Let me try to write down some thoughts and feelings about London before they vanish into thin air :)
The first thing that comes to my mind are the cosy little houses of West Kensington. The place where Elli and Lukas used to live and where I stayed for four days. Just follow this link to make a litte Street View Tour. I just love these little roofs over the windows of the first floor :) and the chimneys!! I already noticed these typical chimneys when the plain was on its landing approach and they reminded me somehow of «Karlson vom Dach» – a film based upon the novel of the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren that I used to watch when I was child.
In London there are many different worlds hitting each other. And through my London friends I was able to come into contact with some of these worlds. On one hand there was West Kensington, a residential district where you didn’t really feel like you’re in a metropolis because the houses are really small and there is a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. The scent of flowers growing in the front yards is sweetening the air and you can see mothers taking their children home from school.
Then you have East London / Shoreditch – where I did this Street Art Tour I already wrote about. An area that reminds me of Ehrenfeld here in Cologne. Everything is a bit more rundown and you have a lot of hip Clubs and Bars. Many house facades serve as canvas for Street Artists. In some areas – like around Brick Lane – you feel like you’re in a huge open air gallery!
And I also experienced what it feels like to go on parties of the upper-class. On the first evening when I went to WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party and on Saturday when Fredrik took us to this new Club called Press Club. The food, the drinks, the atmosphere at Kensington Roof Garden (location of the Pre-Wimbledon Party) was just amazing! And the music at Press Club with these live drummers emphasizing the beats of the music – that was pretty cool as well. BUT. ^^ But I realized again that this is not really MY world. I prefer wearing sneakers instead of High Heels, I prefer places where I can be more myself where I don’t have to dress up or behave in a certain way.
But nevertheless I’m grateful to Lukas and Fredrik for having this opportunity to gain an insight into this world. Because this is what I love: Get to know different people, different places, different worlds!