Confessions of a London addict

Someone said that you're either an Anglophile or a Francophile and I believe it's true. Even though I for the last decade or so have learnt to like Paris very much thanks to numerous business trip. I have even go on holiday to the Rivera and I adore French food and wine, but it's not London. Every time I come to London I just feel at home, and when it's time to leave I feel very sad. Although I know it's very likely I will be back soon again. Because being addicted to London means you have to came back again and again and again.

It really doesn't matter if the pound is high against the Swedish krona or low as now (thank you very much...) Or that it's cold, damp and rains a lot. Or that it's dirty and the tube is always late and crowded. And it absolutely doesn't matter that you have been there a million times before. You can go another million times.

I have never lived in London and now in my late 30's I still play with the thought of moving there. I somehow can't get rid of the thought that life might be more interesting and exciting if I only got to live in London.

I first visited London in the summer of 1986 and it was love at first sight. Only 14 I found the big city a bit overwhelming and stayed very close to my teacher and tour guide. But seeing all the things I had only heard about had me. I just knew I had to come back, and I did. Three summers in a row seeing and doing all the things you must do, and probably things you mustn't do...

Back home I nurtured the Anglophile with glossy magazines, pop-music and watching Emmerdale Farm with Grandma every Sunday night. (This was back when Emmerdale Farm was a weekly drama and not a daily soap.)

Being an Anglophile and London addict means your interests can sound rather peculiar for someone who doesn't get the love for all things English. Things like knowing the names of all four Teletubbies even if you don't have any children or knowing the names of B- and C-celebes that are not known outside the UK. On the other hand it means that you more or less daily read newspapers like The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian and many times get a lot more insights on current world affairs than in Swedish media.

Culture can be at its best and at its worse in London. It's an eclectic mix of old and new, but there is something for everyone. The same goes for food, shops and things to do. From the most luxurious to the simplest things.

I don't get people who don't get London, because really what is there not to love about this bustling cosmopolitan city?!