About a year ago, we summarised the pros and cons of our first year in the UK. With another year gone and a different, London-centric perspective, here's an updated list for 2008:
Things That Rocked:
- Travelling with friends and family. Really boosts the enjoyment factor! We were lucky enough to meet up in various exciting new places, with both "travelling friends" living in Europe and friends from home on holiday. Who will come and share the fun in 2009, we wonder?
- Commuting by Bike. The Langster has well-and-truly paid itself off, and is now a London rarity - an asset gaining in value! Johnny is also a substantially fitter unit than a year ago, and ten kilos lighter!
- Concerts. The array of musicians that visit London is astonishing. You could quite easily see a world-famous act every night of the year. While we didn't go that far, we did see Queen, Kylie, Bon Jovi, Scouting For Girls, The V Festival, The Fratellis, The Feeling, and Bec even saw Celine Dion. Johnny wants no association with that one...
- London Social Life. So much to do, lots of friends (new and old) to do it with. The contribution www.lastminute.com makes to the possibilities is also noted! It's been great for cheap West End show tickets and restaurant deals.
- Parks and Gardens. We've loved seeing them change with the seasons. But really, any time is always a good time to escape the bustle of the city.
- Getting to know "Our Town". London isn't a city you can get to know in a week, or even a month. Perhaps you can never really know all of it, due to its size and diversity. But in the last year, we've enjoyed becoming familiar with life in "Our Town". There's no doubt it can be an intimidating place, but there's a tremendous buzz and huge rewards in uncovering its secrets.
- Tube crowding. The Underground is a great system, but is frequently a victim of its own popularity. Johnny avoids it where at all possible.
- Crowds in general. The flipside of London's popularity and attractions is the truly staggering number of people that swarm the streets. But we're getting to know ways to beat the crowds...
- Air Travel just gets worse. America is even worse than Europe, but why is the whole palaver so bad? Getting on the plane is now a relief after the shenanigans that precede it! Bec is also becoming more nervous with each and every take-off...
- Job-Hunting got especially challenging as the Credit Crunch loomed. Contract work in London used to be the way to go, but the situation is now definitely reversed. We certainly wouldn't recommend arriving at Heathrow without a locked-in job right now.
- Missing Home. If you're reading this, we miss you!
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