I’m back in London… and I’m kinda diggin’ it.

Does absence indeed make the heart grow fonder?  I’ve been pondering this old adage since my return to London just over 24 hours ago.  You see, I abandoned London eight months back to put down roots in Hong Kong — stepped on a plane, chucked up my deuces, and left The Big Smoke without a look back.  At the time, I wrote that despite London’s reputation as the cool kid on the travel block, the city, even after two years pottering about its historical centres and trendy neighbourhoods, left me feeling, well… uninspired.  Somehow, some way, I had grown to mildly dislike the city everyone loves to put on a pedestal.

And then something changed. In the months after the move, I began to regard London through a fond, sepia-tinged lens, espousing her virtues to both friends and strangers. First, I found myself chatting Spitalfields and Stratford City and Sloane Square with anyone who would listen.  Next, I began conjuring up my former commute on the rickety, finicky, over-priced tube with longing.  And lately, I’ve been thinking about how having autumn-like weather all year ’round ain’t sooo bad (Fall clothes are the cutest, after all).

Now, don’t you go thinking that I’m packing up my suitcase and moving back to the UK, because I’m not.  I know myself; I’m a frequent sufferer of the-grass-is-always-greener-itis. I’m the girl who’ll crave a Big Mac for hours and then, upon its purchase, fret that I didn’t go for the McNuggets instead. Quite simply, I’m realising the merits of London precisely because I no longer call it a place of residence. 

But.

Despite my constant neurosis mental wavering, it can’t be denied that I’ve fallen victim to London’s charms in the hours since my brief return.  Liebling and I embarked on an epic six hour stroll around its most salient landmarks and I was seduced by my surroundings.

The first part of our walk took us from Bank tube station, past St. Paul’s Cathedral to the southern bank of the River Thames.  Southbank was hopping with activity on this Good Friday.

After a brief nod to the London Eye and Big Ben, we crossed the Westminister Bridge, then trekked up to Trafalgar Square and through Piccadilly.

Once at Piccadilly Circus, we braved the crowds on Regent Street, dipping into our favourite high street shops before grabbing a late lunch in the Carnaby Street pedestrian zone (tasty Thai at a place called Rosa’s — more on that in a future post).  After that, we walked along High Holborn to Farringdon, then through an empty Smithfield Market to our home base adjacent Brick Lane.

I’m not going to lie, the walk had me sprung. Maybe it was the sun, but I found these parts of the city so beautiful that I fear separation anxiety when I board the plane back to Hong Kong next week.  Then again, given my proclivity for erratic changes of heart, this feeling may not last for long!

Lauren Pope