Most times when I tell a native Londoner about my book - a London travel guide - they do a double-take.
'Wait a second,' they say, staring at me as if my face will reveal my nationality (if they haven't already figured it out by my accent). 'You're not from here, are you?'
When I explain that I've lived here for five years but I'm from Canada, they usually nod. 'Ah, yes. Sometimes you need a foreigner to introduce you to your own city.'
While I'm not saying I know London better than someone who's lived here their whole life, in a way, I have to agree. We take for granted what we know best, and we don't have the same curiousity and urge to explore as someone who's new to town. Even though I have been here for awhile now, I still love walking down the street of gleaming white terraces, the strange cadence of the siren blaring by. Something as simple as an iron lamp-post or the gold-lettered sign on the pub will remind me that I'm in a different world than the one I left behind. I always go to end of the alley to see if something cool is around the corner -- whereas in my hometown I always chose the fastest route possible.
From the rubbish bins to the church steeples, London still holds that foreign appeal to me. And I hope that never changes.
5 comments:
Go Canada go!
"London still holds that foreign appeal to me. And I hope that never changes."
I hope so too - lately I've been really conscious of this effect (after two road trips to the States in as many years), and have been trying to focus on seeing Montreal "properly" - especially since we're hoping to relocate within the year!
Hi Marsha,
Know very well the feelings you are describing. There is always something new to discover in London, even a fairly simple street can yield some secrets!
Although I do not share your love for rain, I do have a Variety Lab song called London in the Rain, in which the main lyric -it's a lounge song - is 'I like London in the Rain'. It's from one of the Hotel Costes compilations. You should check it out
Enjoy your holiday in Egypt!
Yannick
P.S I like your book stall idea! I so want to take part in that.
Deniz - I love Montreal and when I moved away, I really missed it and regretted not exploring more. I love the Plateau and in particular the restaurant on Duluth - Au Pied Cochon (sp?) or something along those lines. And, of course, smoked meat, bagels, poutine... now I'm hungry. Have some for me! :)
Hi Yannick,
Funnily enough, I have that CD and I love that song!
Glad to hear you're up for the book busking - you're in. :) Thanks for your help with the edits last week and I'll see you when I get back!
I am so glad to have found your site. I am planning a small leap across the Atlantic next year, to work as a qualified social worker. I've started doing my research, and following you around is hopefully going to help!
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