Once a year I get an urge to pack my bags and go. By myself. It often arises from a persistent feeling of restlessness and being stuck, not getting anywhere. So I switch locations for a couple of days, and get a breath of fresh air. This year my place of choice was London. I’ve been wanting to return here for the past year and a half. So the choice was simple. However, once I arrived I started questioning my motives for coming here. Was it actually my decision? Or was it made for me by Instagram? Some of my favourite photographers work from London, sharing a great deal of their lives in this metropole. Quickly I acknowledged my feelings of doubt, but I also concluded that nothing could be done, except for enjoying the three-and-a-half days I had.
So I woke up early, grabbed my bag and camera, and wandered around. Just days before my arrival a new book filled with routes taking you through the unexplored and less-appreciated areas of London written by the curater of @prettycitylondon curator Siobhan Ferguson. She was so kind to explain to me where I could get a copy, so I bought one upon my arrival. That was the best decision I could have made. During my hours of exploring I came across hidden gems that I otherwise never would have found. So if you ever go to London, pick up this guide. A little advice: the book is quite hefty, so not easy to walk around with. What I did, was enter the routes in Google Maps, and walk around with my phone.
It didn’t take long to get rid of that nagging question in my head why I even went here. London is yet another city I felt right at home. My days were spent walking until my feet hurt, riding the tube for longer distances, sightseeing from a bus when I just couldn’t walk anymore, eating delicious allergy-friendly food to keep me fuelled, buying too much stuff because that’s what I do, reading for fun and my thesis, observing passers-by, taking too many pictures of everything, and getting to know the people I shared a dorm with.