10 Things I Love About You

I can't quite believe it but today is my final day living in London. This past year has been both the best and hardest thing I have ever done, and I'm having trouble grasping the fact that I'm only hours away from saying goodbye to it all. So, for my final post I've decided to put together a list of things that I loved about living in this amazing city.

10 Things I Love About Living In London:

1. The iconic landmarks

Big Ben, The London Eye, Tower Bridge...a year in and I still get a little giddy when I catch glimpse of some of these sites. My first flat in London was just around the corner from Tower Bridge and the Tower of London and I went weeks without even realising it! The first time I walked around the corner and saw the huge blue bridge I couldn't help myself from yelling, "Oh my God!", much to the surprise of passers by. While the novelty of the red phone boxes and double decker buses does wear off after a while, they were a constant reminder of just how far away from home I really was. 

2. The amazing public transport system

It's a pretty satisfying feeling when you whip out your oyster card, quickly swipe it to open the barriers and waltz into the tube station without so much as a fumble, especially if there are tourists struggling and holding up crowds. That's when you truly feel like a local I think. Getting around in London has been so easy. I've loved knowing that if I miss the tube there's another one only minutes away. I've also loved actually using the big red double decker buses and not merely taking too many pictures of them. I've even mastered sitting up the top of them and no longer have an irrational fear that they're going to tip over!

3. The food (believe it or not...)

Fact: Chocolate tastes better in the UK than it does in Australia. Even a good old Freddo Frog is creamier, richer and seriously undeniable. This is because they have no need to put in additives to stop the chocolate from melting like they do at home and as a result it's even more delicious. My favourite are Minstrels which are like giant brown smarties with Galaxy chocolate inside. I'm also obsessed with mushy peas and Yorshire puddings. Supposedly you're only supposed to have Yorshire pud with roast beef and mushy peas is an accompaniment to fish and chips however, I've broken the mould and opt for them with any meal any chance I get. 

4. Living in a gateway to the rest of Europe

I've had some incredible adventures this year, galavanting around Europe. Scotland, Ireland, Paris, Milan, Budapest, The Camino de Santiago, Belgium and back to Edinburgh; it's been awesome to be able to jet off for weekends and mini-breaks on some seriously cheap flights. 

5. The seasons

I love snow. People here tend to get pretty grumpy once Christmas and New Year are over and the cold, grey weather sets in but I loved it. Arriving in early February meant I got to see my fair share of snow which automatically put a smile on my face. My only regret was not ticking off my challenge to build a snowman. I naively thought that as I was staying until this winter I would get another chance, however this winter has been quite mild so far. In fact, today there is a beautiful blue sky and the air is gorgeous and crisp. Then there's the other end of the spectrum; the amazing summer that we had in July and August. The weather here was just like a summer at home and I loved flocking to the parks for picnics and sun bathing and going for walks along the Thames or Regents Canal. A family of swans made the canal their home this summer and it was lovely to watch the cygnets get bigger over the months.

6. The entertainment and cultural events

There's always something to do in London. I've particularly loved visiting places like Borough or Spitalfields Markets, Winter Wonderland at Christmas and of course, seeing shows on the West End. I managed to make it to four shows this year, the most recent of which was last night. For my last night in London I went to see Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre. I'm not sure what I thought it would be like, but the show dramatically exceeded my expectations. The sets, choreography and talent were all brilliant with catchy songs, perfectly timed stunts (including a child 'falling from the sky') and a take on the story line that was quite different to the film. I loved it and would highly recommend anyone who is coming to London go and see it.

7. Dating

Dating in London seems to be quite different to anything I experienced in Melbourne. Firstly, it seems that for the most part, the motive of men in bars is to get your number and take you on a date, rather than the ulterior motive I've found at home. But while they're keen to take you out for a chat at first, if anything isn't up to scratch they don't seem to have any qualms moving onto the next girl. After all, it's a big city and the selection for choice is huge. While at first I found this overwhelming, I eventually learnt to embrace it and didn't give a second thought to anyone who behaved badly or simply wasn't for me. The second difference is Internet dating seems to be the norm here. Having spoken to friends at home about Tinder, in Melbourne it seems to be a way for people to initiate one night stands. In London, it's a legitimate way to meet people and go on dates. Despite using it purely with the intention to judge strangers, I ended up meeting up with a lovely guy who took me to an amazing rooftop bar, lovely restaurants, ice-skating just because I'd mentioned it was on my London bucket list, a walk around Richmond Park and to the theatre (are you listening males of Melbourne?). 

8. The awesome friends I've made

If you allow yourself to, it is really easy to meet some interesting and amazing people in London. I embraced the challenge of introducing myself to everyone and have made some friends who I will cherish for life. The hardest part of moving here was not having someone I could call up at any time for a catch up. But by the end of the year I'd made a small but steady group of mates who I probably needed a lot more than they needed me, so I'm extremely grateful to them. Some of my closest friends are from work and have been an amazing support through homesickness, heartache, homelessness and of course all of the good times as well. They're like my London family and saying goodbye is going to be tough. Then there's my kindred spirit Cat, who I met in Budapest through a mutual friend. Catty and I clicked and she quickly became one of my closest friend in London. We lived together, we travelled together and we certainly revelled together. 

9. Everything in London makes me giggle...

A little less sentimental is the notion that London has some truly giggle-worthy signs and places (if you share an immature mind like mine, anyway!). From the second you get on the tube at Heathrow headed for Cockfosters, it's easy to differentiate the locals from the tourists purely based on who has cracked up laughing. Another personal favourite of mine is the large sign at the base of Tower Bridge which indicates that you should enter 'Via Dead Man's Hole'. Of course, the classic road sign 'Humps for 500 Yards' always gets a good chuckle too. Even in the famous toy store Hamleys I found a toy penguin which had affectionately been named 'Flaps'. Really guys? Really?

10. The incredible nightlife

Possibly one of the things I'll miss most about London is the amazing night life. Not only is it easy to find an awesome pub, bar or club on the weekend, but it's perfectly acceptable to get out on the grog during the week (so long as you can conceal your hangover the next day). In the summer I thoroughly enjoyed sipping Pimms and G&Ts in outdoor beer gardens while in the winter I nursed mulled wine and cider by the fire in cosy pubs. From the pretentious Embargo 59 to the tacky Church, I've had so much fun exploring London's nightlife...which probably explains the extra 4kg I'm bringing home, and not in my bags!

As I was reminded this week, all good things must come to an end and it's better to leave on a high. Although I'm sad to be saying goodbye, I'm definitely leaving this amazing city on my own terms and with incredibly fond memories. Even Wendy had to leave Neverland eventually (ironically back to London), and now it's my turn to get back to the real world. 

Hogmanay...oh aye!

Challenge 3: Go on lots of day/weekend/many day trips (don't stay in the same place, explore, travel, wander)

I remember this time last year, when I was working at the MCG doing promotions. One of my fellow promoters was a guy from Scotland who was giving me a list of things to do in the UK. Very high on his list was going to Edinburgh for New Years, and even though I can't remember his name, I'm still thankful for the tip. I caught DSL (Deep Scottish Love) back in April when I took a tour of the Highlands, so I was more than happy to return to Edinburgh and get my fix of the sexy Scottish accent. 

I departed London with my friends Cat and Tess early on the morning of the 30th of December, which also happened to be Tess' 25th birthday. Despite having to spend 10 hours on a coach, she got a pretty unique birthday celebration once we reached the great north. That night we headed to a traditional Scottish dance called a Ceilidh, where we linked arms and swang around until our hearts were content. It was pure unadulterated fun and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. The event was held in a beautiful room, draped in chandeliers with a polished wooden floor as slippery as ice. We quickly discovered that partner dancing with each other was much easier than pretending to be lead by the guys who all seemed to have two left feet. The only exception to this rule was a handful of Scottish men in kilts who really knew how to fling a girl around. Turns out real men wear skirts.

Once the traditional music was out of the way, the dfloor was cleared for some cheesy 80s and 90s tunes. It was at this point that the slipperiness of the floor became both a blessing and a curse. One reveller took advantage of the slip and slide by taking every girl in the room for an 'ice-skate'as a way of putting on the moves. I however, used it to slide across the room on my knees to the lyrics of Like A Prayer. I somehow found myself in a disagreement with a young man who claimed that the Madona anthem was "his song". Insisting that it was really my song, I flung myself across the floor and onto my knees to the line I'm down on my knees, only to be stopped by the traction of my tights. In my mind I thought I would gracefully glide like something out of a musical. In reality I was left with an impressive graze and very little dignity.

We dragged our tired legs home around 2am and were up early the next day to start all over again. Feeling a little rusty we went straight to a local pub to bring in the Kiwi and Australian New Years. Due to the time difference this meant embracing the hair of the dog and having our first pint before 11am. With a DJ, party poppers and fireworks on the TV, you'd never have known it was broad daylight outside which made the countdown to 2014 feel as though we were really at home. This also meant it was easy to get just as drunk as we would have if it were 12am rather than pm. Once the clock had struck 12 in New Zealand a bagpipe player was brought in to commemorate the new year. We then continued to drink and dance until the Aussie count down, which was huge due to the large amount of antipodean backpackers in the bar. It was one of the best New Years parties I've been to and we'd barely got started...

Being the responsible girls that we are, we decided to leave the pub (in a sufficiently inebriated state) and head to another pub for lunch. Our mantra at lunch was to "act sober", at least until we could reach the comfort of our beds to take a nap. As Fatboy Slim say, 'eat, sleep, rave, repeat'. That's exactly what we did. 

We were up again that evening, ready to go with our vodka and Irn Bru cocktails donned in coats, hats and gloves to the Hogmanay street party; one of the biggest New Years festivals in the world. I'd heard stories of how weather had forced the festival to be cancelled in previous years, but we were blessed with a beautiful clear night. Over 80,000 party goers joined us at the street party to watch three lots of fire works and a number of stages with live music and DJs. We had lots of fun attempting to pick strangers' nationalities in the sea of people, which eventually resulted in befriending a group of Brits. Tess decided to make friends in a more creative way, ghosting oblivious strangers, dancing, thrusting and even pretending to lick their faces behind their backs. 

We spent our time singing, dancing and drinking the night away with our new friends. When midnight rolled around I was getting nervous. I hadn't had a midnight New Years kiss who wasn't my ex-boyfriend since I was 16 years old so I'd put a bit of pressure on myself. Cat managed to find a friendly local to bring the new year in with and when Tess realised this may not be an option for her, she made me promise to be her kiss on the stroke of 12. Low and behold we hadn't found boys worthy of our saliva so Tess ended up giving me a peck under the fireworks. 

From there, things got a little strange. The street party ended and we all went in pursuit of a bar. On the way Cat was still locking lips with her Scott, Tess was playing dead in the street to avoid being hit on by a creepy German and I had a guy chat me up who insisted I imagine what it would be like if I was Gollum (I think he got Australia and New Zealand confused...). No matter how many times we lost each other in the chaos we always managed to find each other again. However, the night had conclusively come to and end when Tess decided to turn her life into a musical and frolic the streets, only communicating through song. Her favourite was, 'you take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll be in Scotland before you'. Thank God for iPhones and their video feature is all I can say.

At 5am we managed to make it into bed, although there wasn't much point. Tess and I were up again at 7 to watch a crazy tradition called Loony Dook. This entails getting dressed up and going for a dip in the freezing cold Scottish water just outside of Edinburgh on New Years Day. While Tess and I didn't partake, the fresh air did wonders for our hangovers and it was hilarious to see the procession of costumes lead by a percussion band parading down to the water.

After Loony Dook we were desperate to go straight back to bed however, were reluctant as that morning we'd seen a mouse in our room at St Christopher's! I'd seen it the night before however, in the dark I thought it had perhaps been a figment of my drunk imagination. But no, the little critter had ran past Tess while she was getting ready for Loony Dook resulting in a pretty impressive yelp. Tiredness won out over fear though, and we spent the day dozing and catching up on the previous night's antics over a pub dinner.

For our last night in Edinburgh we attended a farewell party at the hostel. Free shots and suspiciously fleurescent energy drinks got us through the night, but by midnight we had had enough cheesy music and were in desperate need of a rest. Four parties in three days will do that to you!