Brief journeys - all in a day's work...

I love London. I might have mentioned this before. Probably more than once. But it just needs to be said again today. I lived there for many years and, although I was happy to move away and am happy not to be living there right now, I love London.

It's an incredible city - vibrant, colourful and textured - and somewhere that I can't imagine I'll ever tire of exploring. I don't get there that often anymore but, when I can, I love to travel down to see friends, to shop, to attend an exhibition, visit a museum, or to just wander the streets and soak it in. And sometimes, if I'm lucky, I get to go down for work too. Recently that's been quite often.

When I travel there for work I don't see much of the place - stations and offices mostly. My office is in the Square Mile, just off Fleet street, so usually I catch a train and then a Tube into The City, attend meetings, run a workshop or facilitate a session and then I catch the Tube and the train back out. There's nothing glamourous about it. But still, I love to go. This week I'll have been down three times (twice for work) and yesterday, although I attended one of the most mind-numbing meetings ever, it was a lovely day. It was dry and warm at the time so I walked to the office instead of going on the Underground and between meetings I was reminded, by half an hour spent gathering my thoughts in a tiny park near the High Court of Justice, of one of the many reasons it's a city so close to my heart. A quiet, secluded, postage stamp sized green space in one of the most densely developed areas in the world. How can you not love that? London is full of such little gems.

My second meeting (not boring at all this time) took place in another favourite spot of mine, the grounds of the new British Library. It's not a building I find particularly attractive from outside but it's a place with a remarkable sense of open space, inside and out. Spread over 14 floors, 5 of which are underground, it's one of the largest research facilities in the world and the biggest public building constructed in the UK in the 20th century. It's not on regular tourist itineraries but I think it's a place that every visitor with any interest in books, writing, history or anything related to how we record our existence should experience at least once in their lives if at all possible. It's like a wonderland. I can't possibly do it justice here and perhaps it is not everyone's cup of tea to potter around a place like this but to me there's something magical about even being in the same space as so many treasures from around the world, let alone being able to see some of them. Works like Shakespeare’s First Folio, the Gutenberg Bible, the manuscript of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, Handel’s Messiah, Beatles lyrics, the Magna Carta, the first edition ever of The Times newspaper from the 18th century and every copy since, and recordings of Nelson Mandela's Rivonia trial speech, to name but a few. It's awesome in the full sense of that word.

The grounds are designed to include a number of modern courtyards and gardens, which incorporate some great sculptural pieces, and I like to sit there for a while if I have time to spare. One of the reasons I like it so much is that in a city centre where more often than not one sees only a sliver when looking up, this is a place where one can sit and see sky. Big sky. Relatively. And it's right alongside the Gothic splendour of King's Cross St Pancras station, my route into and out of the city, and surely one of the grandest buildings of its kind. Layering of old on ancient, new on old... buildings that range from medieval through to 21st century right next to each other... historical texture. Another thing I love about London.

I'll be going back this weekend for my third visit this week (this time to see friends) and I'm already looking forward to it...