Portsmouth or London? Where do you feel most at home? | Lou Hannan

Living and working ‘down south’ now means I don’t visit as often as I’d like, but recently on a day off I decided to head in to see some friends and go to the theatre.

As you get used to slightly quieter surroundings, it’s funny how different a place can feel compared to how you remember it.

The first thing that struck me was just how busy it is.

An obvious fact, I know, but I can never remember it bothering me when I lived there.

This time, as I stepped off the train at Waterloo, I found myself being pushed along by travellers desperate to get through the turnstile while having the ability to walk along the station concourse without taking their eyes off their phone. It’s quite a skill.

I’ve always tried to avoid the Underground as I find the etiquette of not making conversation or eye contact a little strange, not to mention the sardine-like stance you need to adopt to board a train.

Instead, I walked towards Soho to meet a friend for lunch.

Although the pavements were once again packed and the sound of traffic noise and angry motorists beeping their horns was deafening, there was still something magical about our capital city. The cosmopolitan bustle of the crowds, the landmarks as I went across the Thames and the unique smell.

Visiting around Christmas seems even more special.

As the sun goes down and the temperature drops, the lights and decorations along Oxford Street and in the big department stores make even the Scrooges among us start to feel festive.

Being a huge theatre fan, my favourite part of the city has to be the West End; the air of anticipation as audiences start to gather and the neon signs coming to life offering people the opportunity to escape from the real world for a few hours.

All great to experience, but would I swap it for my home now?

Not a chance.

• Tune into Alun Newman and Lou Hannan on BBC Radio Solent, weekdays at 10am.