Fascinating City of London

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

London, thou art the flower of cities all!”

William Dunbar

Our first visit to United Kingdom 🇬🇧 happened this year itself when we went there on a family trip, and we absolutely loved the city. So much so that if we could live anywhere in the world then it would surely be the City of London.

Hound of Baskerville

I’m sure you’re wondering that how does that figure in?

Well this novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was included in our syllabus of English in VIIIth Std in our school. Each of us had to come prepared to read out a page from this book aloud and also explain the meaning of the difficult words in it.

Besides an exercise in improving English, this novel also introduced me to the fascinating world of Sherlock Holmes novels which I would read extensively later on. And since the British detective Holmes lived in London and most of his exploits were based in and around this city, it also painted a vivid picture in my young mind about the life in late 19th century London. That was one of my first impressions of London and I quite loved it.

What Attracts Me to London?

Vibrant Wine and Spirits Culture

I will have to start with wines and spirits since that’s the theme of my blog. London has had a rich wine and spirits culture throughout its history. Till 16th century, Bordeaux Claret, Port Wine, Sherry were the favoured drinks by the Kings, royalty, noblemen and for masses it was Gin. Later era saw a shift in liking for lighter wine styles and champagne caught the fancy of Londoners.

Gin Lane Just how deeply were wines and spirits ingrained in the fabric of London society is depicted by this vintage print made at the time when gin was drunk in great quantities in England, and was extremely cheap. Hogarth’s nightmarish scene is set in the slum known as the Ruins of St Giles and includes a drunken mother dropping her baby to take a pinch of snuff, the burial of a naked woman, mass brawling and a man and dog fighting over a bone. Soon after the appearance of Hogarth’s prints, the Gin Act of 1751 reduced the number of gin shops and greatly increased the tax on importing gin amongst other measures to curtail consumption. (Source : Royal Academy UK)

Beautiful Vineyards

When we think of scenic vineyards our mind often conjures up beautiful images of vineyards on rolling hills of Tuscany, but surprisingly London also has many charming ones in its vicinity where you can go for a day visit or even stay overnight.

One can reach these easily from London in a few hours journey by train / road or by both sometimes. These estates offer a host of wine activities like ‘tastings, vineyard tours, meals. You could even host a personal function here like a reception etc.

Historic Pubs and Clubs

Being an old city with a rich history of wine and spirits culture, London has some old and historic pubs which are still functional. These offer a great experience of having a drink or two while having a feel of the ancient vibe.

WSET School London

Wines and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) London is a premier wine school in London which runs various certification courses on wines and spirits. Since I have obtained certificates for three wine course from here (through franchise), so it’s an Alma Mater for me. It’s always a great feeling to visit this place.

Thriving Art Scene

The Royal Ballet and Opera Earlier called as the Royal Opera House, this is a historic opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. We attended a beautifully conducted opera here and will surely visit here regularly.

British Museum It is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. It’s so massive that it may take the entire day just for a brief familiarisation visit to each section. We absolutely loved it and shall be back again surely.

Distant Relatives

Well having relatives is certainly not a valid reason to love a city. But we have this wonderful family of distant cousins at eastern London and it’s always happy times whenever we visit them.

Cultural City

London has a vivacious cultural spirit with a lot of musical shows, cultural events etc. During our recent visit we unknowingly walked into an arena at Trafalgar Square where celebrations for Canada Day were on. It was so much fun.

London Parks and Gardens

Famour for its sprawling and verdant parks and gardens, Londoners love spending time in these green open spaces. We loved it too.

Real Estate

I also pursue real estate as a passion and a profession and London offers such enchanting properties that I would indeed love to follow my real estate interest here. Many areas in central London have these Victorian style homes which despite being so old are still a treat to watch. These are also a proud asset for its owners.

I will not do justice to this write up if I don’t mention about the efficient public transportation in London especially the Tube – or the Underground Train network. We found these underground train system so effective and so user friendly that it really made our outings easy.

So these were some of reasons why I love London and would like to make it a city to reside. Hope you like reading about these. Cheers !!