City of contrasts

One of my favourite things about London is how extraordinarily different each of its boroughs (council districts) are. I love taking the Tube somewhere random and popping up at ground level to explore unfamiliar surroundings. Today I headed to Belsize Park, a semi-posh suburb in north-west London. I found a cafe in the high street and plonked myself down to watch passers-by and read The Times (sounds like such an English pastime!). 

Over the past two months I have tried to get around, visiting places including Borough (near London Bridge), Hampstead (more upmarket than Belsize Park), Notting Hill (no, I did not see Hugh Grant), Waterloo (yes, like the Abba song), South Kensington (really posh), Bromley-by-Bow (further east than Mile End and more suburban), Angel (trendy/cool), Regent's Park (so big!), Marylebone (lovely but expensive) and Battersea (south of the Thames and growing in popularity). I am always surprised when I surface from the Tube by the contrasting character of each suburb. Many boroughs look and feel remarkably different, in terms of building styles, people (some are overwhelmingly white, black or Asian) and vibe - it's as if you could be in another city or country when in fact you are within 10km of the centre of London. 

Today I strolled south from Belsize Park through Camden with its wonderful antique and clothing markets. Even these two miles illustrated the contrasting nature of this remarkable city.