London - A city that I just love

Today I continue my once in a while series of non-football blog entries telling you about my fascination for the City of London. In the past I have written about Delhi, Amsterdam, my home town of Remscheid and my experiences in those places. And London surely is a place which I like, actually its even more I just love it!

I do travel to London three/four times a year and its multicultural identity appeals to me. It is a melting pot of people and their cultures. It is a micro-cosmos of the globe and its Indian touch is something which I always liked about the city, especially in its suburbs like Southall, Hounslow or the Bengali East Ham. And yes, you can also catch some good quality football in London, if it isn't England at Wembley. Sorry had write this one line post the 2010 FIFA World Cup...

In London I always like to travel on the tube (underground) though it isn't my preferred mode of transport elsewhere. It surely isn't the most modern, but it has its own charm and flair plus a reach across the city which other underground systems would love to have. You can get to anywhere on the underground or the linked new overground and train systems. And the flair comes from the fact that you see interesting characters and often the latest tech gadgets on the trains and in the stations. Just two small examples: I first saw an iPod with those prominent white earplugs there and also the mass use of Blackberry phones before these phenomenon's came across here to Germany.

What else do I like about London? The variety of restaurants, bars and the old fashioned English pubs. But I was told the other day that these pubs are dying out and that they are being replaced by either trendier lounges or Mediterranean type cafés which offer drinks, but also good dining options. Sad if these pubs die out...

But also for me London is also a place where I have many friends and contacts. And when it comes to football, a day in London talking to people in the business or the media, you know the latest happenings not only in English football but from across the globe. Often infos or insights which will come out in the public domain weeks or even month's later.