Weekly Photo - Tower of London

Tower of London

Slowly but surely I'm making my way through all of my London photographs. This week's photo shows perhaps my overall favourite tourist site in the city - the Tower of London. Taken in the early evening from in front of London City Hall using the Olympus 45 1.8 - a fantastic lens not just for portraits, but for landscape shots as well.

London's Best Brew

Monmouth Coffee Company

For anyone looking to get their caffeine fix while in London, this is definitely the place. A small cafe located somewhere between Covent Garden and Tottenham Court tube stations, Monmouth Coffee Company is great place to grab a cup and then head to the middle of the nearby Seven Dials (a rather busy road junction where seven streets come together) to enjoy some West End people watching.

Abbey Road

Not exactly what I expected Abbey Road Studies to look like. Apparently the gates of the studio are graffitied by musical pilgrims and fans of The Beatles - at which point they are painted over and the whole process begins anew.

Westminster to Whitehall

Westminster Palace

A little late, but I thought I'd share a few more photos from my recent trip across the pond.

First off, I'm not sure any visit to London is complete without taking in the sites from Westminster Bridge up to Trafalgar Square. The route is strewn with iconic symbols from British history, starting with the famed Houses of Parliament.

While the tight security around #10 Downing Street makes it near impossible to get a good look,  another iconic site soon presents itself in the form of Horse Guards - which is pretty much next door.  More accurately, the troopers of the Household Calvary standing guard just outside of Horse Guards represent the very epitome of British pomp and circumstance, and definitely let you know that you've arrived in the heart of the royal city.

Horse Guards

Trafalgar Square

A short walk up Whitehall from Horse Guards and you find yourself at Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. No matter what time of day or night you end up here, you'll always find a mass of people and performers dotting the square. Definitely a great place to grab a coffee and sit down for a bit of people watching.

While not visible in this photo, the square also houses a rotating contemporary art exhibit - which happens to be a giant blue chicken at the moment: goo.gl/LhFT2Q.

Weekly Photo - Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus

It's amazing how fast traffic races by in London given the tight spaces and endless number of pedestrians meandering about everywhere. I tired to capture a bit of this hurried pace in this early evening photo of a traditional London double-decker zooming through Piccadilly Circus.

Available in full resolution at Smugmug | http://goo.gl/LhFT2Q.

Arrival in London Town

Paddington Station

Arrived in London via the Heathrow Express on Monday. Definitely the way to go to get yourself into the city with a minimum of fuss. I'm not sure what a black cab would cost, but I'm not really that interested in finding out either!

First up, swapping out the SIM card for something prepaid. 10£ and 5 minutes later and I was set up with a month of prepaid data from Vodaphone. Not really sure why this can't happen in North America?

The 02 Arena

With the phone thing taken care of, it was time to work my way out to Canary Wharf to meet up with a buddy of mine from law school. Turns out his condo is right on the Thames and directly across from the 02 Arena. Canary Wharf is a relatively new part of East London, and reminds me a bit of downtown Calgary - very clean but a bit of a ghost town once work lets out. Nevertheless, worth a look if you happen to be in London.

The DLR

A quick DLR (Docklands Light Rail) ride and I found myself in the "City" - the ancient part of London originally settled by the Romans and more recently the home of England's largest banks, financial institutions and law firms.

For such an old part of the city, it's amazing how much new construction is permitted and how many high rise buildings are dotted amongst its almost 100 centuries old churches.

One such building is the famous Gherkin - more accurately 30 St Mary Axe. I snapped the photo below while heading off to meet some friends for a few drinks at Tower Bridge. Given the change in season, I was informed that grabbing an Olde Winter Ale at the Bridge House - which I understand is one of the few establishments still supplying this delicious seasonal brew - was a must. It was.

The Gherkin - 30 St Mary Axe

Weekly Photo - Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge at Night

I've been in London for the past week enjoying all the city has to offer. One mandatory (although touristy) sight to check while in town is definitely Tower Bridge - which I think looks even more spectacular at night.

Available in full resolution at Smugmug | http://goo.gl/8IhZig.