A week in London as video

London in mars 2008
envoyé par julie70

London discovery week trip as video

I met him from Flickr London

We went together to Regents Park, he taking mostly birds flying, and me more the surrounding and people.

I just went through my pictures done last Sunday: a huge variety!

At the begining, it rained, but soon the clouds left and the light become wonderfull, even more later in the afternoon as we arrived at the other side of the lake.

The park offered us not only birds, and there were a huge number of them coming, mostly when women offered them seeds, but the wind and water birds made the water impressionist like and the flowers and trees reflected in them.

And people were very friendly, most of them agreed to be photographed by me, some others I have taken "candid" not disturbing in what they were doing, talking with each others, feeding birds or looking at the lake.

Not many people in that weather but enough to make it a very interesting walk and place to take pictures too. Here the first 50 in slide-show.

Regents Park must be also beautiful in fall!

Gare St Pankras

I just read this entrance to the Eurostar, modern and fast train under the Manche that took me in almost two hours from London to Paris, was not a church as I believed first but a hotel.

Still amazing!

I stayed yesterday afternoon around it, waiting for my time to arrive, as I could not change my ticket for an earlier on.

I went first to Fowler's and found a very interesting book, relating the journey my grand parents have been in 1944, I'll talk about it later. Then I went to the British library where I could not use internet, but had a nice stay and looked at old manuscripts. And read for a while my own book.

Across the station is the Camden Town's library, more popular and also more friendly. They let me use the Internet, first for ten minutes, then as someone left earlier, for almost an hour. Read newspapers too, and relax in a nice environment.

Quieter then the Station St Pankras International's hall!

Fulham yesterday afternoon

Each of us has its own passion.

We are different each as the different neighborhoods of London are too. I felt good in Fulham and was fascinated also by my flickr pot who is taking things found on the floor.

He had "only" five of his cameras with him, using each on other occasions, but of course more then one objective.

For me, for the moment the small Sony Cybershot is enough, the problem in London was only the slow upload from my hotel room. "It is temporary" they told me, but I am going home tonight. Then again, from home, I'll be able to upload faster.


Near Earl's Court metro station: she looked to me like Ms Marple from Agatha Cristy novels!

Camden market

The popular market in the town of Camden is so different from the one I have seen at Nothing's Hill Portobello!

London is so varied from one part to the other.

Of course, it was also raining almost all day, yesterday, and when not raining we had a very strong wind in London.

I went first to the Canary Row but near the Thames up there the wind blow me so much, I went fast inside the metro station instead of looking around. In Camden, I could walk until the rain arrived and then I went in a small and nice Italian restaurant. Anyway, by that time it was nearly noon.

- I want salad instead of chips.
- No problem.

Looking from inside to the wind blowing and returning the umbrellas was more fun then when it arrived to me, later of course.

London, sunday

Regent park walk around the lake with Adrien, who is a real "chasseur des images, des oiseaux", following with passion the bird's flying and caching them on the fly - on his camera.

It was very interesting for me to watch him taking pictures.

Apart for a few drops of rain, it was a wanderfull after-noon together.

While I took pictures of people, mostly, he did find a bird paradise around the lake, some women came specially to feed them.

Others come just to stroll around, or take some air.

It takes all of us to make a town!

Yes, the water lilies were missing, but we had ducks instead, Monet would have been happy also with the light of late after-noon.

Early saturday, Farrington & Portobello

Almost no one in the Tube early saturday morning, mostly the party goers going home after a whole night.

Some alone, others in couple.

Click on a title to see the rest of my day!

I went early to Farrington, but the meat market is closed the week-end, so one of the "home going boys" proposed me to visit the Nothing Hill Gate's market, Portobello.

An interesting and huge antic's market!

As it was early, the vendors had time to pose, there is so much image to take there that by the time I was exhausted, and took a bus towards Oxfort Circle, finally Trafalgar square, my batterie was also emply.

After visit to the National Portrait Gallery, I went to Embarquadere on Thames, but a cold wind and small rain told me, both "go home"!

But I did return to the hotel with lots of images and also a chineeze take out, so I do not have to leave again.

After 70, one may have energy, but it is limited.

Arrival to London

I missed a day of blogging, it was a long day, even if the train does not make now more then 2:15 hours from Paris to London.

Wake up at 4:30, out of home 5 o'clock and took the first bus 13 minutes later, and then the second train from Argenteuil to Paris. The train does take only 10 minutes, but there was 10 minute wait before and then a very long way from Saint Lazar station to the RER ligne E to take me to the station Gare de Nord.

At 6 after escalators, stairs, and yes, also elevetors, I was in the RER train: only one station to Magenta, near which is Gare de Nord and Eurostar's depature. For a 3 minute ride from a station to the other, I waited again and arriving there got other confusing indications.

"To the train" for the RER workers means to the RER, not the train I was seeking, and it was not only me confused. Finally following GARE DE NORD then EUROSTAR, I arrived to the line formed for the second morning train, at 7:13 and at 8:30 London time I arrived!


Wait in line to get information about the Tube : Pickadilly northern direct to Earl's curt, take out english pounds then buy a week two zone's Oyster card and at 10 London time I was at my hotel.

To early. "We register only at 12" she told me - in Hungarian! She was from not very far from my birth town! And the cleaning lady talked to me in Romanian, and the other on would have in Russian, but I do not speak that language.

Leaving my luggage there, I went to South Kensington, were beside lots of museums, the French consulate, Institut Français, Lycée Charles de Gaulle is located. I got information for my grand-children. But what a huge school! I hope they'll find a smaller one at the beginning of their stay.

By the time I arrived "home" to my Entreprise Hotel, I was exhausted. I have a tiny luggage, but with the computer inside, it is only the worker who had helped me lift it to the bus at 5 in the morning who could lift it with one finger - to show off. For me, it was not so light.

But I got to London and my hotel without taking taxis, and some day I'll buy myself a lighter portable!

Visits to London

Difficult to believe but in four days I'll take Eurostar early in the morning and in two and half hours be in London!

Last time, I was there only for a day, but the station I arrived two years ago was still Wateerloo. If possible, I'll use the changed station to visit Regent Park or Little Venice, or both before I go to hotel. That is, if they let me leave my luggage at the station so I can walk around and take photos.

Yesterday, I remembered the first two times I went to London.

My father had a cousin working in a hotel, near Baywater station, not far from Hyde park. She arrived there from Budapest, to learn english, before the 2nd world war, and stayed and saved her life. From cleaning lady, kitchen aid, receptionist, she became manager and then half owner through the years. The first time, I was 35. It was easter time, and the weather beautiful.

I loved the city immediately, very impressed by what she showed me. And going home, I imagined myself coming to manage the small hotel when she retires. But life has its own ways.

The second time, I went with my daughter 16 years old then, thirty years ago, and as we were less welcomed then, we went farther. As we crossed the channel then with my car, we went slowly up until Scotland, assisted to the repetition before the big festival in Edinburgh and then stayed three wonderful days near one of the lakes up north. We came back visiting Stanford and assisting to a representation in old language, that my daughter did understand better then me.

That was the longest stay, just after I separated from my unfaithful husband and before our stay in the USA. As I did live with my daughter and son three years near Washington, my english is not yet british - I'll have to learn that!

Then, it took some thirty years to go back, in 2006, when I took the same train as my son, deciding the last instant, after taking him very early in the morning to the station.

I was so happy that time to see that the black cabs and red buses are still there!



But this time, I did decide to explore. To discover. To make it less threatening for me. Not to see museums or monuments, as two years back, but the people and their life.

It is true, that in 2006 mars also, I did take some pictures of people in London. As this two nice workers who explained me how to go from the station to the National Museum through the bridge.

But mostly I took sights and also a tour around the center with a special bus. But my favorite image taken two years ago is of one of the nice house so specific for me of London, taken from my hotel room window.

Soon, soon, I'll see them again.