First Timers

The Man and I are waiting to go pick up his cousin from Euston. She's in Liverpool doing her PhD for the next few years, and this will be her first trip to London.

I love introducing first-timers to London. When I first moved here, I had a steady stream of visitors to show around. Now, it's slowed considerably but The Man and I have the patter pretty well down. He introduced me to many aspects of the city when I first came, and he does it very well.

It's kind of hard to remember back, five years ago, when I arrived. I'd been in London before, but I still didn't know much about the city. I landed early one morning in May, and after settling into my flat in Highgate I headed straight to Camden Town to drink in the atmosphere - the buzz, the noise, the sirens and even the rubbish seemed so... London. I wandered down the street, past the market stalls, and I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Later that day I walked through Highgate Woods and across Hampstead Heath, still unable to believe I was actually going to be living here.

I still feel that way even now. I fell in love with this part of the world, met and married my husband here, and all things being well, I'll hopefully soon be a citizen.

And that's why I love showing people what I now consider to be my city.