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10 Things I’ll Miss About London

School· Study Abroad

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Time to start getting nostalgic! A ton of clothes are on my bed. Most of the pictures are off my walls. My desk and drawers are [almost] clean. I’ve said goodbye to so many great friends I’ve made this year. It’s almost time to leave. And I really don’t like that. I’ve started to seriously reflect on my time here in London, and, because I love lists, I made a mental one of all the things I would miss when I move back home. Needless to say, it’s pretty long…

TEA

 
I’m going to miss good tea so much. America is mostly a coffee country. And no one in America puts milk in their tea. Plus the South is an iced tea region. I’ll miss going into a cafe and ordering a breakfast tea and them actually knowing what type of tea that is, that I want it as hot tea, and that I want it with milk. Such luxury.

The weather

Now you might think I’m crazy for putting the weather down as something I’ll miss about London, but coming from Florida where there are no seasons and it’s like 95º with 95% humidity 10 months out of the year, any weather change is glorious. While I did miss the snow, I absolutely love how it is June and I am wearing jeans and a light jacket. I’m going to melt when I return home…. :O

Borough Market

I had lunch at Borough today with my friend Joseph before he left and it was so bittersweet. Borough is one of my favourite places in London, if not my favourite place. I love food and it has more food than I could ever imagine in one place. It’s world class and it might be the thing I miss most about being in London.

The food

We were on a bus in Holland on the way back to Leiden from Keukenhof and this loud New Jersey woman was talking about how bad the food in England is. Has she ever been there? Once for less than two weeks to visit her adopted brother who lives near Highclere Castle (yeah, she was that loud). But apparently, all we eat here in England is McDonald’s, other fast foods, and starch. Siobhan and I were cracking up about how obnoxious and ignorant she was (and how she was basically talking about the American stereotype…).

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Unlike her, I love the food in England. I have a list of dishes I want to learn how to cook back at home. I love trying all of the international foods in London. I mean, I never knew I could have Ethiopian, Indian, SE Asian, English, Italian, or Mexican food all in one week. It’s amazing! I’ve definitely opened my horizons and I will miss all the variety London has to offer.

The accents

Once an Anglophile, always an Anglophile. While London was a lot more international than I expected, I still had my fair share of lovely accents to listen to, both in London and travelling England and Wales. I will greatly miss that.

The culture & the people

England and I clicked. I loved the people and the general vibe of London and all the towns I visited. I could easily see myself living in one if I get lucky enough to come back. I’ll miss it so much!

The history

Again, once an Anglophile, always an Anglophile. I’ve loved English history ever since I can remember and living in such an historical place was a dream come true. I walk less than a mile and I reach a market that has been around since the 13th century. I walk a little longer and I hit the Tower of London, which has also been around for centuries. Each street, each alleyway has a history. Every place has a story dating back hundreds or thousands of years. And it melds so well with the present. So cool. I’m not denying that America doesn’t have history, but English history just fascinates me a little more.

Walking everywhere

Walking is such a luxury. Tampa is not a pedestrian city. Neither is Davidson. It’s so unfortunate because I love walking everywhere! It’s such good exercise and a great way to experience a city and I will miss it so much!

Public transport/trains

When I can’t walk somewhere (I draw the line if it’s more than a 45-minute walk away), I take the tube or a bus. I haven’t driven in about 9 months (yikes!) but I love not having to drive places. Public transport is so convenient and fantastic people watching.

I also love trains. I detest flying and get pretty nervous any way I travel but I have taken a liking to trains. No security to pump up my anxiety. Large, spacious seats (relatively). No baggage limits. To me, trains are just so much better.

Wandering

Wandering is one of my favourite things to do. When I take trips, I like to just walk around the town/city to get a real feel for where I’m visiting. Sometimes the best things I’ve come across have been from wandering. You can’t really wander in a city you’ve lived in for life with no pedestrian traffic or a small town.

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