, where the access code for the day for the bathroom inside the cafe would be printed.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Different cultures dominate various pockets of the neighbourhood in London.
- One of the reasons to visit London is to immerse in the most diverse cultures in the world – primarily through the cuisine. London food scene is ah-mah-zing!
- Unfortunately, the wine choices are terrible. I had to force myself to finish the wine I ordered in other places aside from the ones from TATE Modern and the cheese train bar.
- Thankfully, the coffee exceeded my expectation.
- I tried CBD oil coffee for the first time here, and it tasted horrid.
- I didn’t get to eat the traditional English breakfast while in London. But, then again, philosophically speaking, couldn’t any breakfast I had to be considered English breakfast?
- There is a Pret A Manger in every corner of London city.
- I planned to follow up on my Melbourne Chai Crawl post, the London version. But honestly, the London chai game is so bad that after throwing the half-full third cup of chai I had, I decided to scrap the idea. It was not worth the pain and the pounds.
- I wish I had visited the White Chapel Gallery and the Broadway Market; maybe next time?
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