What I Love About: London

So this series of posts is meant to be about some of the exotic places I’ve visited. London isn’t very exotic at all, and I’ve been living here for about three years now, but outside it’s snowing and I’ve just returned from viewing all the pretty Christmas lights in Central London and I realized that although London is vibrant and exciting 365 days of the year – I love it the most in Winter. That’s why I need to write this post now!  London is pretty huge and there is so much to do that no guide can cover everything. This isn’t even a guide at all- it’s merely a list of the things I love the most about the city I live in!

1) For one of the world’s major cities London has a lot of green space! There is over 5,000 acres of parkland within central-ish London that makes up the eight Royal Parks! Although I love the parks in the summer months: picnics in Green Park, paddle boats on the Serpentine (a massive lake in of Hyde Park) and horse riding in Regent’s Park, they are way awesome in winter! Right now there is a massive Winter Wonderland fair in Hyde Park, with an outdoor ice skating rink, Ferris wheel, a German style Christmas Market and loads of other attractions. Its a GREAT day out!

2) Hampstead, a pretty posh area in North-West London, has an awesome High street with loads of lively bars, cafes and restaurants, but my favourite place is ‘La Crêperie de Hampstead’ - a small crepe stand that is open 365 days a year. Whatever time you go, there is always a massive queue waiting for thin, crispy crepes that are made for you on the spot (I like mine with the Banana and Honey fillings) by a friendly Frenchwoman/man.

Whenever you are in London, be sure to make your way to 77 Hampstead High Street, Hampstead, NW7 1RE for the best crepes in the world!

3) London has some of the best shopping districts in the world! There was no way for me to decide which is my favourite but right now I’m loving Carnaby Street which could not be in a better location: its only a couple of minutes walk from the world famous Oxford, Regent and Piccadilly Streets. I love the eclectic mix of cafe’s, nightclubs, vintage shops, with some of the cutest jewellery shops I’ve ever been to and of course Liberty, the famous Luxury store.

This year Carnaby also has in my opinion the best Christmas lights in all of London, in a homage to the 1960′s (when Carnaby Street become an iconic fashion destination) hanging above the street are huge, inflatable decorations singing the themes of peace, joy and love. (There are also HUGE inflatable pink unicorns!) These are definitely the most creative decorations in London and its worth visiting just to see them!

Some of my favourite shops to visit are: Muji, David and Goliath, Lazy Oaf (which is INCREDIBLE) and Playlounge!

4) Here in London we call the Subway the Tube or the Underground and to me thaticonic tube map represents London so well! I love the simplistic topological design that everyone can understand, I love how you can get pretty much anywhere in London within an hour by tube and I love people-watching on the tube. Its awesome, and it is most convenient way to travel around London.

Did I mention how well designed I think the map is?

5) London is a beautiful city with a rich history, you have to walk around the South Bank, Westminster, Embankment. Doing all the fun touristy stuff is fun! Visit Buckingham Palace, try to make on of the guards smile, tour the tower of London and clamber onto all the huge Lion statues in Trafalgar Square. And, take lots of photos! The museums are all worth a visit too, most of them are located in South Kensington and my favourite is definitely the Science Museum!

6) Call me crazy but I love have an ice cream in the snow as much as I love having it on a hot, summer’s day! Marine Ices is where you get the very best ice cream in London (trust me on this!). The restaurant, still run by the same family that opened it in 1947, sells home made ice cream in awesome flavours. I love their Honey and Ginger combination or the Ferrero Rocher ice cream which is just heavenly!

This list could be never ending, but I had to stop somewhere! Above are just a few things I love about winter in London! This time of year, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the World!