London, like every large city, is a collection of villages and, if you live there, you get to know some of them - and yours in particular. When I lived there - late '60s to mid '70s - I lived in a bedsit in W2 (Bayswater). Every morning, unless the weather was foul, I used to walk up through the squares to Lancaster Gate, over the Bayswater Road into Kensington Gardens, down through the Gardens and Hyde Park to Hyde Park Corner. Then back over the road to Seymour Street, into Wigmore Street - and then up to Portland Place and into Broadcasting House.

I don't go up to London much these days, except for occasional mornings up to the Borough Market or the theatre, but a few weeks ago I decided to retrace my daily walk to work and back to see if the buzz was still there - which it was. Autumn was particularly good for that walk - morning mist rising off the park lawns - and it was good to relive the experience again.

When the weather was foul, I used to get the tube from Queensway to Oxford Circus - 4d in old money in those days!

But, yes, times and cities change. I was in Barcelona about 6 years ago, stayed at an art deco hotel bang in the middle of Ramblas and had a great time. I went back for a short stop, a couple of years ago (en route for Zaragoza), and couldn't believe the increase in tourism and prices in the old haunts. So - everywhere really.