Living in London (this is what they don’t tell you)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 19 май 2024
- This video is sponsored by Songmont. Use my promo code jennymustard12 to get 12% OFF sitewide!
Bags in the video:
Medium Song Bag (vegan leather) - Eco Taupe: bit.ly/3X1cqvV
Medium Song Bag (vegan leather) - Eco Cloud: bit.ly/44FovbT
Luna Bag (vegan leather) - Eco Cloud: bit.ly/47vgxSf
Luna Bag (vegan leather) - Eco Caramel: bit.ly/3TXhnUY
Pre-order the paperback version of OKAY DAYS:
Amazon: amzn.to/4bjt4ux
Waterstones: shorturl.at/bwKNR
Bookshop.org: shorturl.at/osvMX
Blackwells (FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING): shorturl.at/wSX08
Buy the hardback version of my book OKAY DAYS:
Blackwells (FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING): blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
Amazon: amzn.to/3BOtXeh
Waterstones: tidd.ly/3dSnVS7
Bookshop.org: uk.bookshop.org/shop/jennymus...
Shop My Wardrobe (New): www.moonsift.com/collection/j...
Shop My Jewellery: www.moonsift.com/collection/j...
London, the city of a thousand cities, cultural melting pot of the world, the home of Austen and Woolf and Wilde, and for almost ten years now, the home of me. What do you think, a decade in, can I be deemed a true Londoner by now? I say yes, and as the first order of business as a londoner, i’m doing a gentle little roast. Because coming here as an immigrant, you definitely have to be prepared to take the good, with the bad. And with the very bad.
I talk about:
- how expensive is london?
- the worst flats in london
- living with flat mates
- the problem with london
- the size of london
- leaving rubbish on the street
- the wealth gap in london
- london is beautiful
___
instagram: @jennymustard - / jennymustard
goodreads: / 14224250.jenny_mustard
tiktok: / jennymustard____
___
subscribe to our podcast on
itunes : apple.co/2DR2lpF
spotify : spoti.fi/2BAGuUJ
___
subscribe to my channel :
bit.ly/2iBaKo9
___
fair use of copyrighted material:
disclaimer: i do not own some of the material in this video. please note that some images, videos, and copyrights belong to their original owners. no copyright infringement intended.
___
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links which I earn a commission on. 
Хобби
“ no one deserves black mold and no one deserves a Ferrari” ❤❤ loved that quote❤❤
I lived in London in 1999 -2000 and I had a beautiful, large flat with a huge bedroom, lounge and roof terrace and the cutest kitchen. It was the top floor of a very grand house in Muswell Hill and I loved it. We paid £115 a week (£57 each a week as there were two of us). No problems, nicely decorated. And the landlady was very nice. Oh, how times have changed. I miss the London of the 90s, there were half the amount of people living there it seemed and people weren't trying to rip you off on every corner.
Early 90s I lived in a studio in a Regency house in Bayswater for £45 per week. I miss London of the 90s too.
I payed only £40 a week in London from 1994-2000 for a small house with garden, rents now are nuts. If your landlord does not do the repairs, write to the landlord to tell them you are getting it done and taking it off your rent, and just do that, get the workman in to do the work, keep the receipts and send copy to landlord and take the amount off the rent. Works every time.
So happy we're finally not renting in London!
I left London in 1999 and even though I do miss it, it angers me about how the cost of living has made the city unliveable for working class and even plenty of middle class people.
I watched a video from Britmonkey talking about that 😮 it is pretty good but a little bit sad
French Londoner for 14+ years here. This is one of the most realistic video about London, agree with all of it. Regarding the pros of London, I LOVE the fact that the city has so many beautiful parks.
i love the parks!
🇨🇵🇬🇧👍
Having lived in London for 16 consecutive years, I consider myself a true Londoner. Finding a decent flat was a constant struggle until we finally purchased our apartment. Every place we looked at either had mould or windows that let the wind blow through like crazy. Prices are exorbitantly high, almost depressing, despite both my husband and I being full-time professionals with high salaries. Maintaining the London lifestyle is challenging.
London is a magnificent city, one of the best in the world if you ask me. As an avid traveller, I see it as a true melting pot of Europe and a gigantic metropolis. However, everything went downhill after Brexit.
London used to be great but it's pretty awful now. I say that as someone who has lived here for 20 years. Even the creative scene has massively stagnated. The north is way more interesting.
Yes that's where I'm headed if I ever go back to England, the North. The people are wonderful and immediate and it's not so difficult to break in socially.
I've lived here 15 years and question the 'bored of London bored of life' aspect. I spend a lot of time in Sweden and now I am 42 I appreciate the peace and the nature, but if I am there too long I miss all the restaurants in London etc
I completely agree!
My parents have lived their whole lives in a small village of only around 2000 people (not in UK). They visited London for the first time last year. They don't enjoy noisy, big cities but they both nearly cried when they saw Tower bridge. They walked the streets with dropped jaws and couldn't believe how insanely beautiful the city is. I myself love London, but can't afford to live there. And yes, these types of videos are great, keep them coming ❤
I have visited London many many times over the years and it’s a thrill every single time I land at Heathrow ❤…I go for the art galleries and the food ! The people watching is the BEST 😜
i love the people watching !
A great city but not English any more. It has become home to the world, which may seem exciting but it does mean that for many British people, their capital city is no longer a place they can afford to live in or really feel at home in. I'm glad you are enjoying it.
Yes Darling it's fabulous. Especially the weather clouds, rain, cold all the time - just fabulous!
But no earthquakes, killer heatwaves, tornadoes, droughts, or severe winters.
...or volcanoes. Greetings from Iceland 🐳💦
There is just something unexplainably magic about this city - 8 years in london and loving it 💕✨Thanks Jenny for sharing this x
thank you!
I’ve lived in London for 2 years and I really enjoyed it
I have to admit that I was financially comfortable so my personal perspective was not “realistic” at the time
I lived just over a year in London. from 2017 - 2018. It was the most exciting and life changing year of my life. For the first time in my life I've had a sense of belonging. Even though I don't live there anymore, It'll forever be my favorite city
So happy to hear someone who can see the beauty of this amazing city. I love London.
London is unforgiving. if you cannot make it here in a short space of time, London will chew you up and spit you out for the next person to take your place.
Im Pakistani and I lived in London for 14 months as an International student and absolutely hated it. I just cannot see what people see in the city. Nope i'm not bored of life lol...give me the happy cheerful Far East to live in any day. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City etc...been to all these places and would move there in a heartbeat if i could. London is miserable with awful weather, terrible food and it is absolutely unaffordable. Only a rich person can enjoy living there.
london can get very warm in summer . i was surprised how warm it was actually . and o yes it's very expensive indeed
I’ve lived in London for about 20 years now it’s a cool place but my partying days are over and when I watch ‘escape to the country’ I want to move out of my flat and get somewhere further out a bit bigger with a little garden and some chickens. 🤔 I’d also consider Norway with those beautiful sea views 😍
Ive lived 25 years in northern norway and i will never tire of cycling through sparsley populated fjords in the summer, with patches of tilled land, and reindeer and livestock feeding next to the roads.
I love spending a few days in London, it's great fun! But I'd rather live in a smaller place, where everything is at a walking distance
I was in London for a month last year. I found that the food was at least 20% cheaper than it is in the United States. To me, it was a bargain because inflation in the last 3 years hit the US worse than the UK.
Love Tesco, Sainburys, Poundland, etc…
It is nice to hear someone give an honest review of life in London.
My father was born in London 1920, on the few occasions I traveled there from Australia, it has felt like I was going home.
So glad you love London. Best city ever!!!! But have to say I lived there for 25 years, a lot of the time in rented accommodation and never saw one single cockroach !!!! Xxx
agree! I have never seen a cockroach there either.. in fact only in the US
I was born in London and had to leave 20 years ago... couldn't afford to live there any more. I've been back since and hardly recognise it.
I grew up just outside London, in Epping near the Forest. My family were Londoners. I loved London in my 20's and 30's for shopping, clubbing and the culture. I felt really at home there. When I got married we were lucky in those days to be able to afford a small home, we now live in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire that' s a bit like a mini London but with the Cotswold hills near by. We bought a huge regency flat with a garden for about 20 grand more than our tiny London studio and we love it here.
This was a very well put together video. I am glad you created this video as, in my opinion, it serves as a reality check for people wanting to stay in or move to London. I also believe that this will help them make an informed decision without the rose-tinted version set by Hugh Grant/ Bridgette Jones movies. :) Thank you for creating it!!
I agree, London is an amazing and vibrant city in every way imaginable! 🙂 From 1987-1991, I used to enjoy travelling to London for my holidays and would stay with friends in their flat in Notting Hill ... long ago before it became gentrified. 😵💫 I loved going back to London again in 2009, its endless charm welcomes one with all its endless delights. 💖
I have a friend from Norway who lived in London for 3 years with her children. Her daughters hated being singled out for achievment in school. Her son loved it.
Berliner here! And yes, the house prices are CRAZY. I can't compare to London, but I recently moved to a new flat and it's crazy how expensive the city has become. 😢
True, and not only are flats very expensive in Berlin, especially in relation to the comparatively low salaries here, but the competition for any halfway affordable flat is massive. Plus so many flat ads are scams. So glad I had the good fortune to buy a place here 22 years ago, when housing was much cheaper. Food is still a lot cheaper here than in London, or also than in big US cities, though the prices have gone up since the pandemic. I lived in London in 1979/80 on a £25/week salary, plus free rent on a room, and I was able to go to the opera etc. A place in the slips at Covent Garden cost £2.50 in those days, I think;-)) Unimaginable now.
Visited London a month or so ago. On Oxford Street, H & M and Primark have replaced unique British department stores that are no longer in business.
Yeah, it really comes to something when Primark has replaced British Home Stores....heartbreaking.
Born and bred Londoner. Moved to Amsterdam when I was 27 and it took over a year to climatise to the slower pace and less hussley way of life. After a decade here, I'm now ready for a small seaside town and if I ever get to retire I'll no doubt live on a mountain all to myself 😂
I lived in London for 25 years. It’s an incredible city that attracts an enormous amount of talent, but the price you pay to live there is beyond expensive. You sacrifice your own quality of life and your health. Living and working in London is a never-ending hamster wheel, a high-speed train that never reaches its destination, a hard concrete jungle that is losing its human soul day by day. You need to be physically and mentally fit to live in London, or else it can tear you to pieces and spit you out.
Having said that, it is the most exciting city I have ever been to. It has so much to offer for those who have the energy to discover it. Every day, you will find something new. Making it in London may not be possible for most people, particularly if you are young, but consider yourself lucky to have experienced the character and edge of London.
London is a beast-if you can tame it, the rewards are extraordinary. But if not, it’s a relentless master that shows no mercy.
The problem is the jobs & wages have not caught up with the cost of living for the majority that live there. If you are wealthy, London is a great place to live. The same in New York. Real estate is a problem in both cities.
A California Bay area resident sitting with popcorn and watching a rant on Expenses 😵💫
@alonew I know, right! 🙄 SF Bay Area is now so over the top in so many ways, the quality of life has become utterly ruined for many, especially for we Native San Franciscans who used to enjoy all the lovely things SF was known for. 🙄 There used to be something for everyone, no matter their financial status; now, it's all for the rich and privileged. 🤔
A SoCal based resident also noticed that expenses here in groceries, eating out, is just as expensive as London... My visit end of 2023 proved it.
Living in Vancouver BC… BC = bring cash 😑
Yup used to live in Vancouver and also Victoria BC. Prices just keep going up up.
LOL
Jenny, thank you for this wonderful insight into London 2024, as I lived and worked there from 1975-81 through the evolving gay and punk scene..When Thatcher came to govern, it all changed and I left to return home to Sydney. As you commented and I have to agree I felt 'at home' there .I do miss the old town ..alot ..X to London
This is such a good video and the perfect description of London today! Well done Jenny for sharing this! x
What a gorgeous video! Always run to your videos when I see them Jenny. Beautiful. thank you for always making such quality videos for us all.
Love your take on London! I'd love to see around some of your favourite neighbourhoods. :)
I have lived in London for 9 years now and it’s a city that stole my heart. I tried moving closer to nature, but it keeps luring me back in. I love it so much, I love the sense of community we have in different boroughs, but I completely agree with everything you said, a lot of people are surviving because of the crazy prices and I also hope it can change one day
Your London is my NYC. Love it.
I lived in London in the 1970s, loved it ! I have to say it was so expensive back then too.
Moving to London from New Zealand next week! I can’t wait 😊
Hope you enjoy it!
Those bags are gorgeous! London is one of my most favorite cities.
London in the New York City of Europe. It's for rich and poor people, forget it if you're middle class. London in NYC with castles.
wow great video. You are so right about London. Although I was a bit surprised by the landlord comments. I must have gotten very lucky but I lived there for 8 years from 2002 and all the landlords I had were reasonable to bloody brilliant. Had 1 rat problem which they tried to fix. No roaches, but Im Aussie so no big deal. This was around N1 and EC1 so dont know if that made a difference. My last landlord was an Indian family who would bring home cooked Indian curries because they were worried that we were partying too hard and not eating well!
I visited London in highschool and it was amazing! I would love to visit again with my family!
I loved your perspective on London. Thank you for sharing.
It has always been a layover as I travel to other countries, but your stories make me want to explore in the near future.
I would love to hear a list of your favorite vegan restaurants and must-sees for a visit.
Also, could you share your eyeshadow brand and color? As a redhead, I would like to order it. It really is complimentary to your eyes and skin tone.
I am enjoying your content!
Great video, Jenny! I love London. It has always felt like home to me, too and I wish I could live there permanently. Sadly, I am stuck in Toronto - possibly the most boring and soulless big city in the world. It is getting to be as expensive as London without any of the perks!
Nailed it, you are one of us now!🥰
I would love to see a similar video but of your impressions of Berlin! I just moved to Berlin 6 months ago and would love to hear about your experience.
I think I already have a couple of those :)
Oh my god everything you said about the renting and landlords not caring rings so true for Dublin as well
Thanks so much for this informative video, great content as always.
Would it be possible for you to make a video about what is worth seeing in London apart from the usual sights?
That would be great.
Best regards from Germany!
Absolutely agree!!!! ❤ London and hope to call it my home forever more
This was an excellent video! I appreciate your measured perspective of London. It’s sad that in so many large cities, the wealth gap is astounding. I live in Chicago and you can travel a short distance in the city and it’s like stepping into another world. So many neighborhoods are becoming gentrified and lower income people are being pushed out of neighborhoods where there families have lived for generations.
As a new British citizen living in London, I wholeheartedly agree with this list!
Hey I lived in London for two years and I did absolutely loved it, and I agree with all that you said but than I moved back to Paris and I didn’t come for 9 years, and when I cam this year 2024 everything did change and it was too much I didn’t recognised the city that I did loved so much and unfortunately I was happy to be back in Paris, for me Paris was so a chill city when compare it to London even if we do have all the bad things about the city and the peoples are not nice in Paris too but I still love it …
I lived in London for 10 years; south of the River in various flats and houses, working in Brixton and then Kings Cross/Camden. Lively, vibrant, dirty, noisy, frenetic, exciting, exhausting, rich, poor, cosmopolitan, beautiful, accepting. I loved it. I go back now every once in a while and I'm still charmed, challenged and excited. Recommend, recommend!
Have only had the opportunity to visit fortunately a number of times. My absolutely favorite city! You are a lucky duck.
Ja, jag fullkomligt ÄLSKAR London. Har varit där fler gånger än jag minns. Vill åka tillbaka direkt när jag kommer hem.
Vi brukar säga här hemma att i London har vi tillgång till och får vara del av världen! Allt kommer till London, artister, pjäser, konst…
London är äkta!
Klart jag är ordentligt avundsjuk på dej som får uppleva detta ”på riktigt” och inte bara en vecka då och då 🥰
I live in the south coast which is an hour and a half by train into Lindon . I love to visit and stay in London , love the city vibe and hustle and bustle but enjoy returning to the coast too . I agree so much I’d like to see and do I’ll never get to see it all .
I lived in London as I was completing my master's degree in 2011-2012. I had made two small trips there before and loved it. I returned to Paris and been living here for 12 more years now. I do miss speaking English, the diversity, the openness, the politeness, to me it's uncomparable to Paris in terms of people. The city is cleaner and I love the architectural contrasts. It's very vibrant but also more tiring. I left because of the high cost of living (which is already high enough in Paris). Maybe it was a mistake as there could have been more employment opportunities in London. You can also find better quality food more easily in Paris. But I do miss London from time to time and expect to go back there a little bit more in the future (had an almost complete shutdown during the decade, maybe to avoid missing it ^^)
I love London , hope to visit again soon! I feel like Paris is the same 😅 I use to live their as a child and saw my parents struggle with the same problems( then we move on the suburbs)… and I’m planning to go back to get closer to my work , hope to find a nice place🤞🏻 I know it’s expensive but three hours is to much to come and go from work in one day😅 We can always gain money but we can only lose time !
I used to work in London but commute from quite far away, because - you guessed it - the cost. I would love to return (to the UK on the whole), but as a career changer, well, even if I’d find a job, I’d never be able to afford living in London. I would love to, but it’d just not feasible.
The occasional holidays have to suffice, I suppose!
I'm a S. Korean who used to work in the City of LDN over 13 years....London is a city I do have sort of a love-hate relationship with. However, somehow as time goes by, I find myself missing the city more and more.
Lived there for 2 years…absolutely hated it
Too crowded and noisy, yet the best city I know for Arts.
I love London. I am a fashionista and there is a strong tribe of my people there. During my last visit the lovely sales people at Alexander Mc Queen took the time to show all kinds of lovely stuff even though it was quite obvious there is only keen interest not a sales prospect going on.
A good part of the beauty of London is her chaos. I mean what other city can you see a portion of the Roman wall next to a car park. English history is fascinating, and would love to live in London.
Thanks Jenny Mustard!
I love London but living there would be a challenge. It’s very expensive. On the other hand there is a lot of culture and the parks and buildings are beautiful.
I love London, I've been travelling to this city with a certain regularity since 1981. But the last time was in 2019, I have old friends there. Since the C-regime in 2020, it's no longer fun, and now, in 2024, so much crime! In the 80s and 90s, I could stroll through the city centre alone as a woman at night. Those days are over. It's so sad. Greetings from a German pensioner
last November for a weekend. The gap between those that have and those that have not is both visible and shocking.
I lived in London for 6 months in 2000,worked at Harrods and shared a house with an old lady on the West part(the stop vefore. Healing Broadway,can't remember the name)and finally in Soho.At the end i celebrate with a solo trip to Copenhagen and back to Sicily,in my hometown to finish the University.That moment...that moment had changed everything and my destiny...i still wonder what my life might have been if only i had decided to stay😢I'm turning 50 in less than 3 weeks and feel so nostalgic and confused on every aspect of my life
Remember it’s never too late to change something in your life ❤
We tend to question our past decisions every now and then, but, remember that this questioning is made by your present self. Back then, everything you feel so nostalgic about had to do with a whole different person. Maybe staying focused at you being you in the present moment and feel grateful for everything you have achieved through your journey would be the best way to celebrate your birthday! Life starts all over again every single second! Don't lose hope! You are here, you are alive. Everything is possible! Beauty is coming your way! Take care!
I have visited London multiple times and I love it there! It feels safer than Paris (not hard tbh 😂) and it's so beautiful ❤
I lived in the UK for years, I hated London. Rude, overcrowded, over-priced and on and on.
I lived in London from 2012 to 2021. I completely agree with everything in this video except for the "chaotic system" myth - this is only true if you are a foreigner coming to London without a job or to study. Otherwise, it is very simple to get set up. I dealt with black mold, horrible landlords, expensive rents and chitty flatmates. One thing not mentioned is the ridiculous leasehold/freehold property system that means you are rarely the full owner of your own home even if you "buy" a flat. I studied to be a lawyer and learned that even as an Corporate Associate in a top City Firm I could NOT afford to buy my own flat in Central London (Zone 1-2) without parental assistance. This made me wonder how normal people manage???? I actually left London because I fell in love with an American but the property prices and system were also a big factor for why I did not want to stay. It made me sad because I trully love this city and I still consider it "home" :(
The way you spoke about London resonated with me so deeply that I found myself nodding at nearly every point you made. In the 2010s, I had a well-paying job south of the river and was fortunate enough to live with friends in Chelsea. Then the threat of Brexit made me question how welcoming London was to young immigrants such as myself. I moved to Helsinki, where I've lived for close to a decade and is now home for the foreseeable future. Anyway, I make it a point to visit London a few times a year to feel more like myself, like I'm part of a much bigger and more colourful tapestry. Yes, the chaos in London can be jarring for someone coming from the Nordics but like you, I love this incredible, crumbling behemoth of a city and always will. Cheers.
I've now become too grumpy with humans to live among that many of them. I currently live on the side of a mountain on the outskirts of a 10K person city. I was a reluctant visitor to London--so many other European cities on my list--but I had to go through there with my work years ago. Have now visited 6 or 7 times. For me as a Canadian it feels both exciting (nothing comparable here) but also comfortable--all the British history we learn makes it feel a bit like 'ours.' Love walking, people-watching, music venues, West End, restaurants, and the feeling that adventures could happen.
I lived in London many years ago in the sixties. I lived in Walton street, Chelsea. Very near King’s Road which was very trendy at the time. We used to see famous actors and singers all the time. Harrods was just round the corner and we went to their food hall that was wonderful. I’ll never forget those years in London.
@@letitiakingsley775 that sounds like so much fun, and a very special era in London.
Been living in London for the past 4 years and agree with absolutely everything you said in this video. It feels like the center of the universe, with dystopian twist when it comes to wealth inequality. I freaking love this city, more than any other city, but there are a lot of things I would change.
Would like to go back to visit London for another try as I just didn't warm to it when I was first there in my early 20's. Besides the beautiful architecture and all that history, I found the food and coffee terrible, the people rude and of course the weather was horrid. Coming from Australia it all seemed so grey. The culture was very similar to my own in a lot of ways except the class structure was so noticeable it really irritated me coming from a more egalitarian society. I went on to explore more of Europe but Paris stole my heart at first sight.
Jenny you must visit Bath in England for the weekend x
I lived in London for 1,5 years.
Very ambivalent city🙂. It all depends on how financially rounded you are, and what's your interest (the free museums and galleries if it's still true is a fabulous thing!)
Great food scene, interesting designers, and all that mix of the rich history and new craziness is fine for a while.
Later on, you can be overfed, and oh, I almost forgot the terrible traffic and permanent problems with the underground, so you can spend most of your leisure time traveling from point A to point B because they can be pretty far from each other.
I lived in more big cities, though London was the biggest one. It definitely has its charm, but I moved on and don't regret it.
It's a season for everything, and it was a season for London in my life too, and I am happy it was. I met two great, life-long friends there and I am forever grateful.
I became intoxicated with London the first time I visited the city at age 12. Moved there in my mid twenties and stayed for 7 years. I left because (1) despite being in the top 10% of UK earners, I was unable to afford to buy a modest 2 bedroom flat in an area that I would be happy with (I can predict I will get chastised for having the audacity to want a 2 bedder in an area of my choice, but I now own a 3 bedroom house 5 minutes walk from a subtropical beach in another G7 country), (2) public transport was just horrendous - expensive and unreliable, and (3) the average British worker was incompetent and lazy, and the bureaucratic nature of British businesses made resolving issues that they created due to their incompetence incredibly difficult and frustrating. Despite its faults, London is the centre of the universe! There is always something intellectually stimulating happening, and the best food from around the world is also to be found there! Also, despite my earlier comment about British workers, Brits in general make wonderful, loyal friends, are wonderfully hospitable, and have a great sense of humour!
Where do you live now?
I grew up in London and left many years ago. It was more affordable back then, but now it's crazy. I've also lived in Berlin. However, I've been very happy living in Leipzig for the past few years. It's much nicer than both London and Berlin, is very international and very green with lots of canals, theatres, a great art scene, plentiful restaurants, and it has rail link to the rest of Europe. Best of all, it's very affordable!
Which visa are you presently living in the UK on? The UK is no longer part of the EU.
12years Londoner now after having lived in NYC and Moscow, and do agree the struggle with flats when renting and "chaotic" system mentioned in the video. Interestingly enough London living could be different (Central Marylebone vs Richmond brings different lifestyles indeed)
You forgot to mention all than awful rain in London. It's depressing and interferes with your plans.
I've been living in London for 6 years and I agree with everything you said. People back home always ask me what is England like? what are British people like? but I honestly feel I'm not able to answer that question because living in London I am not heavily exposed to purely British people/culture. I only feel I get a real taste of proper British culture when I travel around the UK. Living in London feels like living in the world, that's why I never felt like an outsider, because you get this feeling like we are all unique, we are all our own thing, and that is what makes us Londoners.
The only reason for my comment is that when in Cleveland, and then in DC, I lived in apts with cockroaches. And I can sympathize with you. Absolutely the creepiest--hated it.
I'm Australian and I've never been to London, but I would really like to! I'm getting past my mid-20s so it's a good time to really consider whether I would like to apply for the youth mobility visa, I'm just concerned about being able to get a flat to rent!
Sadly, Berlin going coucou with the prices is true. I am a lucky one having the old contract but the newcommers have to face paying 800-900 euros for a room (!) or 1400-1600 euro for a 50m2 apartment somewhere within a ring. Of course there are cheaper options outside that are still very accessible but the same things I just mentioned were around 40% cheaper just 5-6 year ago.
Similar thing with dining out, nowadays when I go to a mid-range restaurant I always leave 30-40 euros (including one drink) no matter if it's a dinner or a brunch. Even looking at the ultimate falafel prices, a few years back one could easily eat for 3-3,5. Today it's closer to 5,5-6 euros.
Poor but sexy Berlin is sadly over. As somebody who lives here for 10 years already, it's interesting to see how the city transforms although the quality doesn't always follow the price raise.
Berlin is suuuper expensive and it’s almost impossible to find a place, especially if you want to have your own place without roommates 🙃
Moved from London to Berlin last summer and yes - halved our living expenses overnight. Berlin is definitely getting more expensive but so is London. Our rent increase last summer in our SE LDN flat basically forced us to leave the city.
I love living in Berlin, especially as a young professional, affordability is a huge part of our happiness here these days. But all that to say that I still miss the sheer beauty and diversity of London regularly. If I’d be rich I’d move back in a heartbeat 😂
I’m a Londoner born and bred.. and yes you are indeed a Londoner now 😊 It’s a great melting pot of city with people from everywhere, and that’s a great description of living in London.. some days you think this city is gonna drive me crazy .. and others it’s an I ❤ London day full vibrancy and adventure.
So true!
I live in Dublin, it's so easy to get to London, so visit regularly (heading over this weekend again actually) Dublin is probably on a par with London price-wise so it doesn't seem so shocking, but the cultural value of London is unmatchable; so many amazing exhibitions, events, festival etc. Looking forward to some great vegan food there over the weekend!
I was looking into buying Songmont. Is it a safe parcel service, would they deliver to the door hands in hands? Do you have to pay taxes here in London? Because I assume that they would be sending the bag from the US
One day I hope to visit London, and England in general. That is crazy that is changes so often. I guess that is how it is in NYC, which I have been to dozens of times, living right outside of it. Wow it is crazy to think that all of Sweden has 11 million people and if you put them all in London, the last million are left. Wow. Sad about the wealth gap.
Although I have lived there for less than 4 years, it is my second home. It was the best 4 years of my life.:)
I completely agree with your points. I'm from the US, and I've lived in London for exactly one year now. My first few months were brutal, I dealt with the worst housing and landlords, I had people screw me over- the city just does not take care of you. But I still felt such a love for everything there, in a way I couldn't explain. Now I have a lovely British partner and the most wonderful community of friends. I'm back in the US for the summer, but I'll be dreaming every night of the day I get to go back. Very lovely video, as always
As a fellow Londoner its good to hear your upbeat opinion. However, we are not going through good times at the moment and London is not the vibrant city that is used to be 15 or so years ago. Inequality since the pandemic is quite shocking to me. One thing though, i have lived all over town and never have i had a cockroach problem. Anyway you are welcome here, its the diversity of different nationalities living together that has made this city great. At the moment it all feels a little flat.
I have lived here for nearly 30 years. Still not sure what I think but I do consider it to be home at least. I live in a bad area though and that does make a difference. I can see that the city is beautiful. I live about 20 min from the nicer parts.