Southbank Archives - Two Feet, One World

{VIDEO} The Photo Hunt #2

March 12, 2014

I had such a blast at the first Photo Hunt that I scheduled the date for the next one in my diary as soon as it was announced. The location of this photography scavenger hunt had shifted to South Bank and the format changed a little, with clues to locations as well as creative photos to find. However, the motivation of “engaging and connecting in a fun and inspiring environment” remained and the day was as awesome as the first time round.

We assembled on a chilly morning near the National Theatre to be popped into our teams and assigned team names. In our team, known as the Sleepy Gangsters, Nicole and I were paired with Charlotte, Sara and Laura, who had brought along the truly gorgeous Milo. I loved our little team mascot! With our team sheets in hand we raced off, heading all the way up to the OXO tower and down to the London Eye. The location was fantastic, with loads to photograph, and before we knew it we were back at the Theatre for prize-giving before heading out for a market lunch.

Rather than just tell you about how great the Photo Hunt is, I thought that I would show you as well – here’s my video snapshot of this awesome event!

Keep an eye on the Photo Hunt website if you’d like to head along to the next one… it is a fabulous and creative take on networking and photography, run by a fantastic team.

Please note: photos 1, 4, 5 and 22 of Lulu, Bobbi & Ché, official Sleepy Gangsters team photos and the Photo Hunt Group photo are all © The Photo Hunt. All other images are © Two Feet, One World.

Christmas Extravaganza

December 9, 2013

London has well and truly entered into the Christmas spirit – everywhere you look there are festive lights, Santas, and (fake) snowflakes. As this is my first winter Christmas I’ve really appreciated that London goes all out – it is helping to distract me from thoughts of the summer swims and barbeques I’d normally be enjoying by now!

I decided to make the most of all this festive cheer by devoting a Saturday to two classic London Christmas experiences – the Southbank Christmas market, and a walk enjoying some of the many light displays. We got to Southbank about 1pm and discovered half of London had the same idea – it was packed! Undeterred, we dove into the crowds to check out the wares at the cute wooden stalls and sample some of the many delicious goods on offer. Of course, glühwein was a must to warm up our hands and bellies.

Southbank Christmas Market, London

Nicole and me about to dig in to our delicious currywurst

London Eye, London

Glühwein, London

Glühwein is my favourite hand and tummy warmer – delicious!

Southbank Christmas Market, London

Next stop on our list was Winter Wonderland, and our journey there took us through Trafalgar Square and then Piccadilly Circus where we admired the giant snow globe – although I was not a big fan of the not-so-subtle branding.

Trafalgar Square, London

The view from Trafalgar Square down to the Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben)

Piccadilly Circus, London

Fortnum & Mason's, London

Beautiful window displays at Fortnum & Mason’s

Piccadilly Market, London

Markets have sprung up on around all sorts of random corners and it seems that every building is festooned with lights and baubles – gorgeous!

Piccadilly Arcade, London

Along the way we took a few moments to absorb the New Zealand War Memorial. It is simple in design, but if you look closely the stories of New Zealanders are written on every cross. Very moving.

New Zealand War Memorial, London

When we got to Winter Wonderland we just about had heart failure at the length of the queues. On reflection, mid-afternoon on a Saturday three weeks before Christmas was never going to be the best time to go… the families were still out in force and more people were arriving every minute. We came up with an alternative that was a firm favourite with all – we went to the pub. If you’re ever in Belgravia I highly recommend the Star Tavern – it was super cute and had a roaring fire, perfect for defrosting for a bit.

Fortified by mulled cider, we headed into the evening on a voyage of Christmas Lights discovery. In this we were well-assisted by referring to This City Life London‘s Christmas Lights Tour. We did it backwards, started near the Star, and skipped a couple of bits… however you use it, I highly recommend having a look if you want some ideas on where to go for the best displays. Below are some of my favourite spots.

Motcomb Street, London

Motcomb Street

South Molton Street, London

South Molton Street

Selfridges, London

Selfridges

Regent Street, London

Regent Street

Carnaby Street, London

Carnaby Street

Kingly Court, Soho, London

Kingly Court, Soho

I loved our festive day – it definitely got me into the Christmas mood and now I’m getting more and more excited, and thinking less of the summer I’m missing. I’m very lucky to be heading to my Welsh family for Christmas so I won’t be a Kiwi Orphan in London – I’m looking forward to finding out the Welsh Christmas traditions!

London From The Sky

August 29, 2013

Top of my must-do London list was the London Eye, and with Kelly visiting from New Zealand Kate, Gin and I had an even better excuse to play tourist. We were lucky enough to get a gorgeously sunny afternoon and were treated to stunning views over London.

Making the most of the sunshine in Jubilee Park

Buckingham Palace (please excuse the glare!)

Heading up!

My overwhelming impression from our 30 minute rotation was how flat London seems – no volcanic cones here!

I loved getting the chance to place more of London’s landmarks and see the pieces of the city in relation to each other – a few weeks of popping up randomly at different tube stations had not done wonders for my sense of direction.

Houses of Parliament and Westminster

Gin, Kelly, Kate and I enjoying the amazing views

The Eye is perfect for a different perspective on London – next time I’d love to try it by night.

To round off the day, we took the opportunity to soak up the late afternoon rays at the Queen Elizabeth Hall roof terrace in Southbank.

Beached as…

The Southbank area is abuzz at the moment with everyone making the most of the summer sun, be it like us with a lazy Pimms on the grass or by making sandcastles on the (temporary!) beach. Long may the English summer continue!

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