Cambridge

I had Saturday all planned out. I'd wake up early, get some photos of Trafalgar Square, walk to Covent Gardens for breakfast then head to Knightsbridge to do some serious shopping at Harrod's. In the evening I'd check out a show. It was not to be, however. On my previous trip to London, I tried to convince my friend Sokyou to visit me. She was at a school a couple hours train ride from the city. Of course she tried to convince me to visit her, but I was determined to see as much of London as I could. On this trip I tried to get her to come into the city again, but she had just started at Cambridge and could ill afford to take a day off.

I pondered my plans for Saturday. I really wanted to do a lot of things in London. Then I thought of all the hard work Sokyou put in to get herself into such a prestigious university and how seldom she would have friends or family visit her. I figured I owed her lunch if nothing else, so off to Cambridge I went.

What's astonishing about southern England is that only an hour outside of London you're suddenly in rolling green countryside. I passed through numerous little villages that have probably been there for centuries. Somehow, much of England escaped the suburban sprawl so common in North America.

I arrived a bit earlier, so I had some time to inquire into appropriate historical pubs or restaurants in which to dine. The most interesting was a pub where the RAF hung out during World War II (unfortunately, we ended up in a fairly ordinary restaurant across from King's college). The narrow streets were packed with shoppers and students and I had to frequently step out into the street to avoid the throngs.

For some reason, I thought Cambridge was a blend of small town and large university. It turns out that it is indeed a town, but the university consists of collegiate enclaves strategically dotted about, each with their own exclusive territory. I was familiar with a few of the colleges, partcularly Kings College, but I had no idea there are thirty-one colleges! Each one we visited consisted of a quad with a green lawn in the middle (dare ye who trod upon said lawn for the wrath of the caretakers shall befall thee!). Some quads were quite small, while others, like Trinity, were large enough to host a rugby match.

Some of the colleges had outstanding chapels. King's College is particularly noteworthy. I've seen few buildings that manage to look both gigantic and intimate. The building is exceptionally long and comparatively narrow. The stained glass casts a beautiful glow over the interior of the building.

Aside from the amazing architecture, the wondrously winding cobbled streets, the air of academia and total Englishness of it all, I was quite taken aback by the students. So many of them wore their college scarves (or jacket with their school emblem) that you could identify them almost immediately. Even on a Saturday afternoon they had a just-returning-from-class look about them. The whole time I was there I kept looking around for a film crew, convinced I'd walked into a movie shoot.

Sokyou called her friend and the two of them guided me through the various campuses. You would think that after a few hundred years the different schools would pool their resources and start to merge, but they remain fiercely independent with strong individual traditions.

With only a few hours to explore, I missed a great deal of the place. However, the brief view I received was enough to encourage me to return some day. While I missed the shopping and the show, I managed to spend a bit of time in Trafalgar square before calling it a day. More importantly, I got a taste of a very different, yet familiar part of England.

A few more photos can be found here.

St Paul's Cathedral

My hotel was a one-minute walk to the cathedral. Consequently, I was able to see it numerous times during my stay; from early light to late night, in sunshine and rain. During the day, tourists swarm over the steps, visiting the church or just sitting down and reading their guide books. Evening is a better time to capture the building without so many people, but I must admit that the crowds actually add to the impression.

Rain won't stop people from visiting.

At night, the area is nearly devoid of people since very few live anywhere nearby and there are few hotels in the area.

If there are few clouds, the evening sky can make for some dramatic images. When the cloud cover is low, the lights from the area cast a strange orange-brown color across the sky. This shot, from Paternoster Square, is a good example.

The lights at night are interesting, but the morning is my favorite time to shoot. In the pre-dawn light, the church and its surroundings have a cool blue that contrasts the warming sky.

Queen Anne stands before the cathedral.

The church was originally supposed to have a clock in each tower. I can't imagine why; a calender, maybe, but two clocks?

Massive columns dwarf the tremendous entrance to the cathedral.

Queen Anne's view is not nearly as interesting as the edifice before which she stands

More photos here.

Tower of London

An ultramodern tower juxtaposed against the ancient.

A little over a thousand years ago, William the Conqueror built the first tourist attraction in London. He didn't build it to protect the city from foreign invaders, but it to protect his soldiers from the citizens whom he just conquered (hence the name). Over the years it's been built up, added on and upgraded. It's served as a royal residence, treasury, museum and jail.

The White Tower is the original structure. Once a stark fortress within the walls and moats, it was renovated numerous times. The area surrounding was also built up, beefed up, and tricked out. It was a royal residence for years until Cromwell had the more palatial aspects of the Tower removed.

The White Tower got its name from its white-washed walls.

These masks once appeared in the many suits of armor.

Royal family crest on the gates leading to the tower.

Details from one of the many wrought fences.

Many of the people who work at the Tower, particularly the Yoemen Warders, actually live withing the walls. They're all ex-military who spend a few years guarding the crown jewels and, formally, guarding prisoners. Today they're basically tour guides, but undoubtedly the most respected and well known tour guides in the world.

A bicycle leans against an interior wall lined with houses.

A Yeoman Warder greets the visitors as they arrive.

You'd never suspect that these buildings are inside a fortress.

The Tower ravens are much part of lore as part of history. Everyone knows the legend that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the structure, the royal family and even England itself will fall. There was a near miss during World War II when all but one bird perished. The Yeoman Warders breed the animals to maintain a good stock of a dozen or so birds.

One of the clipped ravens that inhabit the grounds.

One of the pleasant surprises in the Tower is the inclusion of animators, dressed in period costume, performing the roles of famous visitors and prisoners. They're all local actors with a strong interest in history.

Sir Thomas Moore's daughter chats with another animator.

Oliver Cromwell gazes suspiciously upon the well dressed tourists.

The blade atop the halberd carried by one of the animators.

The Tower was home to many prisoners over the years, so it's easy forget that it was not a prison but also a royal residence. Some of the rooms have been decorated to remind us of that.

A glorious bedroom within one of the numerous towers.

A sunlit alcove.

A locked wrought iron door within the White tower.

When I found out that the traditional guards were replaced by visiting guards, I was disappointed. However, as soon as I saw the white uniform with a silk wrapping, I was quite pleased. I saw these fellows outside the royal residence in Kuala Lumpur a few years ago.

A Malaysian soldier guards the entrance to the crown jewels.

Boots from the East shine as brightly as boots from the West.

A Yeoman Warder clears the way for the changing of the guards.

The guard captain shouts his orders.

A young woman gets photographed with a Yeoman Warder.

At the end of a shift, a Yeoman Warder takes a well-deserved rest.

London Museum

Having spent a day at the British Museum some years ago, I was anxious to return. Unfortunately, with only a weekend in London, I had to pick and choose where to go and what to do very carefully. I decided to spend my time photographing this impressive atrium.

The spectacular canopy over the Great Court.

I was determined to get some High Dynamic Range photos. For that I needed my tripod and I knew that museums tend to look down on such devices. Luckily, I also know that if I ask permission, I can often circumvent the policy. I sent an e-mail to the museum asking if I could use my tripod. After exchanging a few messages, they agreed to a two-day pass allowing me shoot in the atrium.

The ceiling grid throws unusual shadow patterns on the walls and floors.

I don't know anything about the history of the space, but I do know it makes for some awesome images. I managed to arrive early enough that there were very few people around. This enabled me to photograph the place as a landscape.

Walking up the stairs of the central column is like straddling two worlds of stone.

Along one of the walkways of the central column.

It's not often you get to photograph the tops of columns.

Once everyone started to fill the museum, I concentrated on individual pieces on display inside.

A Chinese porcelain tile panel.

Assyrian bas relief sculpture with beautiful cruciform text.

A Roman nobleman looks out across the atrium.

Great opportunity for practicing portraiture.

Inside the book room.

Some rather garish full size images can be seen here.