Things We Love about London

In no particular order (with photos to come) …
• The Thames River – winds its way through the city with walkways all round. Great for a stroll and so many sites to see on it and near it
• The History – so many amazing things happened here. Something for everyone from every century in every field of human endeavour and interest
• The Tube & the National Rail – what a fantastic overlapping transport system developed so long ago, covering so much of the city and now so incredibly efficient (a train every 2-3 mins on every line)
• The London Buses – a large family’s dream in that the kids are free, there is a top deck to sit on and there are literally 400 plus routes covering every square inch of the city. Even better than the trains
• The Oyster System – a transport card that enabled you to easily travel on both buses and trains and automatically reduced the price of your fare to the lowest possible for the day
• The Monuments – you can climb on them and play in them and sit on the floor anywhere you like (unlike the USA where machine gun waving wardens guarded every nook and cranny to stop people loitering)
• The Tesco Food Deal – 2 Pounds buys you a meal deal of a deli sandwich a packet of chips and a decent drink BRILLIANT
• Costa Coffee – after the good coffee drought in the US these guys were heaven sent. Real life Baristas and “every cup is made with love”
• The Architecture – from the ridiculous Gherkin and the copy-cat Raddish to the Norman Churches, countless Palaces and Gothic Cathedrals London has it all (soon to include the tallest building in the European Union)
• Royal Albert Hall – a musical masterpiece and a terrific glimpse into English culture as we spent the afternoon with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir for a St George’s Day sing along.
• The Array of Sports Cars – if you can tell the difference between a Lamborghini, Masarati, Porsche & a Mini (and you care as our boys do) then a walk through the Kensington Royal Borough is very exciting
• The Christians – although London is a godless place strangely full of religion and yet very little biblical faith, the Christians at St Helen’s Bishopsgate and St John’s Chelsea welcomed us with open arms and cared for our needy hearts with excellent teaching, godly counsel, hospitality and warm fellowship for the whole family
• The Garden Museum at Lambeth – a beautiful old Norman church where Governor Bligh and family are buried now turned into a tasteful café and garden museum
• The London Eye – more than a great big Ferris Wheel
• The Windmill Pub – which supplied us with internet and unforgettable Karaoke
• The Park Jumpers – in the park behind our flat there was a lovely park. In this park a group of young men would gather to jump. They did it for hours and we watched amazed from our balcony
• The Royal Wedding TV Show – a nightly feast for those who love all things royal
• The Food – Vegemite and Wheetbix were the same as in Australia and Jam Donuts in England are as good as they get.

Michael