The First Two Weeks: London

Greetings from:

As I continue settling into my life in London, I wanted to share a few of the highlights for those who might be interested in an update. Having never visited the city before moving here, it’s been both strange and wonderful getting to know the space and the folks who inhabit it. 

Within two weeks, I have conquered the bus, tube, overground, many museums, and quite a few other classic London attractions. I’ve also managed to visit some fascinating, not-so-classic spots, including Highgate Cemetery. Opened in 1839, Highgate was the product of a push for new burial sites due to public health reasons. It has a tumultuous history, including a sensational point in the 1970s when several people reported supernatural activity and sightings of a “Highgate vampire.” Today, many visitors come to see the graves of well-known individuals who are buried there, like Karl Marx and Douglas Adams.

When it comes to the people here, I’m finding that Londoners tend to just mind their own business… and that is absolutely fine by me. While it’s an unarguably fashionable place, I haven’t felt under or overdressed here (a small fear of mine). It helps that I found a pair of black combat-style steel-toed boots at the thrift store for $10 the week before I left. Not only do they make both myself and my toes feel more secure, but they have been an excellent way to blend into the sea of Doc Martens! My biggest accomplishment was being asked to take a photo for a tourist couple in Chinatown last week. I figure that I either looked friendly or local, both of which I’ll take.

I am currently living in Bloomsbury, a central location. I love the neighbourhood and am still in the midst of scoping out places to frequent. My most recent addition to the list is Redemption Roasters, the UK’s first prison-based coffee roastery. Their flagship location is just a few minutes away from me on Lamb’s Conduit Street. Full of mostly independent shops, the street is lovely, pedestrian-friendly, and apparently William Butler Yeats even attended seances there (!!!).

Speaking of Yeats, it is quite intimidating to live in a district where so many talented writers have produced infamous pieces of work. Yeats, Virginia Woolf, and Charles Dickens are just a few of my departed neighbours, with Dickens having lived in a house on the same street as my apartment. I have always been intrigued by the macabre nature of Dickensian London and was fascinated to discover that he wrote Oliver Twist (one of my favourites) from start to finish while living in the neighbourhood. The story was such a quick success that it allowed Dickens to move into a new, more expensive and spacious house soon after. His first home now operates as a house museum— one that has been added to my growing list of places to visit.

On a different note, many of you know how much I enjoy eating out and trying new food. One of my friends described our mutual love for dining perfectly last year when he said that we don’t eat for sustenance, but for pleasure. The high cost of living in London certainly puts a damper on that part of my life, but a challenge has never turned me away from good eats. In place of any main meals, I’ve upped my snack and dessert game. Highlights so far have included: pistachio gelato from Gelupo, cinnamon and cardamom buns from Fabrique, and the best cheese scone I’ve ever eaten from Harrods. Exploring the junk food options here has been fun too (it’s one of my favourite things to do in a different country). I’m basically made of dark chocolate-covered digestive cookies and Hobnobs now. Prawn crisps were also a major hit. I kind of think that the British can make anything junk food… I literally saw gin and tonic flavoured yogurt the other day?

While living in England, I plan to make regular posts like this to document the sights, people, food, music, and stories that make up the experience. After graduating from journalism school, I was lost at the thought of writing in my free time. If I’m being honest, it felt like I had nothing worth sharing. To tackle this, I told myself I’d use my time away for inspiration.

Well, I’m here now and there’s no better time than the present to keep yourself true to your word.

Cheers to new places and rediscovering passions.