Paris to London

As my time came to a close in Paris I made sure I got my last bucket list items checked off. I went and put my lock on the famous lovers lock bridge and I saw Notre Dame unclose and personal. Paris is a very beautiful place and I will never forget its charm and elegance. I will most certainly not forget it because I also know I will be returning one day, hopefully soon. All in all, I realized I cannot see myself living Paris at this time in my life. The lifestyle is very relaxed and slow paced, and at this time in my life I am looking for the thrilling, crazy streets of NYC. I do love the architecture and overall beauty of the city more than NYC. This is also the moment I realized I loved London. Arriving to London was definitely surreal. Everything has been happening so fast up to this point and the transition almost happens in the blink of an eye. At times I forgot I left Paris and switched to whole new city, on a whole new time zone. When I saw things like the big red buses, little black taxis, and people driving on the opposite side of the road and car (scary at first), I realized I was really there.

My photo of the big red buses.

I immediately thought back to my younger days when I was OBSESSED with the spice girls and I watched the movie "Spice World" featuring them parading around London in a big tour bus and passing all the major sites. I felt like a little kid all over again, discovering new things and getting excited over something as simple as a red telephone booth.

Me getting very excited for my first
 photo in a red, London phone booth.

London has a certain charm unlike anywhere else. The buildings are beautiful, like Paris, and the pace is fast, like New York. I loved hearing all the British accents, especially because the words being spoken were English. I really struggled with the language barrier in Paris, maybe I am too much of a control freak to live in a city where the first language is foreign to me. I like to be able to handle situations and navigate my way and that was difficult in Paris. Another aspect I love about London is the nature. There is a lot of greenery, great parks, and the river of course flows right through the city. I feel so much healthier and fresher when I am sharing oxygen with the trees, as opposed to stuffy places like New York. My heart is still in NYC, don't know what it is that gets me, but I can definitely see myself in London.