Union Jacks

All photos shot on Lomography LC-A+ by me.

I think it is time that I do this photo blog post since A) it has been way overdue and B) now that everyone is talking about the London Olympics. I have not watched any of the races yet but I did stay up late last Friday night for the opening ceremony where my favorite band played at. (Somebody has to stop me from fangirling anymore. It has been four days I KNOW BUT STILL THAT PERFORMANCE WAS SIMPLY MAGICAL.) The opening was beyond impressive. The illuminated duvets, flying Mary Poppins, the funny-looking Voldemort, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band costumes, Kalle Blomkvist James Bond and the Queen (with her pugs!), keyboard player Mr. Bean... that was a feast for the eyes and also the ears. And you gotta admit that British humour is very very adorable. There are indeed a lot of things I love about their country. Legacy of colonialism I suppose..?

I had been on three trips since my A-levels were done in late April. In my first trip this summer I went to Southern England. It was my first visit there so London would be one obvious destination. I have also been to Brighton, Bath, Salisbury and Oxford. I had a great time in all these beautiful places. As you can see from the photos above, most of the spots I went to are quite touristy, namely Buckingham Palace (where the Changing the Guard ceremony takes place), Big Ben and the House of Parliament, Covent Garden, Brighton Pier, Stonehenge, and the like; but I have also visited some cultural attractions such as Tate Modern (for Yayoi Kusama's solo show), the National Portrait Gallery (for Lucian Freud's), Shakespeare's Globe (because our Lit teacher told us it is a must-see place in London) and the Jane Austen Centre. The biggest surprise of the trip has to be Dover Street Market's returning MARKET Museum. I should consider myself lucky as the event was held only for three days. I knew about it just when I was on my train ride back from Bath to London. (Thank you Susie for tweeting that useful guide on the crazy sale!) It was fun just to look around at the sea of shoes, the racks of bizarre clothes, and fans who're busy trying on different items in front of the mirrors. 

What made the trip all the more memorable are the conversations with strangers that I have acquainted with at restaurants/ on the train/ at some of the tourist spots/ at the hotel. Meeting new people is undoubtedly the best part of every journey, isn't it? (Joy, thank you for linking that good read on your post. :D) I will get back to some of these lovely meet-ups in future posts. I think I'd also write a post on the FOOD I had in England. It wasn't just fish and chips and English breakfast. Some restaurants and cafes are really worth-going. So stay tuned for my recommendations. Posts about my travelling experiences will be filed under on the road.

p.s. Finally got time to sit in front of my laptop and type a post only because I took a sick leave. Should I be happy or not? My schedule this summer has been packed so far and time just slipped away too quickly. A month till the end of the holiday? This can't happen. :S