This is London

The morning after my cauchemar (nightmare) with the taxis in Paris, I booked a Eurostar ticket to London. I made plans to meet some friends studying at the London Business School and the London School of Economics, attend an HEC Alumni Event in Notting Hill and reunite with my cousins living just outside of London.

After spending the past three months in France, I experienced a mild culture shock when I arrived at Waterloo station. It had been over a decade since my last trip to England. Internet cafes were abundant. Stores were open late - as well as on Sundays. Cars were driving on the left side of the road, they were much bigger...


I found the pace to be much quicker than in Paris. Fast food outlets were everywhere. People seemed to be in a rush to get wherever they were going: I saw men running up the escalators in the tube! It was quite easy to get a taxi at any time. I found a black cab within a minute and with minimal effort. Whenever I had my small suitcase, I was stalked by unlicensed taxis offering to take me wherever I wanted to go...