14 Pictures of Big Ben
You think you only need one picture of Big Ben, well how about ten? How about fourteen – I think that’s plenty. You know me, I love London, and I love taking pictures of it. However, I think I love taking pictures just in general, not just of London. However, London is a special place – the place where I once went to when I was eighteen when I didn’t know where I would stay and just showed up. When I saw it, I was besotted – it didn’t seem like the rest of England, the England I was accustomed to – the up north England of Yorkshire, or even the few other places I had been to occasionally for weddings such as Leeds, Birmingham, Derby, Walsall or places such as Bingley, and Halifax that I had also gone to quite a bit. London was different. London was grand, elegant, majestic, breath-taking, and ever so different. It was like being in another country. I ended up staying in a bed and breakfast for a few weeks, and then rented a studio flat in Paddington. Anyway, let’s get back to reality and to pictures and not my story of another time. I will leave that for another time.
Here are some Big Ben pictures, who could have known it could be next to so many different things and look different in each picture.
Here it is is, alongside the Houses Of Parliament
Big Ben, London
Here it is with people in front of it, well that was bound to happen! And a bus, and now that building on the left crept into the scene too.
Big Ben, London
Here it is with more of a glimpse of another building behind it (the white building). The trees show up more in this, and the sun must have just gone behind a cloud too.
Big Ben, London
Here it is with more people, and a sightseeing bus in front of it.
Big Ben, London
Here it is with the London Eye showing up. How did that happen? Magic! Well actually no, just get pictures from all different angles and you’ll get different pictures – pretty amazing!
Big Ben, London
Here it is with the London Eye and a London Bus.
Big Ben, London
Here it is with a London Bus, as seen from Westminster Abbey
Big Ben, London
Here it is with a sign from St. Margaret’s Church in the corner, and the London Eye and the London Bus.
Big Ben, London
Here it is with a London tree, St. Margaret’s Church sign, the London Eye and a London Bus.
Big Ben, London
Here it is in just it’s plain grandeur, next to a spiral tower on a ceiling (not just any ceiling, mind you).
Big Ben, London
Here it is next to historical buildings – this part of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament is known as Cromwell Green and if you look closely, you can see a statue of Oliver Cromwell at the bottom right).
Big Ben, London
Here it is is with a bit of the London Eye to the left of it
Big Ben, London
Here it is with a very nice building to the left of it
Big Ben, London
I hope you enjoyed seeing the changing scenery that included the Big Ben in it. Also, the fourteenth picture I added in right at the end as the featured image, and that was Big Ben as seen from the London Eye. As you can see, you will get a completely different look of Big Ben from there. Well, until next time.
Trafalgar Square Via Whitehall to Horse Guard’s Parade
Day Three in London on July 25, 2014 started off in the Trafalgar Square area. I already showed you some pictures in my previous post Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret’s Church, however, I didn’t want to bore you with too many pictures along the way to Westminster, so now I can bore you in this post…..excuse my dry humor!
So let’s continue the journey! This is very close to our hotel in Trafalgar Square, and is on the corner of Whitehall and Charing Cross
Whitehall and Charing Cross
Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Sqare
Just a bit of London for you, with some Londoner’s of course!
Whitehall, City of Westminster
London Bus No. 12 – Oxford Circus at Whitehall
Looking back at the Trafalgar Square area
Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square
55 Whitehall – Sherlock stood atop here in the “Empty Hearse”, so did James Bond 007 in “Skyfall”. This building now houses the Department for Energy and Climate Change
55 Whitehall – think Sherlock and James Bond!
Talking of Sherlock, here’s a pub named after him and that is close by to Great Scotland Yard.
Sherlock Holmes Pub
It is on the junction of Whitehall and Great Scotland Yard, which is pictured below
Great Scotland Yard
Some of my pictures are quite self-explanatory, so I won’t write the same info above them as the info is captioned on the picture. This building is right next to 55 Whitehall – it is the Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence, City of Westminster
And this picture will show you both 55 Whitehall and the Ministry of Defence in the same shot, as well The Clarence (restaurant)
The Clarence Restaurant, 55 Whitehall, and Whitehall Place, City of Westminster
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge Statue, outside the Ministry of Defence, Whitehall
Want to see the Duke of Cambridge (not the present one mind you) up closer?
Prince George, Duke of Cambridge Statue, outside the Ministry of Defence, Whitehall
I bet you didn’t know Whitehall was such an interesting place. It’s the area that houses a lot of the government departments and ministries, and of course the terrific Horse Guards Parade, which is a parade ground used for royal parades and ceremonies.
Horse Guards Parade Whitehall
Life Guard, Household Cavalry – Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall
Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall
Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall
Life Guard, Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry, Horse Guard Parade
Please beware – the horses may kick or bite you!
Horse Guard Parade, Whitehall
Horse Guard Parade, Whitehall
Guard’s Memorial, Horse Guards Parade
This is the Old Admiralty Building at Horse Guards Parade
1st Viscount Wolseley Statue at Horse Guards Parade
Wow, now they are all taking a picture of what I took a picture of before – the Ministry of Defence Building (sorry, I am spelling it the British way, Word Press wants me to put an “s” instead of a “c” in “Defence”, but right now I want to stick to the way I used to spell it while growing up in the UK).
The Ministry of Defence, Whitehall
Horse Guards Parade
I meant to share more pictures of Big Ben, St. Margaret’s Church, and Westminster Abbey, but I will have to share them with you the post after the next one.
Do you like taller pictures on Pinterest vs. horizontal pictures?
Do you like taller pictures on Pinterest vs. horizontal pictures? The reason why I ask is that you sometimes have to keep it in mind when taking pictures especially if you want to pin them to Pinterest. Your taller pictures will be more prominent and your horizontal pictures won’t stand out that much.
These pictures were all taken with my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and taken with the camera held up creating longer taller pictures, rather than horizontal picures. I have discovered that on Pinterest, these kinds of pictures (taller) stand out more and the other ones look way too small. I forgot while I was taking pictures while I was in London, as I wasn’t thinking about Pinterest, but just the scene. Good job, I varied my picture taking and took so many pictures.
I like this pub, the Sherlock Holmes Pub/Restaurant – I didn’t go into it….but I liked it enough to take quite a few pictures. One of the advantages of taking a picture on a smartphone is that you can share it almost straight away. My pictures that I showed you in my last post were taken with my Canon G10, except the Sherlock Holmes Pub and Great Scotland Yard picture that I got off my Note 3. The Admiralty Arch pictures on that post were taken with my Nikon P600. It is hard to share pictures quickly when they are on your camera, although the Nikon P600 is a WIFI enabled camera, I often had problems as the download would stop mid-stream – probably because I had so many pictures. Therefore, my pictures on my traditional cameras (not smartphone) tend to get shared a lot later.
This first picture of the Sherlock Holmes Pub was shared via Pinterest pretty soon after it was taken in July, however, I prefer having it on my blog, so that it links back to my post. Now look at the one posted yesterday, it doesn’t look as good on Pinterest because it is smaller than the one that I shared on Pinterest back in July. I know they are two different pictures of the pub, but the taller ones looks more prominent.
The Sherlock Holmes Pub/Restaurant #3
I don’t think I have shared this picture before yet, on Pinterest or here.
The Sherlock Holmes Pub – #4
Here’s my taller picture of Great Scotland Yard, shared earlier via my smartphone in July – but it did not link to my page.
Great Scotland Yard
Here’s a few of the London Eye (although I am stepping out of sequence by putting that one in). Again, they were shared on Pinterest back in July, but not on my blog.
London Eye by the Aquarium #1
London Eye by the Aquarium #2
I will still end up taking horizontal/landscape pictures most of the time, as my pictures are also for my enjoyment and it feels more natural taking a picture that way – plus you can get more into the scene. Why can’t Pinterest allot more space for horizontal pictures? Anyway, you will still see many landscape pictures here as I often forget what’s best when I’m in the moment. I hope you like the pictures.
Me and My New Note 3 and Balboa Park
I have a new Note 3, and I have enjoyed getting to know it. It was quite a transition from going from an Iphone to a non-Iphone, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
My first major testing place of my Note 3 was at Balboa Park on October 26th, 2013. I went here for the occasion of the Festival of Lights. However, I will show you some pictures taken at Balboa Park using my Note 3, and then some pictures taken with my Canon G10.
With the Samsung Galaxy Note 3:
Balboa Park
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Now, here are some pictures taken with my Canon G10
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
Balboa Park – San Diego
I won’t show you pictures of my Note 3, as you can see what one is like from taking a look at this link:
http://reviews.cnet.com/samsung-galaxy-note-3/
However, I think the Note 3 takes pretty decent pictures, and can perform quite well in dim lighting. But, I would never give up my Canon G10 as I love this camera – there’s nothing like a dedicated stand-alone camera! I will say that I prefer the pictures taken with my Note 3 over those I used to take on the Iphone, but then my old Iphone 4’s camera had had only 5 megapixels or so, and the Note 3 has 13 megapixels, so that’s not a fair comparison. The G10 has about 10 megapixels, but I can’t say the Note 3’s camera is better, I am not that much into camera specifications to pass that type of judgment.
Here’s a picture taken with my Note 3 of one of my favorite subjects for photo-taking – my little 4 year old daughter!
Note 3 photo of Chandi
Note 3 photo of Chandi
I could take photos all day long of this little Princess!
But going back to my Note 3, all I can say with confidence is that I love using this super smartphone!
Have You Been To The Land Down Under?
Okay, so my title was inspired by the Men At Work song which coincidentally was out during the time of my fascination with Australia. I was always intrigued by Australia and knew I had to go there. So off, I went with a backpack and no more than £100 pounds. I ended up staying more than a year, and went back once again shortly after I returned to England. The second time I went there, I think I even had less money than the first time. It’s a long story as to what I did there and how I survived with such a meagre beginning, but with a big pot of dreams. Here are some pictures.
I ended up traveling around the country, and actually even hitch-hiked my way around. I would never do it again!
My first stop was Sydney, but I spent the majority of my time in Brisbane.
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Harbor
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Harbor
Sydney Opera House
You can’t visit Australia without going to the Outback, this is where you will see Ayers Rock.
Alice Springs, South Australia
Aboriginal Art
This one was taken in Melbourne
Melbourne
This is in the Northern Territory, I believe I went from Darwin to Alice Springs and Katherine Gorge was on the way. I remember a lazy river ride viewing crocodiles that looked lazy, but of course would snap out of that laziness in a heart-beat if tempted.
Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory
This is Ayers Rock in Alice Springs
Ayers Rock
Melbourne Zoo
This is the best place to see koalas! I had a picture of me holding a koala and don’t know where it is now. So sad!
Koalas in Australia
However, I do have a picture of me with a kangaroo!
Back in those days, I did not take as many pictures as I do now, and I know I have more pictures of Sydney and Brisbane somewhere, but will look for them and post them sometime down the road. Here’s the Big Pineapple again though, this picture was taken on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Big Pineapple, Sunshine Coast
I really enjoyed seeing the land Down Under and would like to visit it again sometime soon. It’s a great big country, and some of the other places I visited were Perth, and Adelaide. The only big city that I did not visit was Canberra, the capital city. I really should have gone there. Anyway, that’s enough of my reminiscences of my time in Australia.
Staycation in San Diego
I love traveling, but unfortunately can’t get away this year – it’s a far cry from last year when I went to Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD and then on a cruise on the Enchantment of The Seas to Bermuda.
However, San Diego is a place where you can enjoy living, and vacation here every day of the year with the right mindset. This is not just home, but a vacation paradise. This year, instead of renting out my timeshare at the Grand Pacific Palisades, I took a working holiday – we stayed at the Palisades for seven days even though I had to work – but I was on holiday in the evenings! My kids were on holiday all day long – after all it’s their vacation from school. By staying at this resort (only twenty minutes away from my home) it mostly gave my kids the chance to get away from our house, and have a change of scenery and experience the swimming pool every day, and feel like we were on holiday.
Sometimes, you just have to stay at home or near home.
The view from the balcony in the evening:
View from the Grand Pacific Palisades, Carlsbad
I came home from work and took my little girl to the swimming pool
Kids Splash Area at the Kids Pool, Grand Pacific Palisades, Carlsbad
It’s a pretty place for a walk in the evenings
Carlsbad in the evening
Then there’s neighboring Oceanside to explore (only ten minutes north of Carlsbad):
Oceanside Beach
Life’s just a beach!
Oceanside Beach
Then on the weekend with Legoland just across the street, who could resist, and guess who loves Legoland?
Legoland in Carlsbad, CA
Keep dreaming of holidays during your holiday when the Taj Mahal presents itself to you at Legoland!
The Taj Mahal at Legoland, CA
Fancy going to India to see this beauty? The one and only time that I went to India – I was mesmerized by the real Taj Mahal, it’s no wonder it’s one of the seven wonders of the world! it really is breathtaking, and it’s also a beautiful sight to behold at Legoland.
The Taj Mahal at Legoland, CA
I just have to show the Taj Mahal at Legoland again to you – can you believe the creativity?
The Taj Mahal at Legoland, CA
Now, we were transported to Australia! We were on a boat ride and I didn’t get a very good picture of the Sydney Opera House, but here are two of them:
The Sydney Opera House at Legoland, CA
The Sydney Opera House at Legoland, CA
Next, we were transported to Paris, France!
The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France at Legoland, CA
Next, we were presented with images of Egypt……don’t say Legoland is not worldly!
Legoland, CA
What’s not to like about staying in your own home turf once in a while and vacationing at home? San Diego is a great place to staycation. However, if you don’t live here, it’s a really nice place to vacation.
Beautiful San Diego – Some Places You’ll Want To Escape To
It has been way too hot in San Diego this year. In fact, just today, it got up to 101°F on the coast in Del Mar. This weather is definitely unusual for us. We always have a nice breeze here by the coast. Where has the breeze gone to, and when is it coming back? Powerhouse Beach in Del Mar, and the Hotel Del in Coronado are just a few perfect places to escape to.
First, a glimpse of beautiful San Diego as seen from Coronado:
San Diego Skyline
San Diego Skyline
San Diego Skyline from Coronado
Powerhouse Beach in Del Mar – this is an absolutely beautiful beach complete with children’s playground, palm trees, restaurants on the beach and much more.
Powerhouse Beach, Del Mar, San Diego
Powerhouse Beach, Del Mar
What better playground than this for kids? Play in paradise, swing overlooking the ocean….it just doesn’t get any better!
Playground At Powerhouse Park, Del Mar
Even dogs want to get in on the action at the playground.
Powerhouse Beach, Del Mar
Powerhouse Beach, Del Mar
Some people escape the heat to this place, and the words on the flag are so appropriate!
Wine Styles, Coronado
Some people still want to be active, and what better place than the beach?
Hotel Del, Coronado
You might know that the Hotel Del is my favorite place in San Diego (see my previous post on San Diego). Today, the sky was so beautiful and blue, there’s just no place like the Hotel Del.
Hotel Del, Coronado
Hotel Del, Coronado
People escape the heat, and go to the Hotel Del. Weddings take place here as well as on the beach all the time.
Hotel Del, Coronado
Hotel Del, Coronado
This beach is right in front of the Hotel Del in Coronado, and on this particular day in July – I saw two weddings on the beach and one occurring in the grounds of the Hotel Del. That place sure is popular for many!
Hotel Del Coronado Beach
Even though this picture was not taken at Powerhouse Beach in Del Mar or in Coronado, I just felt it was fitting to show it here – along with the other picture of the dog in this post. Dogs sure get pampered in San Diego!
Ruby’s Diner, Carlsbad
So whether you have a dog that appreciates the finer things in life, or whether it’s yourself, take a visit to America’s finest city, and you will find a place that will become your piece of paradise.
Please note, this is an addition: I just had to add La Jolla Cove as a place you’d want to escape to as well, here is the link: https://luchanik.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/incredible-san-diego-la-jolla/ . Also, please take a look at one of my other posts on Beautiful San Diego: https://luchanik.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/beautiful-san-diego/
