AtomUnited Kingdom ~ 16 Jul 2007
Talk about a whirlwind trip that involved rental cars, airplanes, and running for trains! The advantage to travelling through the U.K. is that it's not that big and it's easy to move from place to place. The Island of Great Britain (which we visited) is comprised of three regions: England, Scotland and Wales. It's surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, is 35 kilometres from northwest coast of France, and is separated from mainland Europe by the English Channel. Prime Meridian starts at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and is marked at night by a laser beam emitted from the observatory.
U.K. STATS
- Population: 59 Million
- Capital: London
- Geography: The country is comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and a number of small islands.
- Government: Parliamentary Democracy
- Currency: Pound Sterling; 1 CAD = .5 GBP (approx.)
- Language: English, Gaelic
- Religion: Christianity
- Cities: London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Bristol
GENERAL
The Brits Have it Right ~ 12 Aug 2003
There are some things I encountered in London that just plain make sense. Common etiquette things that help people get along. For example: Jaywalking and crossing against the light is legal; everyon...
Big Ben Silenced ~ 28 May 2005
"One of the world's most famous clocks ground to a halt for more than an hour-and-a-half on Friday silencing the chimes of Big Ben." BBC News We saw the clock tower many times while in London and e...
It's So Cute and Smart ~ 31 May 2005
This photo is dedicated to Lana, a fellow maritimer in Ottawa. She has just returned from a trip to Europe. While there she took some gorgeous photos. This photo of a smart car was taken in Camden ...
Dumped ~ 28 Sep 2007
While in London in 2003 we ran across this dumped and vandalized vehicle in Camden Town during one of our walks through the neighbourhood. Vehicle dumping is a huge problem in the UK; mostly becaus...
Noah's Ark, Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, UK (1950s) ~ 04 Mar 2009
"This classic family attraction will rock you from side to side as it simulates the soothing motion of the ocean! Once inside you will encounter all sorts of fun obstacles and displays on this enjoy...
LONDON, ENGLAND
Arrival in London ~ 18 May 2003
Here we are in London. Flying in over the city was amazing, you could see the Thames and many different landmarks that London is famous for: the London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the London eye, the...
Billy's Grill and Camden Town ~ 19 May 2003
Two hours after we arrived at the flat, and two hours after we fell asleep, we awoke hungry, thirsty, disoriented, and not quite sure of where we were. We left the flat and wandered around before fi...
My Holga, Cafe Chekour, and Excellent Coffee ~ 20 May 2003
Surprise! We're up at 3am and to pass time until the rest of London wakes up, I put a roll of regular film into my Holga. I can't wait to see how these pictures turn out. I guess you can say that my...
The Original Tour ~ 20 May 2003
After breakfast we headed to the Baker Street tube station, located at the junction of Baker Street and Marylebone Road. Some of you may know Baker Street from the Sherlock Holmes novels (Holmes liv...
Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square ~ 20 May 2003
Piccadilly Circus is the Times Square of the UK; everywhere you look there are video screens, people, and advertising. Colour runs rampant and the theme for today was the Matrix. The Matrix has n...
Soho ~ 20 May 2003
Soho has the reputation of being the adult entertainment district of London and it doesn't disappoint. To get to Soho we had to pass through a dodgy looking alley loaded with porn shops, adult clubs...
London's Chinatown ~ 20 May 2003
In our wandering in the Soho area we accidentally stumbled upon Chinatown. Chinatown is located on Gerrard Street between Shaftesbury Avenue and Leicester Square. We spent little time here but just ...
Art Gallery, the Tube and an Internet Cafe ~ 21 May 2003
After the crypt we went to the National Gallery, which was very packed and very hot. We got lost in the 1700-1900 wing; a wing that has a high wow factor. You could spend days just wandering around ...
St. Martins-in-the-Field ~ 21 May 2003
The day started out cloudy as we headed down to Big Ben. I had a meeting in one of the buildings by Westminster Palace and quickly discovered that the umbrella I brought was the smartest thing I pac...
The Drive / Train Back to London ~ 29 May 2003
It took us the better part of a week to get up to Scotland, and we did the haul back to London in a day. Distances in the UK are not as long as they are in Canada, so the drive back to Birmingham to...
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND
Day Trip to Brighton ~ 22 May 2003
The journey for today is Brighton, in the South of England. Brighton is a little seaside port town that is popular with Londoners because of its beaches; it has a long history and can be found in th...
The Palace in Brighton ~ 20 Mar 2006
Here is another photo from Brighton, UK. Brighton is a small southern beach town known as a favourite day trip (or weekend) destination for Londoners. The town is populated by many artists / hippies...
Holga in Brighton ~ 20 Mar 2006
I took this photo with my Holga camera in Brighton when Chris and I were there in 2003. But, instead of using the standard medium format film that the camera requires, I used 50mm film. The goal wa...
Brighton Piers ~ 06 Feb 2008
I'm feeling the pull of the ocean a lot these days -- and have been thinking about the UK and it's rough waters. I'm not drawn to calm waters -- but rather punishing waves and dangerous tides. It gi...
Murder in Brighton ~ 16 Feb 2009
I just finished a Ruth Rendall murder mystery that brought back memories of Brighton and our own sojourn to the South of England. Upon further digging I discovered that there are some out there who ...
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
On to Birmingham ~ 23 May 2003
It was easy, painless and rather quick, but today we hopped on a train and ended up in Birmingham. We showed up at the train station and in the span of half an hour booked a hotel, car, and train ti...
Birmingham to Shirley to Warwick ~ 24 May 2003
We had a busy day of shopping, driving, and visiting family. Chris found a really cool pair of shoes, which are like nothing you can get in Canada. They're sneakers, but made with different coloured...
LEEDS, ENGLAND
Leeds and British Plumbing ~ 24 May 2003
After Birmingham, Shirley and Warwick we headed up the M1 with Newcastle as our primary destination. However, we made it as far as Leeds and decided to stop for the night. After a long day on the ro...
YORK, ENGLAND
York: The Land of Eye Candy ~ 25 May 2003
Have you ever wondered about the place that York (Toronto) and New York were named after? Well, we were there, it's called (surprise) York. York has the most British past of all the British c...
NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND
From York to Newcastle ~ 25 May 2003
After our wanderings in the amazing town of York we took the M1 North to Newcastle. Distance in England is not the same as distance in Canada and two hours later we were in Newcastle. Newcastle was...
A Day in Newcastle ~ 26 May 2003
The day started with breakfast in a bar / rave / artist type place where all the staff looked like they were recovering from a rough Newcastle party night. The bar was a work of art; and in the cent...
Wax Bodies ~ 13 Sep 2007
I'm in a weird head space; I'm not sure why -- and I can't seem to get out of it. It may be because I've been taking a liquid iron supplement and for some reason it completely suppresses my appetite...
Newcastle Red ~ 23 Mar 2006
I found this photo from Newcastle while browsing though my photos in an attempt to determine whether the previous photo was from Bridge of Allen or Stirling. I don't have an answer to my question b...
JEDBURGH, SCOTLAND
A Brief History of Stirling and Scotland ~ 27 May 2003
I'll give a little history lesson of Stirling and Scotland before I write about the places we visited. It will help people understand a bit more about the areas we visit and also, some of the names ...
The Border of Scotland ~ 27 May 2003
We made it out of Newcastle and took a back road into Scotland. Along the way we stopped in a cute little English Tea Shop nestled in the middle of the country side. The moment we got here we could ...
Jedburgh ~ 27 May 2003
The first stop in Scotland was Jedburgh. Jedburgh is famous for being the place where Mary Queen of Scots was nursed back to health in 1566. In October 1566, James Hepburn, the fourth Earl of Boswel...
A Holga-ized Piece of Scotland ~ 21 Mar 2006
I took this photo on the border of Scotland and England -- in Jedburgh, a small and windy town in the Scottish Borders. Behind the graves in this photo is Jedburgh Abbey. (Heather would really like ...
Sheep ~ 15 Sep 2007
The weird state of mind continues; and, in the spirit of weirdness I'm going to post about sheep -- specifically the Scottish Blackface. The last sheep we saw were the Cotswold flock from Wolfville...
STIRLING, SCOTLAND
Bannockburn ~ 28 May 2003
The first stop of the day was in Bannockburn, a flat land south of Stirling where on June 24, 1314 the forces of Edward II and Robert I (the Bruce) met in what is now known as the Battle of Bannockb...
Stirling Castle ~ 28 May 2003
You can see the castle from just about everywhere in Stirling. It sits on top of a great mound of volcanic rock and would be darn near impossible to take given its defences. No one knows exactly whe...
Stirling Old Town Jail ~ 28 May 2003
As part of our bus tour, we toured the Old Stirling Jail, which was much like the tour that we did in the London Dungeon; though this tour was much less crowded and the actors were real actors and n...
Bridge of Allan ~ 28 May 2003
We stopped for lunch in a cute little town called Bridge of Allan. This is a charming little village situated less than three miles from the centre of Stirling. The start of the village is a humped ...
The Wallace Monument ~ 28 May 2003
The last stop of the day was the Wallace Monument. The monument was built in Victorian times (1869) after a tide of Scottish nationalism hit the nation. It is (obviously) a monument for the freedom ...
Mystery Photo ~ 22 Mar 2006
I can't remember where in Scotland I took this photo. I'm about 90% sure it is from Bridge of Allen; however, the photo could have been taken in Stirling. I found both places fascinating and a grea...
Little Skull ~ 13 Mar 2007
I can't remember if I ever posted any of the black and whites I took in Stirling in Scotland. I may not have because they were developed from black and white film later; I was so anxious to get my H...
Angels of the Holy Rude ~ 04 Feb 2008
Above is a photo I took of one of the many angels you can find throughout the graveyard surrounding the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, Scotland. In the background (I believe but could be wrong...