Wednesday, June 29, 2016

London, England - Day 8


     On Sunday morning, we got an early start on our day.  Some of us decided to go shoot around London before all the tourists emerged and ruined our pictures. :)

     The tube wasn't running when we left the house, but luckily the bus lines were running.  We caught the bus, and photowalked around London for a bit.  The air was cool and crisp, and with the SoCal heat this week, I miss it dearly!


     Love the Millenium Bridge when it's empty!


     My friend Rob who lives in England was able to join us for a little bit of photowalking.



     I love the clouds in England.  They make each photo so much more dramatic.  









     I've taken so many photos of Tower Bridge.  I'm sure people are sick of seeing them by now. Hopefully each one is different enough to keep it fresh.  No? Oh well. :)





     After our photowalk, we headed back to the house to get ready for our Sunday roast.  Apparently that is a thing in England.  Clearly, I have reverted back to my perforated shoes and brought along my umbrella for the impending rain.  I also retired my DSLR and decided to shoot the rest of the day with my G7X.


     We ate at this place called the Mayflower.  It's been around for a loooong time.  Supposedly one of the guys from the original Mayflower ship used to drink here.





     We were seated upstairs and had a great view of the river. 



     I loved the decor of this place.  


     Cheers!


     Patty's Sunday roast.


     I opted for the chicken pot pie, and was glad I did.  Not only was the presentation awesome at the Mayflower, but the food was so good.  I still remember what this tasted like!


     Jon's custard, and Erik's camera creeping up on it. 


     Apparently this happens a lot!



     Afterwards, we decided to hit up Oxford Street.  Let me tell you, this street/area is a shopper's dream.  I used to think South Coast Plaza had it all... NO.  Oxford street is where it's at.  Well, Oxford street and Bond street.  It is a shopper's heaven.  I'll admit, it's kind of chaotic and crowded, but putting that aside, the variety in shops - both shops that we have in the U.S. as well as the ones you may only see in England - is out of this world!



     Next stop is the British Museum.  This place is HUGE.  You'd probably need a week if you wanted to see everything inside this museum.  There is stuff in there from all over the world. Y'know, when England was conquering places and all. ;)








     One of these is not like the others...



     The original hipsters... LOL.




     After a quick rest at home, we decided to go back out to shoot.  I'm sure I realized this sooner, but this is NOT a vacation.  I don't think people on vacation do this.  People on vacation relax, have cocktails, and chill the F out.  We were doing anything but that - all in the name of photos!


     It rained pretty hard once we got to Tower Bridge.  At one point, we just had to take cover.  


     The reward was this amazing sunset.  One of the best I've seen!  I'll always remember this sunset.


     I'm glad someone is buying these touristy umbrellas.  It helped me take this photo. :) 


     And here are some MORE photos of Tower Bridge.  They all look different, of course. :)




     It sprinkled off and on all evening, and my sneakers got pretty damp.  Once my shoes get wet, I get pretty cranky, so it wasn't long before we called it a night.  We ended up finding a Tesco that was still open and got some instant dinner to take home.