The A406

Crossed the A406 today. Just so you appreciate the significance of the event, MBBS (My Best Beloved Son) asked "are we going to the airport?" For us foreigners living in the UK there really is no good reason to leave London and still stay in the UK. Every time I'd suggest to MBH that we go on holiday in the UK, e.g. Bath, we end up having the same discussion:

MBH: "How long does it take to get there?"
Me: "About 3 hours."
MBH: "It only takes 2 1/2 hours to go to Paris. And, BTW, how much would the hotel cost?"
Me: "About £150 a night."
MBH: "The hotel we stay in in Paris is cheaper. And, BTW, are there any nice restaurants around?"
Me: "There is this great pub, the Red Goose".
MBH: "Is it as good as L'Epi Dupin? And, BTW . . . . ."

Guess what. We end up going to Paris.

And yet, today, we crossed the Rubicon which is the North Circular to visit MGFs T&M. Foreigners like us, they made the brave move to the English countryside. It's been 5 months since they moved out and, still, we were the first non-English friends to pay them a visit.

I have to say, there may be cons to leaving London, but boy, there are pros! (noticed the exclamation mark?). First, and I am afraid you are about to witness an outburst of materialism, it appears that property prices in London are slightly higher than . . . . . anywhere else. Now, I know that I am sometimes prone to exaggeration but, honestly, this is not the case; their old place could easily fit in their kids new play house. Second, and here's an attempt at bringing a more spiritual note to the discussion, living in the countryside means that you quite easily find yourself in, well, the countryside. Rather serene I must say.

So, you must be asking yourself: bottom line, do the pros outweigh the cons? Is there a future outside the A406? Not an easy one. I guess the biggest downside as a foreigner is that in the countryside you are, well (and I know I used this trick in the previous paragraph, but it is after all 00:21am), a foreigner. In London everyone is. A foreigner, that is. English people move to London in their 20s and usually leave by their mid-30s. English people who grew up in London do not define themselves as English but as Londoners.

For me, then, London is still it. At the same time, now that T&M have established an outpost in the countryside, it creates an opening for the rest of us. By definition, we can no longer be the only foreigners north of the North Circular. And for that, and their wonderfull hospitality, I thank them from the bottom of my heart.