Close-up Views of the London Area

From Trix-colored bricks along a lane in Twickenham to polka-dotted leaves in a Kew Garden conservatory, little views like these are everywhere in the London area.  This selection of photos includes the moss-covered walls of a lock, a painted word on a Thames River bankside, and a modern-art-like wall in Hampton Court Palace.  As tiny as this collection is, it manages to convey the history of Britain and its capacity to attract people, words, and objects.  Notice the porcelain of a French pissoir in the gardens of York House, a pile of iron in a shipyard on Eel Pie Island, the odd word "loo", and a plate of the Italian dessert, Tiramisu, ordered in a restaurant on a cobblestone lane.

Take a moment with each little view.  Pretend you are traveling with me and can see what I saw.

London Through Fisheye Lenses

If I were a cod and bobbed up in the middle of the Thames in central London, I would be amazed.  Having recently bought a fisheye lenses, I have been envious of fish and their (supposed) perspective.  A three-hour trip from Westminster in London to Hampton Court Palace gave me the opportunity to practice seeing like a fish.

We began by slipping under the Westminster Bridge at low tide.

Before we left the dock, I stopped to examine a gorgeous monument to WWII with a familiar quote by Churchill. 

A sprinkling of rain made empty viewing chairs for awhile.

One of two locks.

As we progressed up the river, we saw more trees, houses and boating club

Perfect clouds.

Yew trees in Hampton Court Palace. 

And just for fun...a fisheye view of a tube station.

An edible fisheye!  A cronuts (cross between a croissant and donut).