London is old, very very old

This blog will sometimes jump back and forth in time

We took the tube from Heathrow to Leytonstone. The first thing that struck me is how old everything looked. Everything is made of brick. The majority of houses are row houses. Lots of brick with white trim.

They were made in rows so more people could fit in an area. Most have the same design: 1st floor has living room and kitchen, 2nd floor two beds and bathroom.

In Leytonstone* there is a back garden. In front is an area for your car to be parked in front of the house. I don’t know if this is true in other neighborhoods. 

The street signs are weird here. It’s weird, they appear at random places on walls. At least in my neighborhood.

The row houses are old. Most around here were built 1870 to 1910. The condo building building I stay in is old. One of the locks requires a skeleton key. The other is one I remember from my childhood.

There is also a lot of very modern housing here. Tall apartment and condo buildings in different places. There seems to be a housing boom here with this kind of housing.I’m sure they are very expensive. It reminds me of all the expensive apts they keep building in downtown mpls. only these are way fancier and taller.

*This picture looks exactly like the houses in my neighborhood.