I’m finally home. It came quicker than expected, yet the days dragged as Wednesday crawled towards me.
It seemed like waiting for the last train to arrive, I was impatient and anxious to board the plane. Boarding cards and luggage checks, farewell phone calls and a change in transit made me feel as though the time would never pass. It did, of course and I’ve been back home in London a week already. Ah my sweet beloved city of rush, grey skies and continuous public transport, once again we reunite with one another.
As much as the relationship I have with you is a love-hate one, right now I love you more than I have in a while. October said “Hello” today, (Wednesday) and as I write this the sun is peeping in and out from behind the clouds. They say that home is where the heart is, although I’m in two minds about that one. North Cyprus is my piece of mind, my relaxation and a place where I feel I belong in. And London? London is the hustle and bustle, the adrenalin and the roller coaster ride I can only go on so many times before boredom takes over. It’s the city that I start yearning for, despite knowing my heart can’t handle it’s devotion for long. There’s so much to grasp in a city of people from all over the world, so much to see and do and capture, yet for me there’s a piece always missing.
No matter how much I try to hug this buzz of life with open arms, there’s still some work that needs to be done. My heart definitely needs to be away from it for longer and so does my body.
Did you know that according to www.london.gov.uk:
* Three of the top ten museums and galleries in the world are in London and 857 art galleries in total.
* There are more than 300 languages spoken in London, more than in any other city in the world.
* The Houses of Parliament has 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases, 11 courtyards, eight bars and six restaurants – none of them open to the public. The Palace of Westminster was sited by the river so it could not be totally surrounded by a mob.
* London has more than 800 bookshops and over 380 public libraries including British Library which holds the Magna Carta.
* London was the first city to reach a population of more than one million, in 1811. It remained the largest city in the world until it was overtaken by Tokyo in 1957.
Designer Vivienne Westwood once said: “There’s nowhere else like London. Nothing at all, anywhere”
And I think I have to agree with her there. You’ve thrown so much at me London, but deep down you’ll always be the city I call “Home sweet home.”
