I tend to take London for granted. I've spent so much time there over the past ten or so years, that I sometimes forget to look around me - but meeting someone who's not a "native" makes me view my surroundings with new eyes.
While I was last in London, I had the good fortune to meet up with Josephine, a delightful Swedish girl who's studying in England. You should definitely check out her blog - she expresses every thought in eloquent detail, has a taste for beautiful things, and is a promising writer of fantasy. We've chatted a lot through our blogs and twitter, so it was great to meet in person... I always love it when I have the chance to spend quality time with a blogging friend.
So there I was, feeling slightly more touristy than usual, and as we were walking somewhere near Charing Cross Road this incredible facade caught my attention:
And then, having switched on my architectural sense, I spent the rest of the day spotting interesting buildings around the capital. It was fun to take in the sheer variety.... and this was on one short walk, in one comparatively small part of the city. You can see echos of so many different eras... yes, I will have to spend more time with my "tourist eyes" on!
27 comments:
I absolutely love London! Thanks for the great photos. If there is any truth to past lives, I think I had one in London.
Lovely.
Mary
Really gorgeous shots! I do hope to visit London someday.
The picture of the colourful façades turned out really impressive; the colours go so well with the blue sky without the hustle of reality all around.
Urbanisation as art, and all that.
I am really glad to see those pictures; I truly adore architecture, and I've found London has such an exquisite variety. I often have to remind myself to not walk with my nose in the air and admire the buildings directly beside me, to prevent me from falling over!
Thank you, again, for that lovely afternoon, and your kind words.
Ohhhh, I cant wait to go there. Should be this summer!
oooh this makes me so excited! we're heading to london for 3 days at the beginning of april!
i've been once before, but this time will be nice - having seen the big tourist things last time, we can delve deeper into the coolness of london. have any places you love? our fave restaurant in the world is hawali's in hammersmith. really looking forward to their tikka masala!
I particularly like the stripy ones!
You have so much variety in your architecture!
I love the architecture around London - the mix of old versus new in the most random of places...lovely photos as ever Rachel x
I love doing that, when I used to work in the city (City of London is an area in the centre of London to non Londoners) I used to go for a walk at lunch and just marvel at the buildings. Never thought to bring a camera with me, but it was pre-blog days for me.
London is on my top ten places to visit list! Love the architectural pics too! Makes me want to get there faster :) thanks for sharing and for stopping by my blog earlier!
Ooooh, makes me want to throw on a Burburry scarf and "hop the pond!" Thanks for these lovely shots!!
love this post...i lived in london for a few years and i always get excited when i see pics of it.
your posts hadn't been showing up in my dashboard...so i was excited to see this one pop up...now i have to dig through the posts i have been missing!
whoo hoo!!
Funny how you tend to overlook these things! I lived in Melbourne for 26 years and I never did any of the touristy things - now when I go back I see it with new eyes. Same goes for here. When people visit me now they crap on about how beautiful it is, the beaches and the climate - things I take for granted every day.
Looks amazing! I've never been but the hubby and I are planning a trip there in the spring! I can't wait!
I'm a new follower from Friday Follow. Looking forward to learning more!
XOXO,
Ashley
www.2manypronouns.blogspot.com
Amazing pictures.
Stopped by from FF.
justanightowl.com
I am a new follower from Friday Follow.
I like your blog! Have a nice weekend!
i spent ten months in London and I remember that after a while the amazing stuff somehow faded. It's good to remember where you are sometimes and really notice it!
Yeah! I get to be your 200th follower and look at awesome photos of London. I love traveling and have been to many place in Europe. I am going to enjoy reading your posts! Happy Friday!
Kel
http://betweenthelines-kam.blogspot.com
Great pictures!
Visiting from "Friday Follow"...I'm your newest follower! Love for you to come visit me :)
Have a great weekend!
~Shelley @ Shelley's Swag
I'm a new follower from FF!
I was in London in 1980 for 3 months. Thanks for the pics. I don't have any. I stayed in the West End.
I look forward to 'traveling' with you.
Stop by when you get a chance.
Thanks for he tour...seeing a city through tourist eyes is fun. But what makes this even better is seeing it through tourist eyes that actually know the place. So, now, I'm seeing things that are a bit off the track. Love it.
"Following you from http://bizzimommi.blogspot.com Happy Follow Friday!"
WOW!! How interesting!!
Hey! Found you over at Friday Follow and thought I'd stop by.
Feel free to stop by any of my blogs and follow them.
My family blog: http://jessicaslilcorner.blogspot.com
My custom blog designs blog: http://sostylilized.blogspot.com
My photography blog: http://www.jessicaslilmoments.com
Happy Friday! Have a blessed weekend! :)
What great photos!
Wow. I think you captured a lot of England in the photos. These are really nice photographs. I will also go see your friend's blog.
Thanks for your visits.
And the hawk you asked me to identify for your friend was a Coopers Hawk. An immature one.
wonderful , organic shots! Love buildings in London.
Thanks for asking Abraham to help with identifying the Cooper's Hawk. Nothing like having a second opinion!
Beautiful pictures! Make sure you put a copyright watermark so your pictures won't get stolen and end up in other people work. ;-)
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