ang*e (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} watchyourmouth) wrote,@ 2008-11-17 23:50:00 |
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London (November 5-16, 2008)
I'd never crossed the pond before, so I was very excited and unsure what to expect. I packed lightly -- only one red coat. I intended to purchase another coat in London, but couldn't decide which to buy.
I did buy some Kate Moss dresses at Topshop at the request of my sister, and had fun buying random things at Boots pharmacy. Got some dinosaur lights from the National Science Museum, books from Waterstones and the National Portrait Museum... but mostly tried to absorb and understand central London culture. The boyfriend would say I was trying to understand their retail culture, as I tried to understand what each London store or brand represented :P
In the London Underground, 90% of women/girls were wearing black tights, black shoes, black coat, and a skirt (solid color or a flower print). Londoners are much more lithe than Americans... More fashionable on average. I tried to include people in my pictures, because you can find pictures of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Stonehenge anywhere.
Arriving to London -- When Obama won the election, the headline on the paper was "THE DAY AMERICA BECAME A LITTLE BIT COOL AGAIN"
London Underground -- Love the girl's big flowery bag.
Bens -- Ben and THE Big Ben.
The London Eye -- Meets my eye. Photo by Ben Young.
Hedgehog! -- Women's magazines in the UK often include a free candy bar, or maybe even a skinny belt, in the shrink-wrapped packaging. This is a typical magazine stand inside the London Underground.
Westminster Abbey -- Around Remembrance Day. Photo by Ben Young.
Inside the London Eye -- Excited having spotted the Gherkin building (it's over my shoulder in the picture). Photo by Ben Young.
Inside the London Eye -- Obligatory picture of typical London style - black tights, black boots, a flower print dress, and a dark coat.
St. James Park -- Squirrel!
St. James Park -- Bird Feeding Area.
St. James Park -- Knotty tree.
Buckingham Palace -- Obligatory tourist photo. Photo by Ben Young
No Exits -- There are only ways out of the London Underground.
Stars Blanketing Streets -- The commerce streets by Piccadilly Circus, et al.
Tea at Liberty -- Nice china... expensive afternoon tea.
V&A -- Models being photographed in the museum while museum visitors stare.
V&A -- A bench very reminiscent of Cinderella coach/pumpkin.
V&A -- Love the wrought iron collection -- England has such beautiful decorative touches to their houses and neighborhoods!
V&A -- Lots of old things and/or their replicas at the V&A.
Portobello Road -- Cute wire-frame mannequins.
Get your own glasses! -- Bar on Portobello Road.
L'Autre Pied -- Sat between a backlit flower-printed wall/panel, and apparently a nice back room.
Little door -- There are a lot of little doors in England. Photo by Ben Young.
Harrods -- Ben amuses himself while sitting outside the changing rooms at Harrods. Photo by Ben Young.
Harrods -- Fish for cat.
Monkey: Journey to the West -- Saw the bizarre opera at the O2. Photo by Ben Young.
Tower Bridge -- Walking on the bridge looking up at the tower. Photo by Ben Young.
Hibiscus -- Lunch started with a complimentary drink (top left) that was foamy and exquisite.
Hibiscus -- They branded their knife. I forgot what my entree was, but that blimp/football shaped green mush (under the dark green cracker) was really damn good.
Kew Gardens -- Waterlily house.
Kew Gardens -- Want a Waterlily House in my freaking backyard. Photo by Ben Young.
Kew Gardens -- One last picture in the Waterlily House.
Wicked -- Saw Wicked in the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
Outside Arbutus -- We had lunch at Arbutus, which we liked so much that we went to its sister restaurant Wild Honey for dinner.
Wild Honey -- Yes, that's wild honey ice cream on a bed of crushed honeycomb. Delicious, but seriously, why does a lot of my food have to come in the shape of a blimp or football? Could they not make balls, but only blimps?
Cow-spotted garbage -- Spotted somewhere on the street. We were wandering in central London looking for how to access 30 St. Mary Axe.
30 St. Mary Axe -- AKA the Swiss Re Tower or the Gherkin. I love this building so much -- was super excited to see it in person after seeing pictures in magazines and its brief appearance in Match Point.
Trafalgar Square -- Fountains, Nelson's Column, and no pigeons due to rain. Photo by Ben Young.
Trafalgar Square -- Chris, it was too cold to stomp through the fountains at Trafalgar Square! Photo by Ben Young.
King's Cross Station -- In front of our First Capital Connect train to visit Cambridge, with Upper Crust baguette sandwich and white coffee in hand. Breakfast!
Cambridge -- Watching the punter guide the tourists on boat through the River Cam on the Cambridge campus. Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- A green field on the Cambridge campus. Maybe you can actually walk on this one, because you can't walk on the grass in the courtyards! Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- Pretty campus attracts myriad tourists.
Cambridge -- Magnificent and very, very old. Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- Resting my feet. Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- Looking at the forbidden grass. You can't walk on the grass in the courtyards.
Cambridge -- Sweaty Betty next to a picturesque street in Cambridge.
Cambridge -- Really old and pretty cathedral on campus.
Cambridge -- Afternoon tea in Cambridge.
Cambridge -- Afternoon tea in Cambridge included potato waffles.
Cambridge -- Store selling Cath Kidston - Vintage inspired prints popular in England.
Tour Bus to Stonehenge -- Everyone is taking pictures out of the bus.
English Countryside -- Sheep dot the pastures en route to Stonehenge.
Stonehenge -- ... And a long line of tourists.
Stonehenge -- Being gracious tourists at the prehistoric site.
Stonehenge -- More obligatory tourist pictures. Photo by Ben Young.
Ben Young & Co. -- Ben took this picture of us at Stonehenge.
Stonehenge -- Ben's brother Johnny, Ben, and me posting in front of Stonehenge. We got another tourist to take this picture of us.
Electrified Fence -- Poor sheep.
Sad Portraiture -- Reminds me of a Hendrik Kerstens portrait.
I'd never crossed the pond before, so I was very excited and unsure what to expect. I packed lightly -- only one red coat. I intended to purchase another coat in London, but couldn't decide which to buy.
I did buy some Kate Moss dresses at Topshop at the request of my sister, and had fun buying random things at Boots pharmacy. Got some dinosaur lights from the National Science Museum, books from Waterstones and the National Portrait Museum... but mostly tried to absorb and understand central London culture. The boyfriend would say I was trying to understand their retail culture, as I tried to understand what each London store or brand represented :P
In the London Underground, 90% of women/girls were wearing black tights, black shoes, black coat, and a skirt (solid color or a flower print). Londoners are much more lithe than Americans... More fashionable on average. I tried to include people in my pictures, because you can find pictures of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Stonehenge anywhere.
Arriving to London -- When Obama won the election, the headline on the paper was "THE DAY AMERICA BECAME A LITTLE BIT COOL AGAIN"
London Underground -- Love the girl's big flowery bag.
Bens -- Ben and THE Big Ben.
The London Eye -- Meets my eye. Photo by Ben Young.
Hedgehog! -- Women's magazines in the UK often include a free candy bar, or maybe even a skinny belt, in the shrink-wrapped packaging. This is a typical magazine stand inside the London Underground.
Westminster Abbey -- Around Remembrance Day. Photo by Ben Young.
Inside the London Eye -- Excited having spotted the Gherkin building (it's over my shoulder in the picture). Photo by Ben Young.
Inside the London Eye -- Obligatory picture of typical London style - black tights, black boots, a flower print dress, and a dark coat.
St. James Park -- Squirrel!
St. James Park -- Bird Feeding Area.
St. James Park -- Knotty tree.
Buckingham Palace -- Obligatory tourist photo. Photo by Ben Young
No Exits -- There are only ways out of the London Underground.
Stars Blanketing Streets -- The commerce streets by Piccadilly Circus, et al.
Tea at Liberty -- Nice china... expensive afternoon tea.
V&A -- Models being photographed in the museum while museum visitors stare.
V&A -- A bench very reminiscent of Cinderella coach/pumpkin.
V&A -- Love the wrought iron collection -- England has such beautiful decorative touches to their houses and neighborhoods!
V&A -- Lots of old things and/or their replicas at the V&A.
Portobello Road -- Cute wire-frame mannequins.
Get your own glasses! -- Bar on Portobello Road.
L'Autre Pied -- Sat between a backlit flower-printed wall/panel, and apparently a nice back room.
Little door -- There are a lot of little doors in England. Photo by Ben Young.
Harrods -- Ben amuses himself while sitting outside the changing rooms at Harrods. Photo by Ben Young.
Harrods -- Fish for cat.
Monkey: Journey to the West -- Saw the bizarre opera at the O2. Photo by Ben Young.
Tower Bridge -- Walking on the bridge looking up at the tower. Photo by Ben Young.
Hibiscus -- Lunch started with a complimentary drink (top left) that was foamy and exquisite.
Hibiscus -- They branded their knife. I forgot what my entree was, but that blimp/football shaped green mush (under the dark green cracker) was really damn good.
Kew Gardens -- Waterlily house.
Kew Gardens -- Want a Waterlily House in my freaking backyard. Photo by Ben Young.
Kew Gardens -- One last picture in the Waterlily House.
Wicked -- Saw Wicked in the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
Outside Arbutus -- We had lunch at Arbutus, which we liked so much that we went to its sister restaurant Wild Honey for dinner.
Wild Honey -- Yes, that's wild honey ice cream on a bed of crushed honeycomb. Delicious, but seriously, why does a lot of my food have to come in the shape of a blimp or football? Could they not make balls, but only blimps?
Cow-spotted garbage -- Spotted somewhere on the street. We were wandering in central London looking for how to access 30 St. Mary Axe.
30 St. Mary Axe -- AKA the Swiss Re Tower or the Gherkin. I love this building so much -- was super excited to see it in person after seeing pictures in magazines and its brief appearance in Match Point.
Trafalgar Square -- Fountains, Nelson's Column, and no pigeons due to rain. Photo by Ben Young.
Trafalgar Square -- Chris, it was too cold to stomp through the fountains at Trafalgar Square! Photo by Ben Young.
King's Cross Station -- In front of our First Capital Connect train to visit Cambridge, with Upper Crust baguette sandwich and white coffee in hand. Breakfast!
Cambridge -- Watching the punter guide the tourists on boat through the River Cam on the Cambridge campus. Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- A green field on the Cambridge campus. Maybe you can actually walk on this one, because you can't walk on the grass in the courtyards! Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- Pretty campus attracts myriad tourists.
Cambridge -- Magnificent and very, very old. Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- Resting my feet. Photo by Ben Young.
Cambridge -- Looking at the forbidden grass. You can't walk on the grass in the courtyards.
Cambridge -- Sweaty Betty next to a picturesque street in Cambridge.
Cambridge -- Really old and pretty cathedral on campus.
Cambridge -- Afternoon tea in Cambridge.
Cambridge -- Afternoon tea in Cambridge included potato waffles.
Cambridge -- Store selling Cath Kidston - Vintage inspired prints popular in England.
Tour Bus to Stonehenge -- Everyone is taking pictures out of the bus.
English Countryside -- Sheep dot the pastures en route to Stonehenge.
Stonehenge -- ... And a long line of tourists.
Stonehenge -- Being gracious tourists at the prehistoric site.
Stonehenge -- More obligatory tourist pictures. Photo by Ben Young.
Ben Young & Co. -- Ben took this picture of us at Stonehenge.
Stonehenge -- Ben's brother Johnny, Ben, and me posting in front of Stonehenge. We got another tourist to take this picture of us.
Electrified Fence -- Poor sheep.
Sad Portraiture -- Reminds me of a Hendrik Kerstens portrait.
