Take Courage
London - City of Dreams (and overpriced coffee)
When I moved to London 11 years ago I had my own idea of what this city was and now over a decade later I have come to terms with the fact that I am still discovering more about London every day. I had high hopes too, of running a ‘side hustle’ travel blog where I flitted to exciting European destinations and was somehow magically compensated for taking pretty pictures and writing about delicious coffee and pastries devoured in cute cafes.
Fast forward to 2024. I am now much older, hopefully a little wiser and also have a much better passport (a story for another time) which means I can now at last make a start on visiting picturesque corners of the world and post about them to share my travel experiences with others.
So, in essence this is the introduction to that long anticipated ‘Travel Diary’. I’ve got some catching up to do - archives of photos to delve through and hopefully you can look forward to some lovely stories, photographs and tips on travelling in your 30’s if you have few commitments or responsibilities to get in your way - only the soul crushing cost of rent and coffee in one of the worlds most intriguing cities, London.
London is where I live and work as a Freelance Photographer, the base from which I travel when I do ‘flit about’ - I also spend a lot of time travelling around London for work and still find new and surprising corners of the city all the time.
It’s a City of contradictions, old and solid architecture is juxtaposed against shiny and new in every geometric shape imaginable. An iconic travel destination as well as the crowded city over 9.5 million people call home. It’s not always grey and raining, just most of the time but I do think the spring and autumn shows this city puts on are honestly magical.
This is the kind of city that has something for everyone. Events, Exhibitions, shopping etc. Markets where you can buy food from any part of the world or some delicious vegetables grown somewhere just down the road. Flower markets, antique markets you name it - we've got a market for it. I love that there’s always something to do or somewhere to meet a friend for those aforementioned, overpriced coffees.
So here’s my love letter to London - hopefully many more for many other cities to come as I find my way though documenting and sharing what I love about travelling. I’ll leave you with a little list of places I enjoy and would recommend doing if you’re visiting London or just new to the City.
Top 5 Things you should definitely do in London:
Breakfast/Brunch - visit one of the many unique branches of Dishoom for either their Wrestlers Naan or Spiced Akuri Eggs - washed down with bottomless Chai (Yes! Bottomless)
Columbia Road Flower Market - If you’re visiting on a weekend, head over to Columbia Road early on a Sunday to get a real East End market experience - They have coffee here too but the real draw is the wide array of houseplants and beautiful cut flowers, a feast for the senses.
Tate Britain - if you like looking at art this is a lovely gallery to visit, always exciting special exhibitions and a great permanent collection - they have my favourite painting of all time there - Ophelia by John Everett Millais.
Parks: ALL of London’s many parks have their own personalities and draw factors but I’m biased as I live near one of the loveliest ones in the central London area - Victoria Park. They have weekend markets there too and it’s great for strolling, dog walking/watching, cycling or just lazing around.
Liberty of London - Founded in 1875, this Landmark of London Department stores was renovated in the 20’s to include Tudor features and is made from the timber of two ships - HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. Because of this it has a unique personality and charm which makes it a wonderful place to visit - think modern and eclectic fashion brands meet vintage, old world department store haberdashery.