We went. We sat. We drank coffee. We ate juicy mussels in a spiced broth. We laughed. We shivered. We got lost. We enjoyed the company of friends and family. We breathed fresh air. We acquired some clarity. We came to a conclusion.

& We are both excited and ready to return to London!

We had been having our doubts. We had none until people kept seeding negativity. In the end I wound up actually laughing out loud. We have been told that British Airways will be bombed. We have been told that we will fail and have to come back. We’ve been told there is no work. We’ve been told there is no good food. You name it, we’ve been told it. I think people sometimes forget that it’s where I’m from. Where I grew up. London has formed me in so many ways, and for some things I will be eternally grateful.

Herewith is an off-the-top-of-my-head list of things I am looking forward to enjoying in London this summer.

1. The availability of raw food.
2. Moro.
3. The Royal Parks.
4. Pret.
5. The Eurostar.
6. My beloved British Airways, who take me pretty much anywhere I fancy. And London Heathrow. (Sometimes I close my eyes and hear the words “Welcome to London Heathrow…”. When I left, I would never have thought I’d encounter such a feeling).
7. The champagne & oyster bar in St Pancras.
8. Laduree macaroons @ Harrods.
9. European wines.
10. Real cheese and even raw cheese!
11. English manners. I never thought about them until I was no longer among them.
12. The BBC. Oh yeah.
13. Shoe stores & clothes stores like Mango, Zara and Banana Republic.
14. Ottolenghi.
15. Central heating, double glazing & sturdy housing.
16. International food and multiculturalism generally.
17. Nice hotels with pretty bars I can sit in.
18. European movie screenings. Regularly.
19. Farmers Markets, Food markets, organic food, Whole Foods supermarket.
20. Portobello Market.
21. Free galleries and museums to pass time in
22. The South Bank.
23. Live music.
24. Newspapers worth reading written by intelligent people (I realize I will have to remain my usual selective self on this one!).
25. Only ever being 2.5 hours away, by train, from arguably the best international city and about 6 hours from the ever wonderful United States of America & my good friend Jen.

…& knowing there will always be something I’ve never discovered there before…