London 2017
This is a big one, folks! I just saw so much and took so many photos, it's impossible for me to whittle down my time in this city to a handful of experiences. And--almost shockingly (if you know me)--I wasn't staying in my usual haunt of the east end so there was a whole new world of west London to explore. Of course, I took time to wander back east but generally there was a lot of west end and northern places to visit. For some reason, this whole holiday ended up being a sort of parks & death tour. We went to graveyards and more graveyards and parks and more parks, and as a tragic addition, the Borough Market terrorist attack happened the day we arrived, so we sadly saw the memorial for that as well. The day we left was the Grenfell Tower fire. Nevertheless, London is a resilient city full of vibrancy and new nooks to discover everyday. You can view way moer photos from this trip on flickr.
The London Oratory was quite the little cathedral. It doesn't look like much from the outside but these Catholics sure know how to make excessive ornate places of worship.
Italian Garden in Kensington Gardens was another place I'd never thought to go. I'm not sure what drew us this time but it was a beautiful little place.
Brompton Cemetery was right near the flat we were staying in. The big structures are currently covered and under renovation.
I tried to take a few street shots which seemed to be working out okay until the geese attacked me. These people found it hilarious.
Crossrail Garden is a secret oasis in Canary Wharf. I'd never bothered to head down here before since there wasn't much that seemed interesting until I say this place on a map.
I realised after the fact that we missed an entire wing of the Natural History Museum! But this is the coolest atrium anyway.
One of many views of the Sibirica fountain in the Iris Garden nestled in the middle of Holland Park.
I took a bunch of underground shots but it was difficult due to the very high security in the aftermath of the Borough Market attack. This was very late at night when I was out for a long wander.
On the west side of Hamstead Heath is this sprawling Georgian garden. Consisting of a pergola and terrace (under reno), the Hill Garden seems to be a favourite for fashion students doing photoshoots.
The sunset from the back garden of our flat in Chelsea. We had a lot of amazing sunsets, I will say that. There was a lot of overcast and rainy weather, mixed with some super hot days, but the evening was almost 100% lovely each night.
The fountain in the Kyoto Garden in Holland Park shot as handheld long exposure. This was a busy place to be that afternoon, and in a way that was lucky since I was able to follow a couple to the garden as many paths are closed.
A view of London from the north in Hampstead Heath at the Parliament Hill view point. This area is currently under an archaeological excavation!
Again, a view of the Natural History Museum atrium, from dinosaurs to a journey to the centre of the earth.
A typical view of Tower Bridge.
This is a sort of secret spot favoured by local London Instagrammers. As such, it's virutally empty--except for the security guards taht chase you down if you loiter even 5 minutes.
Pony camp in Hyde Park. Boy, was I jealous. I'd love to ride through the park on a sunny summer Sunday.
Canary Wharf is like the set of some cheesy 70s sci-fi film. Not sure what the architects were thinking but it does give it a certain uniqueness.
In my habit of ending up in places after they've closed, here is Leadenhall Market with a single tourist wandering the halls.
Big Ben at night. What more is there to say?
Another popular Instagram location in London, One New Change was oddly crawling with police. It didn't seem to be a particularly touristy place, but I suppose it does have an awful lot of foot traffic by people working nerby.
Taking a walk through Highgate led us past this school.
Heal's is a fancy furniture shop in Fitzrovia knows how to do social media right. They encourage people to come in, take photos of this stairacase and shate it online.
Only a small part of the memorial for the Borough Market/London Bridge attack. 1000s of people have posted notes of love and support from all over the world.
Is this the Long Water or the Serpentine? I honestly can't remember which direction I was facing. It's funny that a body of water changes names at the point where a bridge crosses over it.
The Hill Garden is a photographer's dream for a reason.
Probably one of the most disappointing stops we made was the Barbican Centre. I thought it would be more interesting and also how can the conservatory only be open to the public on Sunday?
This guy was so nice.
The gravestone of author Douglas Adams. There were a lot of people buried in Highgate (like Marx) but this one was neat with the people leaving pens.
Flowers left near London Bridge after the attack.
The mews of Kensington. It's weird to me than many of these were horse stables now converted into beautiful housing, adorned with flowers...and the occasional horse dropping.
Police, police everywhere! Dapple grey is one of my favourite horse colouration.
Lazy days on Hamstead Heath.
Thanks to the wonder that is the Oyster card, I found myself journeying all over one evening. This was right near the end. I had planned one last stop at Harrod's but you don't realise how big London is until you see the time and realise you've been gone for 3 hours!
This was perhaps the most interesting graveyard we visited. Nestled near Southwark, this is Crossbones Graveyard for paupers, outcasts, and prostitutes. It's resisted encroaching development so far but its future is still very uncertain.
Signs like this were posted all over. London is not a city to be easily cowed.
Another fountain. My first mistake was trying to take a slow shutter shot of a fountain on a blustery day. I didn't realise this until I was soaked suddenly.
The Isle of Dogs lends itself well to cloudy days.
One final shot thanks to our neighbourhood cemetery!