Two Paper Birds: LONDON

When I'm thinking about a place that I would like to visit London definitely wouldn't be on my list. I prefer the quiet countryside to noisy cities. I like to be close to nature, stand my bare feet on green grass, smell sweet flowers, hear birds singing and feel the sun and wind touching my face.

I went to London on a two-day business trip. I used a direct connection to Stansted Airport by Ryanair. There I took a railway to Liverpool Street station. My office was on the other side of London Bridge and I got there in 20 minutes on foot. I stayed in London Bridge Hotel. My room was small with a little round window and A view of a building on the other side of a narrow street but the bed was soft and comfortable and I did not hear any noise from outside. I did not have many opportunities for sightseeing as the main part of the day I spent in the office. On the first day I only had a chance for a short walk along the Thames and it was already getting dark so I could't see much. On the next day I did a quick shop and in the evening returned home. I bought cheddar for my husband, a miniature of a black taxi and a red doubledecker for my children and a bar of Toblerone.

I only spent short a time in London but it was impossible not to notice a huge contrast between wealth and poverty. Next to modern offices, people dressed in smart clothes with laptop bags on their shoulders you can see homeless people living on the streets among piles of rubbish. Everyone was in a hurry trying to get to the destination of their journey as soon as possible. It was difficult to walk along the path without being hit by anyone. Even in the evening the streets are full of people, some returning home or to a hotel, some going to meet friends in a pub and some jogging around the others.

I was happy to be back home, where I'm not overwhelmed by skyscrapers, crowds of people, noisy street and rubbish.