A daily ritual at Buckingham Palace.
One of the benefits of living where we live, in London, is that we often walk by Buckingham Palace. It is only 15-20 minutes from our flat, so I sometimes walk by just to see what’s happening. Of course, the ceremonial guards are there, standing rigidly in front of their guard houses. And the crowds are there, peering through the gates. In the winter, when the guards wear their heavy grey uniforms, the crowds were sparse.
A gallery of photos from my wanderings.
As regular readers know, I like to wander. Even when I have a destination in mind, I often ignore the map and “follow my nose” by aiming in the right general direction and hoping some combination of left and right turns will lead me to my destination and new discoveries along the way. Today, I’m sharing a gallery of photos taken in London, in January or February. It’s quite a random collection – just things I found beautiful or interesting. None appear in my other blog-posted galleries. Enjoy!
Five miles across west London.
It has rained nearly every day for the past week, and the forecast today appeared to promise on-and-off drizzle. At best. Nonetheless, I was determined not to break my streak… and go hiking for this 20th consecutive weekend. I chose to walk end-to-end across the three Royal Parks in London’s West End: Hyde Park, Green Park, and St James Park, on my return from Saturday-morning coffee with colleagues to my home near Victoria Station. It was a surprisingly pleasant five-mile walk, and it seemed half of London was out to enjoy these parks today as well.
An afternoon tour of the East Wing.
When offered a chance to tour Buckingham Palace, how can one say no? After all, we live within walking distance, and I often walk past the palace on my way for a stroll in Green Park or St. James Park. Out front, the grand gates attract throngs of selfie-taking tourists, gawking at the grandeur of the palace and snapping photos of the iconic guardsmen. Today, we stood with a small group of others who waited by the front gate for our designated entry time.
Random scenes – I just wanted to share.
In my wanders about the streets of London, and visits to its famous sights and museums, I photograph scenes that capture my eye or my imagination. Some just don’t justify a whole blog posting. So here are these random scenes, tidbits to tickle your fancy – below and in the gallery.
Continue reading “London miscellany”
David Kotz 