Going to London, any advice?

[ausemmao]

Going west to Richmond Park and Kew Gardens is a great idea - they're the largest botanical gardens in the UK, and one of the largest in the world.
If you have a big chunk of a day free, doing a walk east to centre, from Greenwich to Westminster along the river could be good.
Or go from South Kensington to Tower Hill - that would get you going through the Museums (V&A, Natural History, Science, Serpentine (gallery)), Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Park Lane and Piccadilly (or Oxford and Regent streets), Soho, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and then the South Bank) although it may be an idea to split that in two

 

[cabrosh]

So many good things to see and do- wish we had two weeks. The Tower used to let you photograph everything but the Crown Jewels, but they recently put the inside of the White Tower off limits, too. It's not worth [FONT=&quot]£20 to photograph ravens and Beefeaters when I've been there before. Sorry, Forkie, I meant from the Eye. It turned out nice and clear, most of the pictures I've seen hardly show anything but haze and fuzzy buildings. South Kensington to Tower Hill would be quite a walk. I planned an early morning start at Kensington Garden and the rest of the day in the museums - I can putter around a good museum for hours- and another day wandering around the City. Has anyone done the Tower Bridge Experience? Can you get good views from the walkway on top of the bridge? We were there for a week in 2000, and I spent a day in Greenwich and made a trip to the Cutty Sark. Both wonderful, but since time is tight, I probably won't go back this trip. Kew Garden is the same way; I love it, but I've been there several times, so it's low on the list.
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[c.cloudwalker]

We have 20 degrees Celsius and bright sunshine today I'll have you know!!

Was in Normandy today and it was hot enough to be wearing shorts.


To the OP: take one of those umbrella-hat things.

 

[Forkie]

So many good things to see and do- wish we had two weeks. The Tower used to let you photograph everything but the Crown Jewels, but they recently put the inside of the White Tower off limits, too. It's not worth [FONT=&quot]£20 to photograph ravens and Beefeaters when I've been there before. Sorry, Forkie, I meant from the Eye. It turned out nice and clear, most of the pictures I've seen hardly show anything but haze and fuzzy buildings. South Kensington to Tower Hill would be quite a walk. I planned an early morning start at Kensington Garden and the rest of the day in the museums - I can putter around a good museum for hours- and another day wandering around the City. Has anyone done the Tower Bridge Experience? Can you get good views from the walkway on top of the bridge? We were there for a week in 2000, and I spent a day in Greenwich and made a trip to the Cutty Sark. Both wonderful, but since time is tight, I probably won't go back this trip. Kew Garden is the same way; I love it, but I've been there several times, so it's low on the list.
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I haven't been on the Tower Bridge Experience, but the buildings are quite low in that area (I mean, not many skyscrapers). I have a panoramic view from Tower Bridge here.

The London Eye is worth it. To be fair, you're so high up that any photos of the view are going to be through a certain amount of haze and pollution. Plus you're moving, in a pod with about 20 other people, so photos are not always going to be the best from the top of the wheel.

 

[cabrosh]

Love that panorama view, although I was disappointed to see the White Tower is hidden by trees. Maybe more of it will show from the walkway. Great look at the Gherkin and City Hall. One of these days I have to get a Flickr account and learn to post on the forum - but it will be after vacation. My husband is close enough to retirement this could be his last London conference, better make the most of it.

Sounds like I should be trying some London Eye pictures from lower on the wheel, maybe get ones of other capsules or people in our capsule with the Houses of Parliament in the background, that kind of thing. Something with good light and contrast for at least the foreground.

 

[Forkie]

Love that panorama view, although I was disappointed to see the White Tower is hidden by trees. Maybe more of it will show from the walkway. Great look at the Gherkin and City Hall. One of these days I have to get a Flickr account and learn to post on the forum - but it will be after vacation. My husband is close enough to retirement this could be his last London conference, better make the most of it.

Sounds like I should be trying some London Eye pictures from lower on the wheel, maybe get ones of other capsules or people in our capsule with the Houses of Parliament in the background, that kind of thing. Something with good light and contrast for at least the foreground.

The White Tower isn't much more visible from the walkway, particularly in the summer when the trees are full of foliage. But, to be fair, it had a bit of scaffolding on it that day too, which didn't help. Although, if you plan on going up the towers of the bridge, you'll get a better vantage point. My shot was taken from road level.

Getting photos lower on the wheel is a good idea. London from the London Eye is not like New York from the Empire State Building where you see a forest of skyscrapers - London is much lower and greener, so a lot of the hustle and bustle is hidden by trees. Tighter shots from lower down will be more interesting.