Two Different Cities, One Me

Last week, I flew home to Seattle for the first time in 9 months. It was a whirlwind trip. I left London Wednesday night, and was back home by Monday morning. 5 days in all. 4 days in Seattle, and 24 hours of travel - I was never really sure where to sleep, to eat, or to be awake.

Being home was absolutely amazing, but it was also very hard. Seattle was lovely because... I spent every hour surrounded by friends, family, and colleagues who I simply adore. I saw my best friends from childhood (Jamie, Jenn & Renee), the girls from university (Amber, Mettie, Heather), and the ones who I met later in life (Jill, Julie & Dixie). I spent time with my brother (Paul), my cousins (Evan is nearly done with school, and Isaac was home from Afghanistan for 2 weeks leave), my aunt and uncle (AK and UB), and even my mum. The mum bit was a surprise - she had no idea I was home. Paul, AK, Mettie and I schemed to get her to Seattle without spilling the news - she nearly had a heart attack when she saw me.

Seattle was alive with vibrant autumn colours. I went running along the lakes each day, and spend every evening sipping wine with friends. I got dressed up for Halloween. I enjoyed every minute of the city.

But Seattle was also hard. It made me realize just how much I have come to love London, and just how different the two cities are. Seattle is clean, pure, quiet and rugged. London is an endless string of dirty pavement, bustling people, honking cars, and high-gloss shops. I love the random people on every corner. I love the pace and intensity that hangs in the air, the anticipation that anything might happen next. I love the fact that you can never really know London. It's too big, it changes too fast, and it's constantly being reinvented by the people who live in it.

Being in Seattle made me realize that I love the dirty smells, the pavement, the cars (for a country girl, this is an amazing change in me), and the jam-packed way of life. My heart is torn between these two places... as eventually, I will have to leave one way of life for the other.

Attached are some pictures of my trip.

Enjoy.