2-13 August: From the Houses of Parliament to St Paul’s Cathedral

A fortnight ago I found out that with immediate notice I was going to be working full-time in London. I was naturally both excited and nervous about the move – excited by working in an international city and meeting new people, yet nervous about how I would get on in this new world and how I would manage spending 20 hours a week travelling to and from my Norfolk home.

To make the most of my time in London and to make sure that I got some sort of a break, I promised myself that I would take a full lunch hour every day where I would explore the many streets and sights of our capital city and maybe even bump into a few celebrities. I am fortunate that my new office is very central, just off The Strand and within walking distance of many of London’s major landmarks; so I’m spoilt for choice for places to go to at lunch. Which certainly makes a change from my previous location on an industrial estate on the edge of an unattractive regional city.

So far I’ve trekked south to the South Bank and the Millennium Wheel, west to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament and east to St Paul’s Cathedral. Between that I’ve sat in the small parks of the Embankment, walked to the OXO Tower, and eaten sandwiches outside the church behind the back of the Savoy Hotel. These lunch hours have been spent in the company of workmates, who like me have found London an inspiring place to work. Admiring world-famous scenery as you eat your sandwiches really does make up for having to endure daily long commutes.

Anything is possible in London. Perhaps that’s why the English branch of the Church of Scientology is located in the City of London, a short walk from St Paul’s and a few steps away from a traditional Church of England church. I had to take a double take as I walked past this ‘church’ which looked more like an office, with its plasma TV screens in the windows displaying messages that attempted to encourage passers by with ‘free refreshments and free presentations’. The juxtaposition of this office-like building, a few steps away from the Church of England church almost didn’t seem out of place, this being London.

London’s not all great of course. It is obviously very dirty, overcrowded and expensive. Just steps away from multi-million pound office buildings are filthy underpasses that stink of urine and are homes to some of the city’s homeless. It is quite incredible that with all the money in the capital, nobody is prepared to pay to clean up the many parts of the city that clearly haven’t been touched for over 30 years.

I celebrated the end of my first fortnight working in London with a pub lunch with workmates. If you’ve got some money and have no ties, London is like a massive playground. There’s so much to do, so many places to go – for someone like me who’s used to provincial towns and small cities, it really all is quite amazing.

I’m determined to make the most of my time in the capital, so will continue touring the many free sights of London Monday to Thursday, before celebrating the end of the working week with a pub lunch on Fridays. I still haven’t seen anyone famous though – not yet anyway.