Have you already recorded a Love Letter and posted it for the world to see? Or are you still feeling shy and need a little inspiration? Marjorie from France recorded a Love Letter for England that was so inspired and inspiring, we just felt we had to dig a little deeper
Love for Europe is real and we are are seeing evidence of that every single day. At KAYAK we are offering you the platform to record and upload your own video Love Letter to either Instagram or Facebook.
And every day we receive hundreds of hilarious, cheerful, touching, gloomy, thoughtful, but always poignant and personal video clips starting with “Dear Poland,” “Dear Hungary,” “Dear Spain” or “Dear Finland,” etc.
To explore some of these videos for yourself simply visit the project page and immerse yourself in these very real stories; to see Marjorie Genest’s Love Letter and her heartfelt message to England just click on the link.
Europe is, simply put, diversity, life, and inspiration on a scale so much bigger than the political and restrictive belt some people see it as.
Are you looking for inspiration for your next trip? Use KAYAK Explore: 1. Go to Explore 2. Choose your desired travel date and budget 3. Find out where you can travel to on your budget. Easy……
We liked Marjorie’s “Dear England” video so much that we wanted to know more about her and the experiences and relationship she has with the UK that drove her to share such an honest and refreshing Love Letter.
KAYAK MGZN: Hi Marjorie, can you tell us a bit more about your relationship with the UK?
Marjorie Genest: I’ve settled permanently in England, well, until Brexit happened. I still want to stay but I really don’t know how everything will play out in the coming months and year. England, and particularly London, is my adopted city. It’s my home now.
KM: How did you first come to the UK, and what have your experiences been living and working there?
MG: I’ve been living for 10 years in the UK. I first arrived with a European program which promoted professional experience in the EU countries, I was placed in Abergavenny, in Wales working in communications. Then I moved host family to Hereford but still travelled to the gorgeous Black Mountains via coach. I was very lucky to experience this beautiful landscape on my commute.
After that my friend and I made the leap to move to London in 2007, to start a whole new life away from France. Previously I’d worked in Marketing and Advertising, but I needed a job and a flat ASAP. So I got a job in a coffee shop and found a room to rent in Willesden Green. After I had found my feet I relocated to Putney Heath working in a boutique where I stayed for 2 years before the recession happened and the business folded.
Again I set out to change my life. I registered for a few courses in alternative therapies (Reiki and massage) at the City Literary Institute. While studying, I started to work as a nanny. I loved working with children, teaching them French, plus this job offered a decent pay and flexible hours which was fitting perfectly with my studies. Today, I still work part-time as a nanny and have also grown further into alternatives therapies as I am a certified Aromatherapist and Reiki Master Teacher along with developing my abilities as a Sound Healer, Medium and Shaman!
KM: How has London changed your mindset and what about the culture has influenced you?
MG: London, as you know, is a very cosmopolitan city where people from all over the world cross path and along with their belief systems, their cultures, their way of life…It all mixes here, to give birth to a sort of new heaven where everything is possible as long as you are ready to work hard and never give up. London isn’t an easy city to live in, everything can change in a blink of an eye here, but at the same time, that’s what makes it possible to create anything and to reinvent yourself here.
Of course, the London and the UK of today have changed a lot, after the recession, way more fear based decisions have been taken and therefore fewer risks are taken, fewer people ready to take a chance on you…But somehow, I also believe that through all of that, London found a way to regenerate its soul, to bring closer people that seemed so different in the first place. My real life here started once I met like minded people, once I discovered different communities sharing similar interests towards alternative therapies, spirituality, etc…I discovered so many lifestyles, activities, like yoga or meditation, different types of activism, and mainly a totally different way of seeing my environment and my life. London gave me that freedom!
Check out how to see as much of Europe as possible in our guide: Europe’s Greatest Hits: 10 Countries, 11 Flights, 30 Nights – All For Under £1300
KM: What’s special to you about London that you can’t find in any other city in the world?
MG: My favourite thing about London is its greenery, I love the parks, I love how nature is beautifully entangled with the city, at least in the residential area and it’s for everyone! In Paris, for example, most of the green areas are forbidden to be walked on! And nature is so close, where I live, I’m five minutes away from the high street, yet also a few minutes away from woods leading to one of the most beautiful and biggest park in London: Richmond park. But not only that, jump on any train and you’re only about 20-30 minutes away from the countryside.
KM: What are your plans for further exploring the UK?
MG: To conclude, I’m definitely not done with London and even more so England. There are still so many lovely places I haven’t got around to enjoying and visiting. Can you believe, after ten years living in London, there is not a week that passes without me discovering a new place I’ve never visited before.
Are you looking for the perfect hotel in the shopping, sightseeing or party district? Use KAYAK Heat Maps to search for what you want, and we’ll display all the hotels close by on a city map. Simply click on ‘Map View’ in the upper left corner on the hotel search page. Now just click which filter you are most interested in, like ‘Nightlife’, and the party zones and corresponding hotels are highlighted.
Note: These rates are based on search queries made on KAYAK.co.uk on July 26th, 2017. The prices are quoted in GBP. Flight prices are based on results for a return economy flight search. Hotel prices are for double occupancy and include taxes and fees. Prices are subject to change, may vary, or no longer be available.
