Day 1
Day 2
Thing to know - Look right first, then left. In order to avoid being swashed by a car, 3 bikes, a double decker bus and the taxi's.
Remembered the joys of walking in this city. I walked 9 miles!
Trying to change our vocabulary to fit in. We are trying to use the words "outrageous" and "grim" more often. Apparently Londoner's refer to our neighborhood as Grim. Thanks to my study abroad program, adjusting to life without seeing Bentley's and Maserati's on each street corner has been hard. Haha, thanks for creating ridiculous expectations study abroad!
On a regular basis I'm always wondering if people think I look like an American, just because of what I'm wearing or how I look. I think I can pass for a local until I open my mouth, and pull out my camera....
Day 3
Another 5 miles walked. I think I'm getting too ambitious too early. How can I keep this up?
I walked most of the Southbank today, from the Southwark Bridge to the Lambeth bridge (which encompasses Westminster Abbey/Big Ben, The Globe, and the London Eye. Did you know that Big Ben is under construction?? A bit sad, as that part of the city doesn't look the same without him.
London really comes to life in the summer, and today was a lovely example of that.
At the beginning of the day I stopped in to do some work at a Cathedral that has been transformed into a coffee shop!
Oliver and I explored Portobello Road. We had both been there when I studied abroad 5 years ago, but it was fun to go back. The street food is probably the best part.
After walking through Portobello Road we stopped to rest at Holland Park. Such a charming park, but let's be real what park in London isn't charming?? We spent our whole time at the park people watching. Our favorite is listening to kids British accents. They are ADORABLE. They could say anything and we think it's cute. Also, every one smokes here!!! Such a bummer. I keep thinking it must be because week isn't legal? I don't really remember people smoking as much when I studied abroad.
This picture below is a market that's only a 10 minute walk from us. In general there are far more markets in London than I could have ever imagined. Most people just think of the main ones - Camden, Borough and Portobello, but between us and Borough Market (which is only a 20 minute walk) there are 3 other markets! Endless food options here. I was thinking I'd come back to the US fit from all my walking, but I think it will all just even out and I'll come back looking the same.
June 10th-15th in Newcastle
Oliver has a travel job here. Our hotel is about 20 minutes from the city, so I ventured out yesterday to check it out. I'm a classic American, so even if a city in the UK is subpar to the Brits, it's still awesome to us because of the old buildings, unique shops, and ALL the accents. Newcastle had it's own charm, and I enjoyed exploring it by foot.
This whole week I've worked in the hotel lobby, getting loads accomplished. I photographed two weddings before we left for London, so my plan is to edit them before the week is done. Doing well so far.
SCOTLAND
This past weekend after our week in Newcastle, we took the train up to Scotland.
Last summer one of my brides Kristyn (who has turned into a dear friend) moved to Scotland with her husband, Seth, right after their wedding. We have kept in touch through out the year, and when Oliver and I found out we were heading to London for the summer - she was the first person I made plans to visit. Kristyn and Seth live in St. Andrews, that's where Seth is going to school. I had been to St. Andrews once before while visiting another friend 5 years ago when I studied abroad. Ironically I'm pretty the weather was the same the last time I was there and that was in February. The best way to describe Scotlands weather is, an autumn season that never ends.
Kristyn and Seth were wonderful hosts and tour guides of their home and we enjoyed every second wandering around with them (in the rain) and experiencing Scotland and the magic that is St. Andrews. For all you Royal family obsessed people out there, St. Andrews is where William and Kate went to school.
So here are some pictures from our time in St. Andrews.
If only we dressed up this well for American weddings!
After St. Andrews we did a quick trip to Edinburgh. I took mostly film photos while we were exploring Edinburgh, so hopefully those turned out!
Edinburgh was REALLY touristy - beautiful city - just packed with people. My favorite thing about the city is how high the streets are, and how hilly it is. Makes for a dramatic appearance.
We had a full week! This past week was our first full week in London, and it was delightful. Last week the weather was perfect, but this week London is experiencing a HEAT WAVE. The perks of this is that the city is beautiful and comes to life! Blue skies for days, no clouds, no rain - just sunshine and warmth. Feels a lot like summer, and we like it!
This past week I covered a lot of ground in the city walking, and exploring new areas. Last week I walked 54 miles. Here are the photos I have to show for it.
we saw a rooftop film in Shoreditch
I road on the train with LOADS of people heading to the Royal Ascot one morning. It was a dream.
everyone was taking pictures of Winston Churchill's statue, so I gave these ones some love instead.
when exploring London I've learned to always look down every alley way, because you never know what you'll find!
some film scans from the week
Apparently this is the alley way that inspired Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. This shot was taken on my phone, the right one on film.
Another peek down an alley way and I walked straight into a photoshoot!
One of my favorite things about markets when I studied abroad was the mulled wine you sipped on as you wandering through the vendors - in the summer the equivalent is sangria. Even better!!
guy on the side of the Thames, making sand art
Last night we saw a show at the Globe Theatre! Wonderful venue, and an iconic thing to cross off the list of things to do in London. We stood for 3 hours while watching the show, that's what most people do and that's how you get the cheap tickets. I'll be honest, the first half of the play was pretty hard to follow, but by the second act I think we had it all figured out. While exploring I usually just have my film camera with me or my phone. My camera is a bit bulky to lug around while exploring for the day. In case you were wondering.
