North Vs. South

When I first ambled across the quaint leafy suburbs of north London only three months ago I was unimpressed. The surroundings that greeted me were a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the south, the sound of sirens replaced with bird song, the flashing lights replaced with the gentle glow of a dusky country scene.

After moving into my house on Highgate hill I found adapting to my environment difficult, so strange was it to look out of the window and be greeted with the sight of leafy greenery and not confronted with one of London's largest skyscrapers.

On leaving the house I was faced with the task of the hike to the tube station, up one steep incline and down another, a twenty minute trek which ensured arrival at the tube was both flustered and sweaty if you even thought about rushing. The bus service was awful and waiting in excess of ten minutes normal. The nearest supermarkets were a whole fifteen minute walk away in Crouch End and there was a choice of the non student budget friendly Waitrose or Budgens.




I was not happy. Where were the greasy spoons, the launderettes, the nail shops, and more importantly, where were the 24hr supermarkets and southern fried chicken shops?
Nowhere to be seen. The things that were in sight however did become clear in the end, and they included a beautiful borough with a sense of tranquility which is very much an alien concept to many native Londoners.

Walking into Crouch End on an autumunal afternoon, leaves crunchy, cold air crisp, is lovely. So is being greeted by elderly residents with a cheery smile, and your lovely neighbour Doreen chatting to you at length about her love for the V&A, and kindly agreeing to alter a dress you just found in one of the treasure trove charity shops in Crouch End. Also lovely was taking a leisurely walk amongst the greenery in some time out from the usual everyday chaos at Hampstead Heath, eating fish and chips on the village green in town and spending time with my housemates drinking hot chocolate.

Now I've moved back south east, to my original idea of London part of me does miss the north. One afternoon whilst walking through Elephant & Castle market I was even beginning to think that I'd prefer to be back there, amongst the beautiful scenery, until I turned the corner and witnessed the scene of a short, elderly chinese man feeding the pigeons some bread. He looked so happy despite the fact he wasn't in a park but on a concrete walkway, and the ducks were not ducks but winged vermin. He looked so happy and it really made me smile and remember that beauty is everywhere, not just in the picturesque.