![]() ![]() For many years, that’s what London looked like to me. I spent many Saturday night’s watching The Bill, and at the end of each episode this would flash up on the screen, showing some of London’s landmarks reflected in the water. When I think of London, I think of the Thames. It was so peaceful and if I lived in London, this place would come to know my coffee order! Although this was my first visit to this Ottolenghi in Notting Hill, I felt so comfortable. While travelling I sometimes miss that feeling of familiarity I had with my favourite cafes back home – knowing the menu off by heart, having the waitress start my coffee before I even order one etc. The cafe tucked away from Notting Hill’s main drags (Portbello Rd and the like) and I suspect has a loyal customer base, especially this early. I ordered fruit salad, a scone and a coffee and joined a few other morning-paper-readers at the table in the back. I visited its cafe in Islington for lunch, but on my last day popped into its tiny Notting Hill store for breakfast. As part of my tea quest around London, a cafe called Ottolenghi was recommended to me. But in Notting Hill, things move a little slower. It doesn’t take long for a city like London to wake up. We ran for about 6km, stopping at Parliament Hill to enjoy the view over the city’s skyline. We ran through trees, up hills, down hills, past ponds, over bridges and so on. The Heath is pretty big – 320 hectares compared to Hyde Park’s 142. It had snowed the day before and the little hills looked beautiful. I met a friend here for a morning run and the only thing I knew about the place beforehand was a scene in Notting Hill was filmed up there. Hampsted Heath could be described as the same, except it’s better. Before my first visit to London it was described to me as a great, big field. On the train back to the North-West I thought back over my trip and realised I had inadvertently discovered the ingredients for my perfect day in London. Without the pressure of making sure I saw Buckingham Palace or walked the Tower Bridge, I filled my days doing simply what I wanted to do. But in those previous visits I did many of the things I thought I wanted to do in London. It was my third trip to London, which is nothing given the amazing array of things to do in a city like this. But visiting working friends during the week left me with some time to spare. My most recent trip to The Big Smoke had one purpose: to catch up with some friends. But that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in visiting occasionally. A little while ago I wrote about my reasons for not wanting to live in London. ![]()
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