We love London. Being in London satisfies our spirits in the same way that long weekends to NYC from D.C. made us happy. There is just something about a “big city” that calls to us. (By comparison for those wondering, the population of London hovers around 8 million; that is approximately the population of the whole of Austria. Vienna, the country’s most populous city, is home to around 1 million people.)

London’s use of the English language makes us smile, too. One does not “Exit” from a Tube station; one follows the “Way Out” signs.

Londoners are extraordinarily polite, too. I lost count of the “I’m so sorry,” overheard for even the slightest of protocol transgressions. There’s even gentle poetry on the Tube to remind commuters to make room for others. How I would love to see this in Vienna.

And speaking of the Tube, two of my favorite station names.
One is not to “Yield” in London. One is to “Give Way.” I love the formality!
No formality here, though. Beware of humps!
Traffic is not detoured, it is “diverted.”
Some signage simply reflected the diversity of the community.

The U.S. has George on its notes; London has the Queen. I have to write that of all the currency that floats in and out of my pocketbook from travels, the U.S. currency is artistically the dullest.

We passed this store every day leaving our flat. I regret not asking the proprietor about “Ironmongery.”

We passed this store, as well. Any takers on what it might sell?

This sign near our flat mystified us, too.
No fouling the footpath, please.
A flu shot sign at a local droggerie. Made us laugh.

And lastly, one of our favorite signs in London. Groceries (and stores) open on Sunday. How wonderful it was to arrive in London on a Sunday to find the streets alive with shoppers, and to be able to pick up supper provisions on the way to our flat.

Ah, London.