# An ordinary Sunday in London..pictures by me!!



## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

Yesterday we went into the city...not to do any tourist things, but just to visit one of the bigger parks ( Regents park) mainly to allow me to walk to exercise my back ..London Zoo is at regents park we didn't visit there, nor did we visit the open air theatre because we were too early for the first show...however we enjoyed the park, then we took off from the park down the towpath to Camden Lock, and to the famous Camden street market. As is always the case the market was so packed it was almost impossible to take photos...but outside the market hall there are lots of  small high street shops and stalls selling tourist tat..so I took a few photos of that...then we walked and took tube trains  up to China town, Leicester square and Piccadilly Circus ...

So this is not a day in the life of Tourist London with Buckingham palace, Tower bridge, millennium wheel or museums and art galleries...This is the day in the life of an ordinary Sunday in central London, albeit with thousands of tourists in the pictures...

Hope you enjoy...

We start off with Royal  Regents park, which is very pretty , almost totally laid to lawn with rose gardens and little flower beds dotted here and there and with surprisingly few visitors yesterday  ... it has  sports fields, a boating lake and the world famous London Zoo inside ...these are just a few pictures I took of the walk through..


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)




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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

There's a small allotment area outside one of the gates where they have set up an area to teach people how to grow food organically...and so I was surprised to see this fella leaning up against one of the sheds..


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)




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## Lara (Aug 3, 2015)

Holy Smokes! These are spectacular Holly!! Such detail and color! I love the fountain droplets in stop action. Cool.


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

me in Boots in 27 degree temps *duh*...forecast said it was gonna rain...it didn't.....and the pictures of me are the Only ones I didn't take..


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

Lara said:


> Holy Smokes! These are spectacular Holly!! Such detail and color! I love the fountain droplets in stop action. Cool.



Well thank you very much Lara... ..more to come in a little while......meant to say the droplets are flowing water...but yes clearly they look as tho' they've stopped in the pictures..LOL...from a distance as we approached the pigeon looked like he was giving hismelf a bath from the heat..but when we got to him, he was actually just dipping his toes in..very funny!!


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## SifuPhil (Aug 3, 2015)

Beautiful pics ... and Londoners might not know much about guns but their parks are breathtaking!


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## AZ Jim (Aug 3, 2015)

Beautiful pictures and lady in boots too!!  *Smile*


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## Ameriscot (Aug 3, 2015)

You had a really lovely day!  Love the water drops shots.


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

Thank you kindly folks.... and Phil yes we do have some really lovely parks , regents park although big isn't anywhere close to the size of our biggest park.. Richmond park which is 3 times the size of central park...one day I'll go there which is completely the opposite side of London to me, and take pictures of the beautiful wild deer...( I have a few somewhere but I'll make a day of it properly hopefully in the Autumn) 


some more... 

A beautiful Black swan...


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## ndynt (Aug 3, 2015)

Wonderful pictures, Holly.  Such a beautiful park...enhanced by the lovely lady in boots.  Thank you for sharing your day with us.


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

We're leaving the park now and we walk across the road and walk down onto the regents Canal tow-path towards Camden town...


the first thing we see are the narrowboats and the Beautiful red floating Chinese restaurant boat..
















we stop off at a garden cafe for some refreshments  and ice cream...







Then continue on our walk along the canal side toward the milling thousands and the Camden town area.. with all it's shopping, bars, and cafes'...


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

A few more restaurant boats of various design...moored alongside the canal..







Some serenading Gondoliers... 







...and just cuz it's London...where else would you find a Cow on an apartment balcony on the Canalside? ...I defy you to find it in Venice..


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 3, 2015)

Absolutely loooved looking at your photos Holly, even the birds and squirrel were lovely!  Thanks for putting them up for us, made my day!  You look great too, those boots were made for walkin', huh? :love_heart:


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

LOL...just cuz you mentioned walking SB...here you are...and I promise no more pictures of me.. 








..back to the towpath and as we come into Camden town and the street market we're straight into the hundreds of food stalls, restaurants and bars...totally packed..took this photo, but there were wayyy too many people crushed togetherto try for more...






..so we walked up onto Camden high street ...












...some little  shop windows...











..and some miniature guitars....for mouse sized budding pop stars..


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## hollydolly (Aug 3, 2015)

A few street Entertainers in Camden  of the hundreds around the city...













 leaving Camden and onto the Tube to the streets around Liverpool street   Leicester Square, China Town and Covent Garden ..... later...


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## applecruncher (Aug 3, 2015)

Great pics, Holly.   I agree with Lara - the colors and detail are fabulous.
That squirrel was "posing"  haha!


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

LOL, funny thing about the squirrel was , I wouldn't have got such a great photo of him when he darted out onto the path from the trees, if it hadn't been for a family in front of me who immediately  blocked the path of the squirrel calling ooh ahh when they saw him ..and the squirrel looked up at them and froze for a few seconds not knowing which directions to dart off..in that time I got my photo..actually 2 or 3...


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

.  Onto the tube for a few stops and back into the city centre..















One of my favourite pictures is this one of the Gherkin building ( real name 30 St Mary Axe)...It's hard to get a picture of the whole thing standing close to it...but standing far away means it's blocked by other buildings... It's essentially a commercial Glass skyscraper 41 storeys high, right in the middle of the financial district


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## Ken N Tx (Aug 4, 2015)

Lara said:


> Holy Smokes! These are spectacular Holly!! Such detail and color! I love the fountain droplets in stop action. Cool.





AZ Jim said:


> Beautiful pictures and lady in boots too!!  *Smile*





ndynt said:


> Wonderful pictures, Holly.  Such a beautiful park...enhanced by the lovely lady in boots.  Thank you for sharing your day with us.





SeaBreeze said:


> Absolutely loooved looking at your photos Holly, even the birds and squirrel were lovely!  Thanks for putting them up for us, made my day!  You look great too, those boots were made for walkin', huh? :love_heart:





applecruncher said:


> Great pics, Holly.   I agree with Lara - the colors and detail are fabulous.
> That squirrel was "posing"  haha!


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## SifuPhil (Aug 4, 2015)

How in the world can you call it an underground when there's no graffiti? 

Cinnamon pretzel bread - yum!


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## Ameriscot (Aug 4, 2015)

I love the Chinese restaurant!  It's so nice to wander around London in nice weather.  Too bad our next trip has to be in early November as our Ugandan daughter is overdue for a trip there.  I doubt she'll be able to wear anything like this then!


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## Lara (Aug 4, 2015)

She's beautiful and so is the photography.


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## Ameriscot (Aug 4, 2015)

Lara said:


> She's beautiful and so is the photography.



Thanks!  Yes, she is.


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## Glinda (Aug 4, 2015)

Holly, these are all so beautiful.  So many of them bring back memories of previous trips to my favorite city - or should I say favourite city?  I hope to visit London again next year and this makes me that much more determined.  Thanks for posting!


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## applecruncher (Aug 4, 2015)

Ahh I missed the cinnamon pretzel bread. Yum indeed!


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

Blimey Annie, your daughter looks freezing on such a cloudy day..LOL...beautiful but cold.. 

Phile...lots of graffiti in many other places and out on the overground bridges and walls etc...graffiti on the underground trains used to be a problem but it was tackled in various ways and now we rarely get it, and when we do it's cleaned up ASAP ... http://www.btp.police.uk/advice_and_information/how_we_tackle_crime/graffiti.aspx


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

Glinda I'm glad that's whetted your appetite for your upcoming trip next year...another member here is coming to London this month from the US and they've loved the pictures of regents park too, and hope to get a chance to visit..

AC...you should have smelled the aroma from that little bakery shop...it was deeeelicious!!

I'll put the last few pictures on  shortly..!!


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## Ameriscot (Aug 4, 2015)

hollydolly said:


> Blimey Annie, your daughter looks freezing on such a cloudy day..LOL...beautiful but cold..
> 
> Phile...lots of graffiti in many other places and out on the overground bridges and walls etc...graffiti on the underground trains used to be a problem but it was tackled in various ways and now we rarely get it, and when we do it's cleaned up ASAP ... http://www.btp.police.uk/advice_and_information/how_we_tackle_crime/graffiti.aspx



The clouds were deceptive.  It was hot or she wouldn't be wearing that.  She thinks 20C is too cold and wears many, many layers most of the time. It was July 2010.

Couldn't find the temp on the day I took the photo, but on 9 July 2010 the high temp hit 31C.  There were a couple of weeks of higher than normal temps that month.


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

Just a few more around the streets...

A square with cobbled streets  surrounding Covent Garden indoor market which is beautiful with restaurants and quaint little shops inside.....lots of street entertainers here of all types.. to the right of this picture is the London Transport Museum 












Inside the market are many little original shops and traders as well as the restaurants and bars...and this is the oldest and now rarest snuff and  tobacco shop in the UK I believe..







A hovering street entertainer...


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

China town ( Soho)...never looks very nice during the day, but comes alive at night...sorry no night photos..












St Martins Lane Piccadilly
















That's all for now folks....hope you've enjoyed a day trip around a little part of my world..


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## AZ Jim (Aug 4, 2015)

Ok!  I give up!  How does he do it?????  I refer to the street entertainer of course.


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

I know LOL...we were totally stumped...looking for all sorts of wires or poles but nothing...unlike this girl around the corner where you could see a pole...


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## Falcon (Aug 4, 2015)

Thanks Holly for all the wonderful photos.  SO enlightening; the busy streets, how the people dress, those AMAZING  sleek
double-decker buses etc.


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

Thank you Falcon...I'm pleased you've enjoyed this little visit..


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## Shirley (Aug 4, 2015)

Fabulous pictures, Holly! What's with the shoes?  I'm fascinated by the people. Do you ever "People read?"  I notice that there are no obese people. Don't y'all have fat people over there?


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## hollydolly (Aug 4, 2015)

Thanks Shirley....oooh I just loved the quirkiness of the shoes in the shop in Camden town. Camden market has always been the place to go if you wanted something a little different from the norm..not so much these days because of the internet I suppose but still little quirky bits here and there. 

Oh yes we have overweight people here..in the UK, some parts of the country have more than others, there's not a huge amount around these parts...and it's so expensive to live here in the London area I don't think anyone can afford to eat enough to get fat..  I think I might only be _Half_ kidding..


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 4, 2015)

Holly, you're a sweetie to show me a boots were made for walkin' pic! :love_heart:  Thanks for sharing such wonderful photos of places I will never see in person, just fantastic!  Ameriscot, your daughter is such a lovely young lady, great pic!


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## Ameriscot (Aug 5, 2015)

Thanks SB!

In the UK I see a lot more grossly obese people than when I moved here in 2000. 

Holly, I've never been to the Camden markets but have been to Covent Garden a few times.


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## Temperance (Aug 6, 2015)

Just beautiful  Holly, loved all your photos.  Felt as if I was there.  Thank you for sharing.


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## Mike (Aug 7, 2015)

Your London is a lot different from the area
that I live in Hollydolly, great pictures.

Mike.


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## hollydolly (Aug 7, 2015)

Not _my_ London Mike , central London which of course you must recognise...I live in rural Herts..  which side of London are you on..


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## Mike (Aug 7, 2015)

I am in Croydon, Hollydolly.

I also lived in Herfordshire several years ago.

Mike.


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## hollydolly (Aug 7, 2015)

Oh Croydon...south London/ Surrey borders.?..yes completely different to central London..


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## Ameriscot (Aug 7, 2015)

Mike said:


> I am in Croydon, Hollydolly.
> 
> I also lived in Herfordshire several years ago.
> 
> Mike.



I lived in Herts as well for a short time.  Stanstead Abbotts.  Husband worked in Enfield.

I only know Croydon as the place my visa stuff was posted to.


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## hollydolly (Aug 7, 2015)

Enfield of course is not in Hertfordshire, it used to be in Middlesex but it's now Greater London (North london)  I know Stanstead Abbots very well as you know.. it's not far from me..


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## Ameriscot (Aug 7, 2015)

hollydolly said:


> Enfield of course is not in Hertfordshire, it used to be in Middlesex but it's now Greater London (North london)  I know Stanstead Abbots very well as you know.. it's not far from me..



Aye, in what used to be called Middlesex.  Husband had a house in Broxbourne before Stanstead Abbotts.


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## hollydolly (Aug 7, 2015)

Yes I know Broxbourne very well too...we sometimes go to the crown Pub by the river Lea on a summers' day...


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## Mike (Aug 8, 2015)

Ameriscot said:


> I only know Croydon as the place my visa stuff was posted to.



Everybody in the World who comes here has to deal with the Home Office
here in Croydon.
Walking through the shopping centre you will hear more other languages
than English.

I lived in Ickleford for a while in the 90s.

Mike.


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## hollydolly (Aug 8, 2015)

Oh I know Ickleford,  near Hitchin,..completely the other side of the county to me... gotta say with all due respect I wouldn't live in Croydon if I was paid..no offence intended.


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## Ameriscot (Aug 8, 2015)

Mike said:


> Everybody in the World who comes here has to deal with the Home Office
> here in Croydon.
> Walking through the shopping centre you will hear more other languages
> than English.
> ...



I never actually had to go to Croydon but posted my visa applications there.


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## Kadee (Aug 8, 2015)

Ameriscot said:


> I never actually had to go to Croydon but posted my visa applications there.


We have a suburb in Adelaide called Croydon it's close to the city


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## hollydolly (Aug 8, 2015)

Croydon England was a suburb of the county of Surrey once  but is now the largest Borough of South London..


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## Bobw235 (Aug 8, 2015)

Really nice shots here Holly.  Well done!  Gives a great view of the area.  I visited Regents Park many years ago and have fond memories of the area.  Thanks for posting.


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## hollydolly (Aug 8, 2015)

Thank you Bob...glad you enjoyed them


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## Mike (Aug 8, 2015)

hollydolly said:


> Croydon England was a suburb of the county of Surrey once  but is now the largest Borough of South London..



Although it is the largest borough in London Hollydolly,
the postal address is still Surrey.

I am still in Croydon because I can't afford to move out!

Mike.


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