London vacation part 2
I’m finishing up my London photos tonight, then I’ll be posting my Paris sets probably this weekend. Paris is a very photogenic city so it’s not surprising that those photos are my favorites.
Teaser photo for this batch: walking across the Millennium Bridge at dusk. I absolutely love this sky, so moody and threatening!
St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the major London landmarks and was the very first attraction we went to see. We climbed up many steps (I think it was around 400) to reach the lower level of the dome. Many of these historic buildings we visited in both London and Paris had very narrow and steep stone staircases. I am no doubt out of shape, but it is surprisingly exhausting to make those climbs. Even worse when you’ve already been walking the entire day. Traveling is a real workout — I lost 4 pounds over the trip.
Atop St. Paul’s Cathedral, looking towards the Tate Modern art museum. The wispy, spiderweb-looking bridge is called the Millennium Bridge and connects St. Paul’s Cathedral to Tate Modern.
On the Millennium Bridge. This vantage looked phenomenal in real life, but my photo doesn’t quite capture what I had envisioned. I explained my high volume method of photography yesterday, but this is one shot where I didn’t take enough repetitions.
Again on the Millenium Bridge but this photo came out exactly as I wanted. Isn’t that sky phenomenal?
Turbine Hall, the impressive entrance into the Tate Modern art museum. This giant room apparently showcases temporary art galleries but it was empty when we visited. Instead, a rumbling, droning sound was played non-stop, amplified by the immense space of the room.
The Tower of London, home of the Crown Jewels. A fairly interesting King Henry VIII exhibition was also featured with lots of neat medieval weaponry and knight armor.
Outdoor hands-on demonstration of various medieval weaponry including bow-and-arrow and the trebuchet.
Some very old-English style buildings inside the Tower of London. This is actually what I expected many buildings in London to look like, which wasn’t true (at least around the touristy places I visited).
Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery art museum.
The lion statues at Trafalgar.
Some subway stations had a lot of advertisements as expected, but a few celebrated the history of England with art lining the walls of the tunnels. Officially licensed musicians would also play in the subway, their notes wafting through the tunnels long before you encountered the source.
While I can’t imagine life without a car, subways are a blessing for travellers. Convenient and reliable access. London subways are exceptionally clean too!
Many of the subway lines are burrowed deep underground. Hooray for the ubiquitous escalators which saved us from endless stairs, but I’m afraid of heights and riding these enormous escalators made my knees buckle.
Piccadilly Circus, a vibrant shopping area with tons of people.
Inside the famous food hall of Fortnum & Mason, which includes an obscene selection of teas, jams, treats and other food items. A must visit if you’re in London, if only just to gawk.
Giant crowds around the Selfridges department store.
Definitely get the London Pass if you plan on seeing lots of museums and monuments. It’s a lot more cost-effective, plus you’ll save the time lining up to buy tickets.
Sometimes as a photographer, you just get lucky. I don’t remember paying much attention to this scene when taking the shot, but that creamy sky and those colors…mmm.
