Hampstead Heath

The theme I chose for this walk was Taking a Break from City Life!

Public Bowling Greene

Trees just above Parliament Hill

This was the public toilet...seriously?

Alison walking in a little hidden grove we found

Loved these shutters

One Tree HOUSE, thankfully not One Tree HILL

I love how they name their houses

Walking up Holly Place

It's no wonder John Constable and Fort Maddox Brown used this area as a model for their work! It is amazing that such a perfect little refuge can be found so close to the city. If I were to live in the UK I think Hampstead would be the best location. It's definitely lucky for us and the general public that the heath hasn't been turned into housing developments. I couldn't help but thinking that the name 'Heathcliff' is fitting..I thought I was going to see him frolicking about at any moment. The wild, untamed beauty of the heath is much different from the groomed parks you see in the city. I really loved getting lost in nature on this walk. We had come straight from Camden Market and the contrast between the two was stark! I so much prefer the feeling at Hampstead.

Walk with the Scholars

The theme I chose for this walk was Smartness, In All Its Forms. Scholarly, eh?

Most British people are smart, and smart people go to Libraries regularly.

Charles Dickens was one smart chap.

Smart people make love not war.

Smart people go to church.

They also go to College.

Smart people can be found at Museums, almost as frequently as Libraries.

Smart people don't gamble.

Smart people support peace. And most were born around the year 1986 :)

I think what I've realized most living in London is the enormous number of people who have contributed to and greatly shaped it's history. On this walk it seemed that with every turn we found a new blue circle on a house, indicating some famous person who had lived there! Their country is just so rich in a way that ours cannot be since they've been around for so much longer. It was perfect timing, since we just learned about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and they spent a lot of time there. I really am impressed with the way London takes its history so seriously. The people seem to be more aware of and involved with their roots than we are. That's something I'm hoping to change from here on out.

Little Venice

The theme I chose for this walk was "Italian Influences." Suffice it to say I had to get pretty creative with this theme...

Italian gondola on top of the boat

There have got to be pigeons in Venice...at least there are in the movies

Italian Vehicle

Italian looking viney-house

Knockoff of Italian products :)

Another Italian Vehicle

House of the Italian Artist Giovanni Canaletto

Yet another Italian vehicle :)


This area was so charming! I'm always so surprised by the random bodies of water that are strewn all throughout London. They add a very interesting element to the city. I was sad that Robert Browning's house had been torn down, since he and his wife definitely have connections to Italy. The people living in the area seemed like a strange mix of rich mafia members on one side and poor minorities on the other. The book said that historically it was home to a very posh yet eclectic group of famous Londoners. It seems a good place for them to live, since it is close to the West End yet it has a very secluded, residential feel to it. I enjoyed this walk probably more than any I've done thus far.

West End Theatre Walk

This was such a fun walk, through my favorite part of London! I chose Sepia tone for my theme, which I really ended up hating. For some of them it works but usually I feel like it detracts from the usually glitzy feeling of the West End.

Picadilly Circus

Yeah...they got their Characitures done. Silly tourists.

Audrey & Brad

Bond girl in the making.

Bond history in the making.

I just liked this shot...got some weird looks taking it, but I think it's fun.

St. Martin's

National Gallery

As usual, the reading in the walks book served to answer a few of my very important questions, for example what OXO means and why it's the only lit up writing on all the buildings on the South of the Thames. Apparently the company got around the city laws by building the OXO in red right on the side of the building! Anyway...the Theatre District held special interest today since they were setting up for the premiere of Body of Lies, starring Russel Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. What I think is so interesting is to see the combination of Theatre and Film. The city is so involved with both but both have such different feels to them. I love the way London appreciates old and new art--the National Gallery is right next to St. Martin's, which is next to the Odeon, which is in the middle of so many West End Playhouses. It's amazing to be in the middle of so much culture, both from hundreds of years ago and today.

Walk with the Superstars

The theme I chose for this walk was black and white:

Corner of Ranelagh Gardens

Used shoes anyone?

View through the gate to Chelsea Hospital

I loved this little residential area. Someday i'll live there.

Lost.

History.

The "peace PA-ga-duh," says Sara.

Wit, Dramatist and Bunburyist.


This walk showed me yet another side to the city I hadn't seen before. The shops on King's Road made me want to get a really really good job so I can actually buy things there someday :) The residential areas were also incredibly charming. I loved walking through a random street and all of a sudden finding out that some famous person had lived there! (Mick Jagger?) Anyway, the Chelsea Hospital was so beautiful. It's a shame we don't build hospitals to look like that anymore. It's also a shame we don't get together for fancy parties in places like Ranelagh gardens anymore. I could just imagine a bunch of ladies wearing hoop skirt dresses and men in powdered wigs. I really enjoyed this walk and my black & white pictures don't even do the autumn leaves justice!

Seats of Power: Whitehall and the mall

The theme I chose for my photos for this walk was accenting red. Red is such a characteristically British color and I really enjoyed this theme.

I love the red accents in much of the architecture

Intelligent looking pub :)

I loved these Telephone booths with the crown on them

Big Ben + British Umbrellas. What more could you ask for?

London is the official home of the Double Decker

What would we do without the tube?

It was so interesting to see the 'Washington DC' of London. All the monuments were so interesting and made me realize how little I know about Britain's history. One of my favorites was the monument to the Women of WWII and I really am interested to find out more of the history behind it. I can't help but think that our practice of making monuments is only a branch off of theirs. Once again what's so amazing about this walk was the amount of history contained in each one of these buildings. This (embarrassingly enough) was my first time seeing Buckingham Palace straight on from the front. With the rows of fall leaves leading up to it, the effect was spectacular. I really enjoyed this part of town.

Walking Through the City

My theme for this walk was words. It was interesting to see how the architecture surrounding the signs fit each one perfectly.

In the Old London Alleyway

This was a Youth Hostel but I loved the Latin on the walls. So beautiful

Outside St. Etheldreda's

Give Peace A Chance!

Outside Criminal Justice Court

I'm assuming these are words in some language :)

You know, in all honesty I didn't much enjoy this walk. We went on a Saturday and since it is the business district everything was shut down. Literally EVERYTHING. I kept checking the news through windows to see if there was a National Crisis we missed. I did, however, quite enjoy the theme I chose. For some reason I love the street signs in London and that's where the idea came from. But once I started looking for words, the most interesting things pop out at you. The words "Ye Old Mitre," are so characteristically old looking, I'd assume how they would have been in old London. Contrast that to the graffiti in the window that says, "No War," which is so characteristic of London today. The signs really do tell a lot about the city and I enjoyed discovering them.