I'm back in the game work-wise, having picked up a contract role to see me through the next twelve months. It was good taking some time off work, but Singapore has limited options for daytime entertainment, and the last couple of months of unemployment were slowly doing my head in.
As luck would have it work had me in London for my first week, which was a great walk down memory lane. Having had the privilege of living there from 2006 to 2009 in my late twenties I had the time of my life with the bars, restaurants, concerts, clubs, parties, festivals, sightseeing and everything in between. I met my now wife while I was there, and the city holds memories around almost every corner.
Being August when I visited this time round, and with temperatures in the mid-twenties the locals were beside themselves, and every evening life spilled out of the bars and onto the streets. Riding the tube after a few drinks felt like a step back in time, being the World's very first underground line, and staying around Hoxton presented an array of characters on the high street. Its a cosmopolitan place.
The last time I was there in 2010 the city was still reeling from the financial crisis. In 2014 the city is absolutely booming, and there is an amazing amount of construction going on, especially in the old Square Mile.
One afternoon after work I took the camera out for a wander, taking the train to Piccadilly Circus, which is still an awe inspiring place, with the sheer volume of tourists out & about. From there I walked along the river, passing the Temple Walkabout - which in particular holds a lot of memories - and eventually to the shore opposite the Shard, which is very impressive.
Alas, I was only there for a few days and left on Friday night, almost missing my flight and making it rather late on account of sitting in the lounge downing champagne with my headphones on. I got a filthy look from the flight attendants as I boarded, who promptly slammed the door behind me, and we got going. After a hectic week I slept like a baby and woke up two hours out of Singapore. Result.
Walking past the local, this one has been spruced up and has some kind of nightclub upstairs. The producer of one of my favourite tunes from last year (Tom Middleton - Wyv Auw Chu) was on one of the posters, outside having played the previous weekend.
Piccadilly Circus and the statue of Eros. I will never forget the first time I discovered the place, on a walk around London during the early days of living there. The buzz of the place is absolutely electric.
And finally the Shard, on the southern shore near London Bridge Station. Beautiful building in a city that is becoming dotted with skyscrapers, and makes for a wonderful mix of old and new.
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