Friday, May 1, 2015

Millennium Bridge London, Anglophile Friday - and Family

Millennium Bridge
Looking Toward St. Paul's

It was a gray day, and from what I understand, a normal day for London. Although I don't think I've ever posted a photo in B&W before, this photo turned out pretty gray anyway, so I decided to give in and go with grayscale.



Night View of St. Paul's
From Millennium Bridge 

 Viewing Millennium Bridge From Atop St. Paul's

One more

The photo above was taken while Mr. C. and I were on Millennium Bridge, waiting for our daughter and hubby to show up.  And here they are:

Wondering why Mom has to take another photo

Dinner Guests
or
What to do with the sugar-coated, roasted peanuts
they sell on Millennium Bridge

 The menu looks pretty good.


Waiting for the restaurant to open

Awwww.....

That particular night we ate at The India, a restaurant just a stone's throw from St. Paul's Cathedral. It felt like we were in a bomb shelter, and I'm thinking that we probably were. Anyway, the food was good and plentiful, the service good, and the company was unbeatable.


The View From Our Apartment

Renting a two-bedroom apartment through Airbnb.com was definitely the way to go. It was located conveniently at Elephant and Castle, was in a tall building called The Strata Tower on the twentieth floor, and with the two of us couples splitting the cost, it lowered our per-night cost to about £75.  Not bad for central London. And the apartment was beautiful with huge windows that looked out over the city. 


Train stations were a familiar sight. We took the Tube and the train everywhere.
Would you believe that's Mr. C. and me?
Nah, I didn't think so.

Train Travel:
London to Canterbury
London to Milton Keynes, Cab to Cranfield 
(to visit St. Peter & St. Paul's Church 
where the ancestors are buried)
London to Salisbury, Bus to Stonehenge
London to Windsor and back 
London to Oxford and back
London to Cambridge
Cambridge to Ely and back to London
London to York
York to Durham and back to York
York to London

We have a lot of pictures to share on Anglophile Friday. A warning up-front: If you don't like churches and cathedrals, you might not enjoy Anglophile Friday for a very long time.

The Four of Us
Minus the Annoying Woman Who Kept Taking Pictures!
Does everyone look tired?

We arrived in London a day before our daughter and hubby did and stayed in the country an additional 3 days after they left. It was great fun to share an apartment with them and travel together to places we both wanted to see.  We laughed that we had to travel to London to see one another! (They live in Texas, a twenty-hour drive from our home in Wisconsin.)


The Tube
Taking us everywhere else in between.
I cloned out the face to protect the cranky.

Handy Tube Map



Have a great weekend, everyone!


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40 comments:

Tanna said...

I love the black and white and then the night time shots!! Both beautiful!

There is nothing better than getting to meet up with and travel with family. =) I've been hearing a lot about Airbnb; I'm glad to hear your recommendation. I'll be looking forward to those cathedrals. blessings ~ tanna

eileeninmd said...

Wonderful shots from your trip to London.. It is kind of far to meet up with your daughter in England..but a great time...I love the night shot and the view from your apartment is awesome..Have a great weekend!

Sylvia said...

Beautiful photo's Judy, I love the night lights you captured.

Linda Kay said...

Judy, so glad for your time with your family! Your photos are very special. That bridge from different angles is very interesting. I've not been to London, so thanks for the tour!

MadSnapper said...

that is a beautiful train, inside and outside... and they do look tired.. i love the two night shots, so beautiful and that is one awesome bridge. your view from your room is spectacular..

Anonymous said...

What lovely photos from your trip. Your daughter has your pretty eyes! Looks like a great time and I look forward to more. Enjoy your weekend and Happy May Day.

Lady Jane said...

I am enjoying your trip. Glad you and family could meet up and enjoy this wonderful trip together.

John's Island said...

Hi Judy, What a wonderful set of photos from around the UK. Now you have made me want to go there all the more! :-) Thank you for sharing and also for your kind comment on my April Photos post. Have a great weekend!

Cheryl said...

What a unique bridge...and I love the black and white photo.

I did not realize that your daughter and son-in-law were also on the trip. What a fantastic opportunity to share time! I know you made many memories together!

Wow! The view from your apartment!

I had to laugh at your "cloning out the face to protect the cranky"! :D

TexWisGirl said...

looks like you had a good time. :) love the 2nd shot and the view from your apt.

Nancy's Notes said...

What fantastic photographs! How wonderful it had to have been traveling with your daughter and son in law! We have been to London and I love your post, it's bringing up some fabulous memories!

Have a fun weekend!

Nancy

Lorrie said...

Wonderful photos of modern London. It's a city still on my bucket list. We are going to try out AirBnB for the first time next month on our trip out to the east coast. So far the reservation system has worked well.

Debbie said...

no one is ever happy with the number of pictures taken, until years later when they view them once again. then perhaps, you get a "thanks mom....it drove me crazy then, but now i am so happy we have them!!!!

these are great memories from your trip, awesome images, awesome treasures!!!

Heide at ApronHistory said...

Love all the pictures!
Didn't you keep telling them "I need pictures for my blog, my followers expect me to bring back three years worth"? :)

Tired Teacher said...

Clever to rent an apartment as your "home base" and travel from there.

Love the photos!

podso said...

I just heard about AIRbnb the other day! Your black and white is stunning. Looks like a fun bridge to walk over. I'm sure you built many memories of that trip with your kids…how very special. I can just hear the train speaker saying "Canterbury calling" or however they announce the next stop.

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

What a great post!!
Beautiful photos!!

Thanks for taking us along!!

Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to comment!!

Have a great weekend!!

Hugs,
Debbie

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Love the different ways you see the M bridge from especially the night shot. Yes I have to say you all do look tired (other than the camera woman!!)

Ginny Hartzler said...

I LOVE your train pictures! And what a wonderful shock to scroll down and see the same bridge by night. Wow, beautiful! You have a beautiful view from your room, too.

Terri D said...

The photos from your apartment are amazing! All the lights...beautiful. So glad you had such a good time, and could share part of it with your daughter and SIL! Looking forward to more!!

sweetbriardreams said...

I had to look at your first photo again Judy, I thought that was me on the left!! It wasn't, but I love walking on that bridge and seeing the painted chewing gum on the floor that an artist uses as his canvas. Ah London, got to get there again soon. Have a wonderful weekend xx

Kathleen Grace said...

England is my dream vacation! Thanks for the tip on finding lodging through airbnb. If I ever get the chance I'll know to look into it :>)

L. D. said...

That looks like a great adventure. Train travel would be exciting for me as we don't have anything like it in our area. Great shots from the annoying woman.

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Those are such great photos. When I went to London, St. Paul's was one of my favorite's sites.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Enjoyed seeing your photos. Well the next time I go I am going to walk that bridge. I wonder why I didn't do that when we were there 4 years ago????

21 Wits said...

My daughter and I am too! Gosh I have to go back and look at all these photos again! Lovely, just simply lovely.

Lynne said...

Wonderful photos, great views . . .

NanaDiana said...

I feel like I am right there riding along with you---or walking as the case might be. Beautiful photos! I'll be here every Friday- xo Diana

Anonymous said...

You are inspiring me for our next trip to Great Britain. We have been wanting to try to do a lot of sight seeing without renting a car. That's great that you could meet up with family and enjoy this time together!

Pamela Gordon said...

I enjoyed your photos Judy, especially the views of St. Paul's and from your apartment. What a great way to spend a night and not a fortune! :) Have a great weekend.

Vee said...

Oh I will enjoy Fridays (or early Saturday mornings) here. Your family cracks me up because they really aren't playing to the camera at all! Just like my own family. It's why I have no family photos for a very long time. Your son-in-law does the best!

I most appreciated the views of the same location at different times, the city at night, and the train scenes. I would have been claustrophobic eating in the restaurant. Glad the food was tasty!

Empty Nester said...

Great photos! I've got tons of catching up to do on your trip! School is out soon and I won't be MIA much longer. On an unrelated note, have you tried your hand at making candles? I'm looking for organic coconut candles and thought I'd ask if, perhaps, you do or have plans to make them?

Unknown said...

What fun! You were really on the move! I have not seen Millennium Bridge, and it looks really cool. I'm looking forward to more pictures!

Magali@TheLittleWhiteHouse said...

Wow! The view from your apartment was absolutely wonderful!

Lynn Blaylock said...

Just a lovely post! I love the pics. Have a great weekend!

Sue said...

Awesome photos of such a wonderful trip, you have captured wonderful memories! Thanks for sharing!
Blessings,
Sue

Maryann said...

Loved the photos, the two night images were my favorites, especially the one from the Millennial Bridge.

Carla from The River said...

Hi Judy,
Beautiful photos. I like the night photos. The grey is so cool, I love the bike in that photo. That would be a great one to have has a print.

I like your son in law's scarf. :-)
Carla

Kelly said...

It was fun getting to see the pics of London! It's been years since I've been there.

J_on_tour said...

So much variety and things to talk about here, I'll not remember it all. That's a curious roof for the restaurant, cosy no doubt.
It's good to make a picture black and white if the elements are against you.
I still can't get my head around your Salisbury / Stonehenge schedule day !!
Was wondering what was written on the scarf (Griffith I think), it certainly doesn't look like a football scarf

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