tourism

Westminster opulence

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Westminster floor

The “mother of parliaments” deserves a resplendent setting – and it certainly has that. The architecture of the Palace of Westminster is soaked in grandeur, and its inner corridors are enriched with the atmosphere of a cathedral.

After waiting in a lengthy queue and undergoing airport-style security screening, St Stephen’s Hall, Westminster Hall and the Central Lobby – the “foyer” for Britain’s political nerve centre – were ours to peruse and photograph.

It’s staggeringly opulent. All I can wonder is if David Cameron, Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher ever took a moment to absorb its magnificence or craned their neck to admire the Central Lobby’s gilded ceiling.

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The Photo Shop

Gothic delight

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Gothic facade

Take a train ride a little deeper into south-west London and you will find Strawberry Hill House. This whitewashed gem of a building was once the domain of Horace Walpole, son of Great Britain’s first prime minister.

This wealthy man lacked for nothing, and set about transforming his home into a Gothic palace, dripping with beautiful stained glass, ornately gilded ceilings – and even a wallpaper designed to resemble carved wood.

The house has undergone a lot of careful restoration in the last few years and is well worth a visit. Enthusiastic volunteers have a wide knowledge of its history. Photography is allowed and very little is off limits. Walpole’s many treasures were sold off many years ago, so the contours and rich details of this mansion are displayed with clarity.

It’s wonderful. Come and take a whirlwind tour here…

This way to the gallery

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The old power station

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This daunting edifice by the River Thames is one of the most visited places in London. Tourists flock from near and far to explore the Tate Modern gallery’s collection of art.

The building used to be Bankside Power Station and is a solid, industrial gem of architecture. In fact my visit was about capturing the vast space of the old turbine hall, now used to house ambitious art installations – but empty when I went. 

I clambered up the levels as visitors shuffled around the exhibits, and of course went to the upper floor which offers a beautiful London view.

Tate Modern is a world away from its older, more genteel counterpart Tate Britain, captured in an earlier post.

North London vista (2)

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Budapest album

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This is Budapest

Here are my reasons why the Hungarian capital is a great place to visit with a camera and tripod.

  • It’s an elegant city with many architectural landmarks to capture, including the stunning parliament building and the bridges which cross the Danube. There is always something to shoot.
  • Budapest is packed with attractive detail, from its stonework to iron decorations. Your macro lens can come into its own here.
  • It’s a city with views. Clamber up Castle Hill or to the imposing Liberty Statue and you’ll enjoy a bird’s eye view of Budapest. A great chance to practise those panoramic shots.
  • After dark, the city shimmers and is ripe for night photography. Some landmarks are so well illuminated that long exposures and a tripod aren’t necessary.

Enjoy my view of Budapest and I hope you have a chance to see it soon – it’s also a place worth returning to.

North London vista (2)

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Hungary’s splendid parliament building, set on the Danube
A dramatic dusk sky captures people crossing the Elizabeth Bridge
The Iron Curtain sculpture outside the House of Terror, telling of Hungary’s darker days
The Chain Bridge at night, streaming with traffic
Hungarian flags catching the breeze on Castle Hill close to the presidential palace
Night-time from Castle Hill
The colours and detail of a Pest street
From the Chain Bridge, the Danube catches the reflections of Buda
Part of an iron door grille. Budapest bursts with these small details
The parliament building and surrounds as seen from the roof of St Stephen’s Basilica
Freedom Bridge at dusk. The ornate green structure should be twinned with London’s Hammersmith Bridge
The rooftops from St Stephen’s Basilica
Budapest ironwork, curvaceous and elegant
The magnificent inner dome of St Stephen’s
An illuminated part of Castle Hill, including the Matthias Church to the left
A proud stone lion found on a building in Pest
The parliament building in its night glory
A panorama of Pest, seen from the elevated Liberty Statue
Across to Margaret Bridge from Castle Hill after dark
The Liberty Statue, adapted from communist times, breaks into a perfect sky over the Hungarian capital
A stunning pink dusk backlights the ornate Freedom Bridge
Part of St Stephen’s cathedral silhouetted against a winter sky
A pair of Castle Hill windows reflect the yellow building opposite
The Chain Bridge from Buda – the city’s most famous bridge
The bells of Buda’s Lutheran Church
The House of Terror, which tells the grim story of Budapest under the Nazis and Communists
St Stephen’s Basilica, imposing and glorious after dark

Constable’s footsteps

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The sun struggles to break through a leaden October sky. I’ve made my escape from London and am staying with my family in Essex, eastern England. My mother comes up with the bright idea of hopping across the border into Suffolk to visit Constable Country, associated with English landscape painter John Constable.

He is most famous for The Hay Wain, which forever captures Flatford Mill and its rural beauty. This place sits by the tranquil River Stour, freshly turned fields, shapely trees and views across to the village of Dedham and its church. Autumnal leaves add to the picture.

This place is a world away from London and a tonic even in the chill of October. As usual, I often dropped back from Mum and Dermot – who had also escaped the capital – and they are the figures in this woodland path capture, tinged with the pleasant monochrome of memory.