Hello, friends. It’s been too long. A week ago I took a trip to London. While the trip was originally advertised as a bus tour, most of the experience came from the time we had to simply walk around the city. Being the photographer that I am, I took pictures of almost every building we passed, attempting preserve as much of my experience as I could on film (technically on a memory card).
While that is all fine and good and I have no qualms sharing these photos with you, I felt like there was something missing from this story. Yes, the London Eye looked wonderful against the blue sky, and yes, the Parliament building has remarkable history and stunning architecture (pictured below), but there are a few things that particularly struck me in my wandering.
First of all, we really had no definitive plans on where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do. There’s something fantastic about going to one site and realizing that another is just a few blocks away. Or walking down the street, passing bridge after bridge, trying to find “London Bridge” and suddenly looking up to find yourself in front of the Globe Theatre. These are things you have read about or seen pictures of, but you never really think about how real they are, how you can just ordinarily stroll around and happen upon them. It’s surreal looking at other people on the streets and realizing that there are people walking by every day; there have been for a long time and hopefully will continue to be long into the future. You almost feel a connection with everyone throughout history who has stood/will stand in that square, looking at the same statue, having an experience that is similar to yours but completely unique in its own right.
People. That’s what I really started caring about (as I should, since I study Anthropology and all). Of course, I took pictures of the buildings and views, but I also started taking pictures of the people. It’s hard because you feel awkward asking people for their permission yet feel like a creeper if you don’t. While these pictures are few compared to my stereotypical tourist frames, I feel they are some of the best. “The Faces of England” I am calling them. I am hesitant to post them here as I do not wish to violate anyone’s privacy, but most of them were making themselves publicly visible, so they may not mind if I did. However, these pictures will remain off of this blog for the time being.
I just wanted you to have a glimpse into my mind. I wanted to share my pondering with you so that you may feel closer to me and my personal experiences in one of the best cities in the world.
Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Here some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
Trafalgar Square, Fountain in the Foreground with the National Gallery in the Background
Silhouette of Buckingham Palace
Palace of Westminster
Silhouette of the London Eye
Saint Paul’s Cathedral