It’s an exciting day! I’m celebrating 14 years of living in London. It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has gone. I’m grateful to have been able to spend so long in this amazing city, though. Read on for the story.
Living in London
Things have gone differently from how I imagined they’d go. When I first arrived in London I thought I would only live here for 2 years.
I wanted to see as much of the UK and Europe as I could, and I thought of my time here as a fun break from “real life” back in California.
But 2 years later I felt like I’d barely scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in London. I wasn’t done traveling to Europe on the weekends, either.
The A Lady in London blog was also at a point where I was ready to quit my day job and turn it into a career.
The combination of those things led me to renew my visa for another 3 years and consider living in London long-term. After 5 years I got Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, and a year after that I got British citizenship.
With a shiny new UK passport in hand, I had the freedom to live in London for as long as I wanted.
I still felt like there was a lot of the city I needed to discover (it never ceases to amaze me how big the UK capital is), and the A Lady in London blog was growing at a rapid pace.
The subsequent years have gone by in a blur. I’ve ended up exploring as many London neighborhoods as I could, buying a flat in London, traveling to 100 countries (and beyond!), and living a life I never imagined I’d have back when I was an analyst at a hedge fund in San Francisco.
There have been ups and downs (I don’t need to tell you how difficult the last 18 months have been for travel bloggers), but on the whole it’s been a great adventure.
Here’s to the next 14 years of living in London and all the exciting things they’ll bring!
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26 Comments on Lady Celebrates 14 Years of Living in London
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Wonderful experience, I wish I were as fortunate as you, my dear!!! Like you, I love England, especially the Enhlish countryside and the Cotswolds. Thank you for sharing such beauty!!!
You’re welcome!
I really enjoy reading your blog and even though I have lived in London in a past life you have opened my eyes to seeing the Capital in a different light. I especially love doing your guided walks as it’s so easy to miss the secret stuff round an alley or hidden corner that makes London so special. And I enjoy your perspective as one coming from a different country which we native Brits take for granted. Keep up the good work!
Aw, thanks so much! I’m so happy to hear that.
You are such an inspiration.
Thanks, Andrew!
Congratulations, time does fly doesn’t it?! Alexa
Thanks, Alexa! It really does.
Congrats on your milestone! I enjoy reading your posts and look forward to all of your future adventures!
Thanks so much! I’m glad you do.
Congratulations on your English life! Keep blogging!
Thanks! Will do.
Congratulations. I agree — it’s a fabulous city and I heartily admit to a bit of envy and great admiration for what you did and have continued to do. I’m hoping to return in fall 2022 and cannot wait!
Thanks so much! I hope you can return next fall.
Remarkable – I am so envious. I would love to live in the UK! Always have wanted to. Enjoy!
Thanks! I hope you can live here someday!
I’ve been here 13 years. I came from Prague where I went for “a year” to take a break from my advertising career in Boston. 12 years later I moved to London with a 3 year old son.
As Tolkien said: Not all those who wander are lost.
Revel in your courage to choose the path less traveled. Many aren’t brave enough.
Thanks! That’s a great quote.
Our lives are reversed. I was born in London and moved to San Francisco via NYC for a couple of years. Now I live in Napa, CA
That’s great! I was in Napa the other day for the first time in a while. I love it there!
Congratulations on this milestone! I’m currently studying abroad in London (I’m from California too), and I already know that I’m going to want to come back here to live “temporarily” in London as well since four months just isn’t long enough. It’ll be an interesting conversation with my mom since I’m sure she’ll have the fear that I’ll end up staying here too haha. I guess we’ll see what the future has in store!
Thanks! I hope you can move back to London someday.
Congratulations. I enjoy your blog and posts on social media, whether you are introducing me to someplace new or allowing me to vicariously revisit a favorite spot.
Thanks so much! I’m really glad to hear that.
I love to read your wonderful and very interesting blog since many years. Your article and photos are beautiful. For me it’s always a pleasure to make a your in your compagnie in this fabulous city so as the countryside, which I’ve visited several times and I love very much. I really hope you will continue with your blog many years more, so as i can continue to discover new places in this magnificent country.
Thanks so much, Lotty! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the blog over the years.