Queenie took this picture in Beihai Park (北海公园) on our trip there in August 2010 with Mom. We removed the color and sharpened it up a bit and really liked the nostalgic feel the picture gives. It was a great trip and we were happy to visit Beihai. It was the first time for all of us as on our first trip there we didn't go in.
Staircase in Beihai Park (北海公园) (by Queenie)
Beihai Park (北海公园)is definitely worth visiting when in Beijing. And it is also worth paying extra to climb to the top and see the white Drogba (be warned, there are a lot of stairs). If you take your time it is easy. The views from the top are really awesome especially when looking over the lake with all the pedal boats floating on top. I guess summer it does get really crowded. Best to visit in the beginning of winter. Not so many people and not too cold.
Its a long time since either of us heard bagpipes in real life. Seen it on television but not in real life. When in London in early February 2012 we visited Trafalgar Square and saw to pipers in the square playing some of the more common tunes. It was great
Bagpipes on Westminister Bridge (by Queenie)
Listening to the bagpipes on this particular afternoon was special considering that in the morning it was snowing (see London Snow in Willesden Green). We were on our way to see the national gallery when we saw the bagpipe players. You can see them in the video below:
While I was making video of the players, Queenie managed to get a couple of pictures of them.
First Player (by Queenie)
Second Player in Trafalgar Square (by Queenie)
It was fun listening to them but they were busking and we did give them a few pounds each after watching and recording. And it was a cold day!
In early February we found ourselves in London in the middle of the snow. Having just come back from Sri Lanka the cold weather was a shock to the system but the snow was so beautiful. I went out to take some pictures and some video. Lucky I did! All the snow melted by the end of the day and there was no other snow for the duration of the trip.
Snow in Willesden Green
The snow covered trees and roads were really beautiful. The pictures and video were taken in the vicinity of Willesden Green Tube station where we were staying with my mom. The whole road must have been covered in the night but by the time we woke up the snow on the roads had been melted by the cars. Nevertheless there was enough to give us a beautiful, picturesque view of London in the snow. The video below is in my mom's neighborhood. Enjoy!
I also took a couple of pictures on the road. The first picture of a tree lined street covered in snow. The road was absolutely beautiful all dressed in white.
Every car parked outside was covered in snow as shown below. Some of the owners were trying to clean the snow off and warm up the engine. It seemed to be an unenviable task and for these owners, since it doesn't seem to snow too often in London, the task must be quite irritating: but still needed to be done.
The bicycles shown below were parked at the bike stand directly outside the entrance of the Willesden Green tube station. They didn't fare better than the cars.I would not be wanting to put my butt onto the saddle of any of those bikes. Despite this, I did see people warmly dressed up cycling down the road even in the middle of the snow.
The snow seemed to make even the most ordinary pavement a beautiful work of art. I could tell many of the Londoners were also surprised by the snow as many of them were taking pictures with their mobile phones. I suppose it is not normal in London anymore. The pavement below was truly beautiful and I really enjoyed walking around there. But at this point my hands were freezing.
The picture below is of St. Gabriel's Church, a couple of 100 metres down from Willesden Green tube station. The Church garden was covered in snow and it was a really beautiful sight. Funny story is that I tried to take a self portrait of myself so I mounted the camera on a pillar in the garden, set the auto-timer and then stepped backwards and tripped over an unseen object in the snow! I got back up but it was too late and my camera had jammed so I couldn't take the self portrait. Anyway, the Church and gardens around the Church were beautiful
London in the snow is beautiful. The last time we went to London it was also in the winter but we had perfect sunny skies for the full time we were there. We were happy to see London in the snow: if for only a morning. It was quite remarkable that by the afternoon/evening all the snow had melted and we didn't see any more snow after that.
