After a year living by London Bridge, we have decided to move out. Our apartment was nice, and the location quite convenient, but the constant flood of tourists to the Borough Market and the Bridge made me feel just like I did when I lived in Mid-Town/5th Avenue Manhattan (New York) a few years ago. Back then, just like now, I decided to move to an area that felt more “neighborhood” and less “tourist landmark” (in that case it was Chelsea), and it proved to be the right choice. We were quite happy living there until we moved to London.

This time we have decided to move to Wimbledon, and although our new place is definitely a landmark (a castle, right across from Wimbledon’s practice tennis courts), it costs less than living next to London Bridge in a loft apartment! Besides, we are told the only tourists that show up in the area are those arriving for the famous tennis tournament in the summer, and that only lasts a few days.

After our first night in the new place we enjoyed the birds chirping in the morning, the architectural accents that remind you that you are living inside a castle (and, honestly, who hasn’t had that fantasy at least as a child?), and even the unexpected visit of a fox in the backyard!

Easy access to nature is one of the advantages of our new place: we live between Wimbledon Park, and Wimbledon Commons, which along with the adjacent Richmond Park, is the largest park in London, a true forest with all kinds of plants and animals, including plenty of wild deer.

We’re surely going to enjoy the experience!