Whenever I come back to London from one of my trips I get a small window in which I see the city through “fresh eyes”.  This window is best if it falls outside of rush hour on the underground, and preferably on a day when it’s not pissing with rain, again. But for a moment, I remember why I fell in love with London.

When I moved here almost 20 years ago it was a rather different place.  Putney was practically in the counties and Woolworths was still a British high street brand. We’ve heard and read a lot about how the soul of inner London has been lost to multi-million pound apartments that stand vacant for most of the year waiting for their tenants to fleetingly visit on shopping trips to Bond Street, Harrods or Harvey Nichols.

But even through the gentrification of this city, and the inevitable outward movement of the artists and trendsetters, there is something rather special about it. And it was on my return most recently from spending the winter in South Africa’s summer that I appreciated again what that something is.

It’s London’s people.

Arriving through Heathrow I was exposed to the wonderful melting pot of accents (and sense of humour!) from the officers at passport control through to the underground staff on the Piccadilly line and the Uber drivers into Soho. I’ve met such characters (and made the most amazing friends!) during my time in the city. Strong, fascinating, creative people who give life to the concrete and breathe soul into the streets.

If there were any other mix or group of people living in London the city would be unbearable. But thankfully, Londoners make an over-crowded, grossly over-priced city worth navigating.

If you’re a Londoner let us know what you most love about the city OR if you’re just a visitor, let us know how you found Londoners!