London 2014 by tvinson

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one pageâ&#x20AC;? vinson uk trip | june 29, 2014 - july 6, 2014

welcome.

In 2014, we are blessed with the technology that allows us to capture moments, from the spectacular and the mundane. Rather than a Facebook album or scrapbook. in an effort to relive the moments I captured on the trip of a lifetime in London, England, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve compiled them the best way I know how: in a magazine. Here, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find images that hold a special place in my heart. They represent moments spent in the heart of London with my family, augmented by short descriptions and memories.

The goal of London, the special edition

digital magazine, is to transport you to the experience we had during the summer 2014. The photography, descriptions, and design is all created by my family and I. I hope you enjoy!

contents. london magazine | special edition 2014

we were here map of classic landmarks and destinations

planes, trains, & automobiles getting there, getting around, & getting lost

08 stay

the thames cruise on the thames river

tour of the flat in central London

daily routine scenic views from the flat and day to day recaps

beatles tribute abbey road and the british library

royal residences kensington, buckingham, and hyde park

Map of our journey through Central London & beyond

WE WERE HERE

2 T R A FA LG A R S Q UA R E

H Y D E PA R K

KENSINGTON

B U C K I N G H A M PA L AC E BIG BEN HARROD’S

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

quick look:

iconic london 1two We visited Kensington Palace on occasions: once on our Hyde Park excursion and the second to tour the castle itself. The first day was on Princess Diana’s birthday - an amazing day to visit her former residence. When we toured, we got a look into the lives of past royals Victoria and Albert, two other famous residents. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Will & Kate, which didn’t happen... but we may have seen their chopper descend behind the palace!

S T. PA U L’ S

2ParkBywasconsensus, our day in Hyde one of the best serendipitous TOWER BRIDGE

moments of the trip. The relaxed atmosphere topped off with peaches and creme ice cream, lunch on the water, and a light breeze as we walked through the paved pathways amongst the locals was a great way to appreciate the heart of the city.

3Westminster Another favorite day trip was to Abbey, the church where countless historical figures are laid to rest. Shown here is the quire - a photo I got in trouble for taking - which is the centerpiece of the Abbey. It was awesome to learn the stories of the building where so many historical events have taken place since the early 1000s.

4wasFinally getting to see historic Big Ben breathtaking. The tower, viewable from our flat, was amazing to see up close and in person. One of our first days in the city, we got to hear it go off at high noon - by far the best time to hear it’s extensive chimes.

5Bridge”, Frequently misnomered “the London Tower Bridge stands above the KENNINGTON

Thames as a classic British icon. We visited on its 120th anniversary, climbing to the two bridges linking the towers. From the top, you can see all the way down the Thames in each direction.

getting around 6

Reaching the destination is an adventure in itself - with aching feet and maps in hand. our family made use of every mode of transportation available in the city - especially our legs.

at right the extensive tube map

PLANES, TRAINS, & AUTOMOBILES THE UNDERGROUND DOUBLE DECKERS There truly is no more classic mode of transportation in the city of London than the double decker buses! These beauties operate on the Oyster card, which allowed us to hop on and off as we pleased throughout our day trips. The best seat in the house was the front row on the second floor, which was a view unlike anything I’d ever seen - and allowed you to view the city in a whole new way.

THE TRAIN On our day trip to Windsor Castle, we boarded a train (the California equivalent being CalTrain or Amtrak) which took us through the English countryside to the city of Windsor. The train station alone was a sight to behold - with over 20 terminals and multiple stories, it was packed with travelers making their way from London to the outskirts of the country.

Our lifeline through the city, the underground, or tube, was how we traversed from neighborhood to neighborhood. Each morning, we started our days at the Kennington Station, only a short walk from our flat. Kennington signified the day’s beginning and end, and by the week we were certainly regulars. Plastered with “Mind the Gap” imagery, the tube station was indisputably British. It was always a kick to hear the British accents of the conductors, especially on stations like “Leister Square” and “Waterloo”.

WA L K I N G By far our most used method of getting around was our own two feet. The best way to get integrated into the city was to be see the people, walk in the shops, and learn your way around organically. By the end of each day, the shooting pains from our ankles signified a day well spent.

stay homebase. Our host, an architect from London, had a distinct modernist taste for her residence. The flat was located on the ninth and tenth floor of an apartment building in Lambeth.

the flat. Rather than a typical hotel vacation experience, we chose to stay somewhere as authentic as we could get - a flat overlooking Central London. The two bedroom apartment allowed us to feel like locals. Despite our cultural differences in coffee making appliances, every morning we ate breakfast bought from the local supermarket, It became our respite from the hustle of the city and a home away from home.

D A I LY R O U T I N E Part of our routine each day was creating an itinerary for that day using a wall of sticky notes with potential attractions listed on them. We’d sit at the kitchen table and map out the nearest tube stations, tourist attractions, and group them together to make a plan for that day while snacking and charging our devices. We’d take off from the flat around 10am each morning, and walk down to the Kennington tube station. The station was much cleaner than most public transportation I’ve ever experienced, making travel much more enjoyable (I’m looking at you, BART). After completing the day’s activities, we’d return to the flat around sunset or shortly after. Since London has a much higher latitude than in California, the sun wouldn’t set until 9pm or later.

This gave us the opportunity to maximize our days and witness some gorgeous sunsets from the balcony on the flat. At night, Sam and I shared a bedroom, where we battled over the iPhone cable adapter and used WiFi to text friends since we didn’t have it out in the city. The jet lag made sleeping difficult, but I was usually so tired it didn’t matter. The number one perk of the flat we stayed in was the absolutely amazing view outside our windows. We had a full panoramic view of all London’s main attractions, including Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the London Eye. Each night, we could fall asleep to the sound of Big Ben. The balcony outside the kitchen let us fully take in what was before us. As the sun set, you couldn’t take your eyes off the scenery.

day & night | panoramic views of Central London from the 10th floor balcony

Photo Op: Resident photographer Sam was able to capture the gorgeous scene with her Canon Rebel camera. We would spend the evening on the balcony as the sky turned cotton candy pink above the skyline. Each night provided a new awe-inspiring combination of colors to capture, but as always, a photo can never truly do it justice.

thames river cruise To get acquainted with the new city we were living in, our first full day in London was spent traveling down the Thames River... by boat! This allowed us to take in our surroundings in a unique and memorable way. We sailed under all of the Thames’ famous bridges, like the Tower Bridge pictured at right. We got to see the Tower of London from behind it’s steep castle walls, the London Eye towering above us, and the beautiful architecture that lined the river. We also got to catch a glimpse of the HMS Belfast and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (the remake, of course). The tour was guided by Ben, a sixth generation “boatman” who described the surrounding area and told stories of London’s history as we sailed. His dry wit made our tour much more memorable, leaving us quipping some of his lines for the rest of the trip. Another great advantage of sailing the Thames on Day One

HOP ON, HOP OFF

Landmarks line the historic river

was the ability to hop on and off at different sights throughout the day. One stop we made was Greenwich Village, site of the Prime Meridian that sets the first time zone on earth. It’s the site that divides the hemispheres, allowing you to put one foot in both halves of the world. After walking around the Greenwich observatory, which was situated on the top of a huge hill behind the Thames facing London, we discovered a secret observatory garden filled with lush grass and trees. It was lightly sprinkling as we hung around the gardens before returning back down to the river. We also took advantage of our London Pass allowing us to walk up and tour the actual Tower Bridge. On the 125th anniversary of the Bridge, we got to climb up to the very top of the bridge, cross between the towers, and look out the diamond-shaped windows lining the top of the bridge. It was an absolutely breathtaking experience!

THE CRUISE

Sister selfie on the boat

TOP OF THE HILL

A stop along our trip took us to Greenwich Village, situated at the top of a hill along the river

MERIDIAN

24-hour clock that sets the time worldwide

EAST VS. WEST

The Prime Meridian divides the Eastern & Western hemispheres

A L O N G T H E WAY

Arriving back on the Thames

S T PA U L’ S C AT H E D R A L After turning in a little too early one night, we got restless and decided to head back out to see St. Paul’s Cathedral. However, everything seemed to be working against us - the Google Map we had led us to nowhere, our Oyster Cards ran out of money, and we had to return to the flat before making the trek back to the tube and then making the long walk to St. Paul’s. We were all exhausted before we even got off the train, but once we arrived we knew it had been worth it. The clouds threatened rain and the sky was dark as we headed up the steps

of St. Paul’s, the site of Princess Diana’s wedding. After snapping a few photos, we headed back out. It began to sprinkle as we walked out toward the Millennium Bridge, the newest bridge over the Thames. The lighting combined with the city lights over the river made for an absolutely surreal sight - one worth all the stress from the work it took to get there.

The Millennium Bridge | raining at twilight

TOWER OF LONDON The Tower of London, often mistaken in name for the Tower Bridge, was the site of torture, imprisonment, and many infamous executions. Now open to the public, the Tower is a tourist destination with multiple attractions within it’s massive stone walls. We took a walk through a historical British infantry exhibit and saw a changing of the guard take place, but the highlight by far was getting to see the Crown Jewels worn by the monarchy throughout history.

royal residences serpentine. Cutting through Hyde Park and Kensington was the Serpentine, a man-made body of water that, aside from being filled with nasty duck stuff, was beautiful and reflected the surroundings.

kensington palace, buckingham palace, & hyde park

As alluded to on previous pages, some of our favorite excursions were around and through the royal residences connected by Hyde Park. Within the park, we took our shoes off while eating from the food stands along the path, dined at the parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outdoor restaurant, and thoroughly enjoyed the casual stroll along the water. There was so much to see and so much ground to cover that we came back a second day to visit Kensington Palace, where we actually raced from the shopping area nearby to avoid missing the 5pm closing time. Narrowly making the tour deadline, we

got to spend a full hour in the famous home. The other famous royal residence we checked out was Buckingham Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth II. The flag waving at the top of the palace the day we visited signaled that she was home. The infamous British guards stood outside the gates as tourists filtered in and out of the courtyard. We loved the atmosphere around the palace, but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get to go inside. From there, we also got to see Royal Albert Hall, and took a walk through the surrounding gardens.

windsor castle Our day outside of the main city was spent at Windsor Castle, yet another royal residence that was first built as a fortress in 1066. It was an incomparable experience to be standing on the same grounds as some of the first English royalty. The sheer number of years that the castle has been in use was astonishing, and getting to appreciate the architecture and extremely luxurious

interiors was an amazing experience. Each room in the castle was filled with portraits, massive painted ceilings, and artifacts used by some of historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most infamous kings and queens. The nearby abbey, created in the Gothic style, was as beautiful as it was haunting. Within the church, Henry VIII was buried and tributes to knights of Windsor hung from the ornate walls. A guided audio tour allowed us to learn the stories of the castle and abbey.

After our tour, we spent some time in the surrounding city of Windsor. We got some lunch at a local pub and enjoyed the scenery before heading back to London.

harrod’s The storied green overhangs beckoned my mom and I to the world-famous Harrod’s department store. A mall so big it needed it’s own map, we navigated through an endless maze of designer clothes, toys, appliances, furniture, galleries, and even cars. Each section had it’s

own theme, one of which being chocolate! Though the price range was pretty exorbitant, we were able to get what we wanted - a perfume and candle made in London to remind us of the trip whenever we smelled them at home.

Above: On the top floor of Harrod’s was a restaurant with an outdoor terrace overlooking the neighborhood flats below. Above: There was no better time to hit Harrod’s than the half yearly sale There, we ate a full meal that went on when we visited. Half off with an amazing desert. Chanel and Christian Louboutin? Still impossible...but a girl can dream.

abbey road. beatles tribute

At the British Library, we viewed handwritten firstdrafts of famous Beatles songs, including Yesterday, Michelle, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Ticket to Ride, and more. They were on everything from birthday cards to used envelopes!

The Abbey Road Studio

After a long bus trip to St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wood on the outskirts of London, we arrived at the site of the Beatlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; famous Abbey Road album cover. I was surprised that the intersection was used just like any other, without any fences or even a plaque to signify the landmark. Cars passed through without even a stop sign to slow them, which made recreating the classic photo nearly impossible. It was enough just to soak in the history of the place we were standing - a place I had seen so many times yet never imagined standing in. We also viewed the Abbey Road studio, where the majority of Beatles songs were recorded. The bricks outside the studio were coated with layers of signatures and Beatles lyrics, the only real indicator of all that had taken place a few yards away.

THE CIRCUS piccadilly circus

Noted as the Times Square of London, Piccadilly Circus was filled with huge tv screens, massive department stores, and street dancers.

street off the main avenue. It was punctuated by the waiter saying “shit” in a British accent under his breath as he spilled water on my lap - which was hilarious.

While in Piccadilly Circus, we had an awesome dinner outside on the

oxford circus

In a moment of spontaneity, we hopped off an overcrowded underground train to find ourselves in Oxford Circus.

idea where to go. We ended up eating dinner there and getting to experience a less-touristy bit of London.

This part of town was filled with young professionals meeting for dinner and drinks after the workday. Since we didn’t have plans to visit this part of London, we had no

the end

Saying goodbye to the city was by no means easy. After spending 10 days on the adventure of a lifetime, I was much less homesick than I would have imagined. I felt a tie to the gorgeous architecture at every turn, I had navigated the underground, I wanted to stay and see what else the city had to offered. Though we had barely taken breaks aside from sleeping, I felt we had just barely scratched the surface of the city, But before we knew it, we were back on the Virgin Atlantic 747 watching movies on the screens in front of us. However, this time around on the plane, we were carrying with us a lifetime of memories. That and some touristy gifts.