
At the moment, I'm doing an internship in London. It's my first experience of living in the capital city of the UK - and in a busy, tourist-filled metropolis it's easy to feel like a small fish in a very big pond.
I take the tube to work; the London Underground is a great transport network and you can get across London much quicker than if you took a bus, or, in some cases, walked. However, first thing in the morning it's often very crowded on the tube. There's no air conditioning on the trains, and when there are a lot of people on board it can feel very claustrophobic. Occasionally there are delays which can be frustrating when you need to get to work! The tube can be quite expensive, at £4 for a single ticket. Luckily, if you have an Oyster card you pay almost half that!
As a capital city, London has loads of great attractions. Some of them require an entrance fee, but there are lots of things which you can do for free. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is a well-known event, which takes place daily at 11.30am between April and July. You can watch it for free - but you need to get there early if you want a good view! Most museums in London are free for everyone to enjoy, but donations are welcome. Last week, I visited the British Museum. I particularly liked the room filled with old watches and clocks. They even had a miniature replica of the astronomical clock in Strasbourg cathedral, which I visited several times while I was living in France.
One thing I love about London is the free newspapers and magazines. On Tuesdays, a magazine called Time Out is published and it has great tips on what events are happening in London over the coming week. If you like fashion, you can pick up a copy of Stylist on Wednesdays. Every day, two newspapers are printed. You can pick up a copy of the Metro during the day, or later in the afternoon you can obtain a copy of the London Evening Standard. The articles aren't too long, and it's a great way to keep up with the news!
As much as I'm enjoying living in London temporarily, it'll be nice to escape the big smoke (a slang term for London, due to the amount of pollution) and return home!
Would you like to live in London?