London is awesome. I loved walking around the streets with my ipod in and my camera out, taking photos of the gorgeous architecture and anything else that struck me as interesting. Those little rows of chimneys are my favorite. They were everywhere and made me very happy. Touristy things tend to make me cranky with the crowds and waiting in line, so I avoided most of the major sites. I felt kind of guilty about that, but tried to remember that this was my trip and the advantage of traveling alone is that I get to do whatever I want! One of the things I did instead of touristy things was try to ride every Tube line at least 3 stops and get out an explore a stop with a fun name.
In high school I read this book about a man who bet his honeymoon tickets that he could ride the entire Underground system within 24 hours. I studied the Tube map along with the protagonist and thought about where these fun names like Picadilly Circus and Covent Garden would lead to and dreamed about when I would see these places for myself. I look for this book whenever I visit a used bookstore and can never find it, which is unsurprising since the book was really nothing special and probably did not sell many copies, but for some reason I can't get it out of my mind. I was hoping I'd find it in London, but no such luck.
I did enjoy a few touristy things, like Trafalgar Square with those cool lions and the fountain and the National Gallery. I also really liked Shakespeare's Globe, where I stood for a performance of King Henry VIII. The Notting Hill farmers market was cool but crazy crowded as you can see and everyone was taking photos of those adorable Easter egg houses.
Other awesome things about London include:
* London's huge number of parks. There seemed to be a park on every block. I love that.
* Great little shops like this kitchenware place in South Kensingston. My favorite shop was Persephone, where all the books are bound in a beautiful light grey with patterned inside cover.
* Street art. The pink people live on Brick Lane, where I got fantastic curry.
PS If you are going to London, definitely check out this comprehensive guide.
I miss London every single day. Hope you find the book. I have similar memories from a book someone read to me as a child too, but still searching.
ReplyDeletewow! what a great trip it looks like you had. persephone books is definitely on my places to go list. so lovely to see all your photos of london.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photographs and I too loved the chimneys. It looks like a good time was had!
ReplyDeletethese are incredibly wonderful. i have to say i'm a little jealous :)
ReplyDeletexo Alison
Nice work on this. did you have a good time?
ReplyDeletelove your photos, especially the light in the second one - it feels magical.
ReplyDeleteThese are great photos! I especially love the street art ones - they really brighten up the scenery.
ReplyDeleteI hope you track down that book - I've had that happen a couple of times and I found the book I was looking for once!
beautiful photos! I want to go to that kitchen store. Great job capturing the feel of the city!
ReplyDeleteyou snapped such beautiful photos in london; the photo near the globe during the blue hour is especially nice ... i'm happy to hear that you enjoyed your trip. cheers!
ReplyDeleteI need to go to there!
ReplyDelete