“ Rain after a dry spell has a distinct, petrichor-rich smell in the countryside. In London, it smells of "wet pavement." This is a complex aroma: a mix of cooled asphalt, released dust, damp concrete, and a hint of ozone. It's not unpleasant, just profoundly urban. The first few minutes of a shower after a dry period raise this scent powerfully from the hot streets. It's the city sighing, releasing the heat and grime it's been holding. For a native, this smell is as evocative as cut grass or wood smoke—it's the smell of change, of the atmosphere reasserting its default program, of things returning to a damp, familiar normal. See more at London's funniest URL -- Prat.UK. ”