Autumn Light

Monumental

Inside Out ?

The Lloyd's Building in the City

I love the fact, that an 18th century dining-room, known as the Committee Room, has actually
been transferred piece by piece from the old home of Lloyd's !

take care.

Brompton Cemetery II

such a great Place to escape the hectic streets of Zone 1 and enter a surreal world of Gothic Beauty. Few Places in Zone1 are better suited to take a walk and get lost in one s thoughts.

If you re lucky it will be raining and you can enjoy this great Space in it s full magnificent Loneliness !
Take care.

Old and New

Can you spot the prominent Newcomer ? ;)

Edwardes' Square

The Stairs along the Quest to Understand

     shot at King's College London, Strand 

Within the next 4 weeks, almost half a million students commence the academic year 2011/12 - 

"We must know, we will know" (David Hilbert 1930)

Communal Gardens

Londons Communal Gardens are a real Treasure !

and very few people can design Landscapes as well as the British ! 

I love the huge trees and the perfect proportions that feature in most Parks in London. 

Two Number One's

Time to move I guess .. shot again in Sth Ken!

Loneliness

shot in South Kensington

A Place in the Sun

Shot early morning from the roof of No.1 Poultry

Lost In Translation

Shot on the Picadilly Line

Seeing is Believing ... Right ?

Shot at Bank Station during Rush Hour

Plenty and Diverse

When people talk about the landmarks of London, the usual suspects they immediately remember are Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower, maybe the Gherkin if they want to be generous.

If I were asked what to mention, I would miserably fail to give an appropriate answer, not being able to decide where to stop a list that is in fact endless.

For example, what about this one ?



Surely you know this sight! The mighty St Paul's Cathedral, sitting at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London.

At 365 feet (111m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962. 

This building definitely is a landmark. For me, it is a reference point for the beauty of human imagination, its longing for aesthetics, symmetry, and surprise - always falling short of perfection  (as you might spot at the front of the Cathederal ..)

The father of this Masterpiece was Sir Christopher Wren. Educated in Latin and Aristotelian physics at the University of Oxford, Wren was a notable astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist, as well as an architect.
He was a founder of the Royal Society (president 1680–82), and his scientific work was highly regarded by Sir Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal. 

(Thank you Wikipedia, you're always there when needed).

Obviously someone else was of even more importance.

But on the other hand, something has to stand in front of buildings - at some point.

So why bother ? 
And anyways, when it comes to things standing in front of my lens, these charming guys are the ones I most often encounter in London:

This time I met two of them, not willing to step aside and free the sight!

Just over the last couple of weeks, a huge 15 - year lasting marathon of cleaning and repair of St Paul's was finally completed - so I highly suggest to head over and enjoy this architectural masterpiece in all its glory!

If you were me, instead of heading into the Cathederal after a walk around, you would turn your back and wander towards Millenium Bridge ( .. no, I could'nt take that off the list either).

Then you'd fall in love with this scene of landmarks - 

.. reminding me of  David and Goliath, as tiny Tower Bridge fights bravely the Shard for its place in modern London.

Finally, you'd end up in the Bar of yet another corner stone .. 

Well, whatever path you follow, 
take care, and enjoy :) **

Play Me, I'm Yours

Caught the other day as I stepped out of Liverpool Street Station into the Square Mile's Rush Hour:

This City Boy completely made my day, playing the Chopin Valse Op 64. No 2. Waltz in c sharp minor 

on one of the Street Pianos that are placed all over the City.

They are part of the Art Project "Play Me, I'm Yours", created by British Artist Luke Jerram.

You can read more about this cool idea at www.streetpianos.com,

Enjoy !

Never Mind

Watching other people doing great things is always a joy .. and doing this on a warm summer evening in Hampstead Heath is a proper holiday.

Hampstead is worth a post on itself (one day), such a cute village right at the doorstep of the big smoke!



This time though I was too busy climbing through the woods of the Heath, squeezing my eyes as I was blinded from all those shoots against the sun.



But I couldn't help it - being dazzled by beauty can be such a cruel thing!

Anyways, coming back to watching other people doing great things -

one of those is surely being joyful for no reason other than a blue sky and some free time to spend together.




Another thing people do, which I GREATLY admire, is to be good listeners.



This is SUCH a great thing! Imagine the world without having someone to talk to ..



 I couldn't stand it.




Another world that I couldn't bear ? The one without people that relax and just space off for a while ...

Oh, and last but not least, I LOVE it when grown ups could'nt care less about being grown up

such that their dogs appear more grown up then they do .. what a great skill !

Well, and after all those deep thoughts I felt tired but happy as the sun was getting low.. 

.. hopped into my car and drove off into the sunset.

 .. the last words are thanks to the most marvelous human skill - the power to imagine and dream.

Take care ;)

A little tour through Kensington W8

These are just some pretty random shots taken on a little stroll through W8. I really like, how much 

variety the architecture of such a small proportion of London has to offer though !

As you can see, all these shoots were taken in W8. This density of interesting scenes really makes it a pleasure to take a stroll with the camera in London wherever you go !

take care.

Borough Market

Borough Market - the best there is, the best there ever will be. 

No, seriously, I love this market! 

I do like the local Farmers Markets that take place in London throughout the week - especially the one in Marylebone, next to La Fromagerie and Ginger Pig is beautiful! 

But when it comes to the one event that keeps dragging me out of bed on a Saturday morning - its Borough Market.

YES - early morning.

Because this market is everybody's darling.

Locals get there for brunch, Foodies shelve up for their weekend dinner parties, and tourists hop in to take pics ..

.. hence, odds are you drown in masses of people squeezing through the narrow streets, and spend your time queuing for anything that you might possibly long for, if you decide to roll over again and snooze for another hour.

SO - as humans are not made for queuing (at least I am not made for this ..) - I'd recommend to aim for the first coffee before 8am. If you like to see the traders getting ready for the rumble, be there at 7am.

In any way, Monmouth will reward and soothe you ..

Sitting next to some strangers at the big family table, in combination with a golden croissant and espresso - highly recommended.  

Alternatively, you might want to head straight to Maria's Marketcafe and defeat your grogginess munching on a lamb bap with rocket, olive oil and tracklement's mint jelly.

Obviously, the food and produce is marvelous at Borough Market!

Even though the place is flooded with tourists later on, prices are still reasonable. 

(At least that's what I think, given the quality that you get and the fact that this is London)

More often than not you are invited to taste almost everything before you buy, which transforms the shopping into a leisurely mix between brunching, wandering, and chatting - an excellent way to spend the morning doing nothing but enjoying life.

.. Oh, by the way - having oysters for breakfast is also a great start !

But what makes Borough Market truly London are the people that work there. 

It's harder to put in words than to describe in pictures what always makes me pause for a while and watch them, feeling good about the way things are ..

Living here in the UK made me aware that there should be room for pride and tradition - 

Because those are vital ingredients to let something grow and attain character, together with all the little details and institutions that arise only when something can develop over time. 

Old things that people would miss if abandoned are kept ..

.. new things are added as they come along. 

Well, I just love Borough Market. 

It is one of the reasons I cannot but feel homesick when I am away from this great city. 

Take care, and enjoy !