London / The End of the Beginning
Last part of the first day. Such a uplifting coffee chain logo. But hey, the pink makes it cheerful right?
SoHo is one of those areas that's always busy.
Perhaps it's because of the ChaTime..
Michelle being moody with her milk tea.
Hopped over to Trafalgar Square really quick.
All aboard the ghost bus!
In South Bank there ended up being a mini-carnival complete with drinks, games and rides!
Ok, so it was more like had just one ride, but what a doozy! Even had windshields for the riders, something that's probably very helpful when the temps drop down.
London / The National Gallery & Big Ben
As daylight began to fade away, we were going to make one more stop before calling it in. In the States, we have plenty of progressive architecture as well, but I it seems like Europe utilizes the exoskeleton-style more. I can dig it.
When the sun is actually out to set and you can get somewhere clear of buildings, the sky can look pretty impressive. Hello your Majesty.
A giant blue cock. *snicker*
Arriving at Trafalgar Square in front of the National Gallery.
Several street performers had set up around the area, including this fella who could levitate. How does it do it?! And why is he always holding onto that pole...
Managed to grab the two shots inside before being promptly told, unlike the Tate, photographs weren't allowed. Definitely a museum worth going to though. There was plenty of Monet, Van Gough and Manet pieces in addition to a plethora of impressionist and 17/18th century Dutch paintings which I generalize as my favorite styles of classical artwork.
As you can probably tell, this was still before Christmas decorations were taken down.
Some fancy police cars here...
...and even fancier personal cars! From every angle, the new Vanquish is a beautiful machine to look at, especially in that color-catching silver. Mmmmm
Some four months in and we finally went to see Big Ben.
Then we went to grab some dinner and go home. A pretty successful day playing tourist.
London / Tate Museum
And so we began where we left off, at Borough Market, as we head west along the South Bank towards the Tate Museum.
We have still yet to get any Monmouth coffee, but from what locals have said, it's supposedly London's equivalent to SF's Blue Bottle Coffee. We'll see...
As we walked away from the market, I spotted a brand new S Class. First one I've seen in person and I gotta say, I'm a big fan of this gen. It just oozes class in a slick manner that the previous 2 gens could never touch.
The colors...
Pretty interesting how they set up the Starbucks here. The hole-in-the-wall manner would not fly as well in the US.
A pretty cool LED firework display. They did a good job keeping the light grid low key and hidden.
We've still have yet to go to a Wagamama. Their noodles look quite tasty and the prices weren't too bad either.
The Globe, where Shakespeare debuted his plays. It's still in use today, though nowadays they prefer women to play the roles of women.
What did the fox say...
And here is the Tate Museum which is London's premiere museum for modern art. Looks kinda like a huge factory right?
Of course the Millennium Bridge continues to be an outstanding structure to look at no matter which angle you stand.
Didn't I mention the size? It really is bigger than it look in these photos.
What's wonderful about it is how they left the center hollowed out to continue that theme of scale. Had this been filled up with its many levels of galleries, the structure wouldn't have seemed as impressive. But left in this manner with its cavity open to observe, it gave the impression of a massive hanger where blimps and rockets were built from.
The ever amused Michelle...
Meanwhile a serious battle of good and evil was unfolding below us.
Dude needs a burger or something...
F-YEAH!
Most art museums usually have a pretty good gift shop but this one really had a ton of books I would have loved to go home with.
Last part coming soon.
London / Christmas Along The Thames Pt 2
Just some more photo dumping. The 2nd half of shooting along the Thames on a rainy night.
I never knew about this, but this is actually a platform for a train station that they stretched over the Thames. Pretty neat way to wait for your train.
And of course the Millennium Bridge. It's only meant for pedestrians, but it's a elegant looking bridge.
Christmas is definitely London's favorite holiday.
Loved the look of this Guest Info building, reminds me of the sculpture on Lemaitre's album covers. Perhaps by the same person? Wouldn't surprise me.
Now in front of St. Paul's Cathedral. The rain started to really come down at this point.
London / Getting Our Tourist On Pt. 1
I woke up this Sunday around 7:30 and as soon as I saw the weather for today, I knew we had to take advantage of it. Early Sunday mornings are clearly Michelle's favorites.
Despite the fact we've been here for over a month, we actually rarely see the Thames, mostly because we rarely have a reason to go near it. Today though, we planned on playing tourist and hitting some of the major attractions London has to offer. Stop 1; Tower Bridges. Cool battleship though, yeah?
The weather was a little chilly, but otherwise perfect.
On our way, we swung by the Tower of London, an old castle that houses the crown jewels. Unfortunately, we had to meet with some of Michelle's classmates around 2, so we didn't have time to check it out.
Perfect place to just relax and stroll on a day like this.
And here it is! Fortunately, it's a lot easier to walk on than the Golden Gate.
This building, the Leadenhall Building is a little crazy. Standing far above every other building in the area, I can't compare to the few other skyscrapers in London but it looks like it'll be the new tallest building once complete.
Neat ferries, they look like they could go a lot faster than what they were doing though.
Of course....
Yeah, it's a real drawbridge. A little unsettling how big the gap was.
Guess where we're going next?