I decided it was time to update my camera from a Canon EOS 70D to the latest model in the same class, the EOS 90D. At the same time I decided to invest in a macro lens, which has been on my wish list for a little while. Naturally, I needed to give it a test run, so Sunday morning I took a little walk around the Botanic Gardens for the obligatory macro lens flower photo shoot. Here are my favourites.
A walk with Em in Belair National Park. Lots of golden wattle - after all, it is officially Wattle Day. Busy bees captured at work. A lovely day.
Emily and I spent a lovely Father's Day together today. First up was a photo stroll through the cool Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens. Then a massive but delicious lunch at Seasonal in Hahndorf.
Today I leave London for my little Scandinavian adventure. The sky in London is beautiful and blue this morning. Would have been great for photos. Oh well. I'll be back. I got myself organised fairly quickly. My plan was to get a taxi to St Pancras station then the train to Luton Airport for my flight.
Once again, the taxi driver was very amiable and talkative. Such a nice experience. My primary reason for catching he train was for the scenery. If I took a taxi all the way I figured I'd probably only see motorway. Once at the station it took a bit of figuring out but I got to the platform and boarded my train. At first the view was just the usual inner city landscape, but then it opened up to wide fields and small towns.
At Luton Airport Parkway we needed to change to a shuttle bus to get to the airport. Trying to get my back onto the luggage rack in the bus was a challenge but I got there with a little help. At the bag drop counter I discovered my bag was just on 20kg which is my limit for these short flights. The books I've bought already have really added to the weight.
I was at the airport early so had just about an hour to wait. I'd rather be at the airport early than have to worry about missing a flight. But it did remind me that flying in the middle of the day wastes so much of the day. If I had flown later I would have been able to do something in London in the morning. While waiting for my flight I reflected on how I was about to immerse myself in non-English speaking lands again. I haven't done that for an extended period since my trip in 2013.
The flight up was a bit bumpy. The plane was an A319 and its noises were unfamiliar to me. I have to confess it was a bit unnerving. But eventually it settled down and I got a good view of some rain in the distance then some English countryside.
Somewhere around the North Sea or Denmark we crossed these islands.
Before crossing the island where Copenhagen is.
The airport is huge and I took ages just to walk to the exit and through passport check. As with leaving Australia and entering the UK I seemed to draw some extra attention that warranted a little "interrogation". Just specific questions about what I was planning to do and why I was there. Not everyone appeared to get these questions. I guess a middle aged man travelling all that way on his own on holiday might not be common?
Eventually I was reunited with my bag and any lingering concerns about flying with easyJet were dispelled. Despite some bad ratings I've had a great experience with them both times.
As with London, I decided to catch the train into central Copenhagen and then a taxi to the apartment hotel. Of course this time was trickier due to language but I made it without hitch. The trains seem much roomier than the English trains and very new. It only took about 15 minutes and before long I was in a taxi. I managed to communicate the address to the driver successfully only to discover his English was as good as mine. Another very amiable and talkative driver too. I had been told that most people here speak English well and that certainly seems to be the case so far.
I'm staying in an apartment hotel which means I've got a bit more space and facilities to make my own breakfast and meals if I want. But there's also a restaurant and bar too.
The weather in Copenhagen was grey, about 6 degrees and damp. By this time it was around 4:30 so after checking in I rushed to get some warmer clothes on and head out to explore.
Right next to the hotel is Kastallet which appears to have been an old fortification but is now mainly a public space with barracks in the centre.
As in London, I came across trees in blossom.
After exploring the grounds I walked towards some docks and came across this incredibly intricate sculpture.
Nearby I noticed dragons at the top of the light poles. Later, at dinner, I would notice dragons in a different design on other light poles. Must have some significance. I will investigate.
By now it was nearly 6:30pm and I was starting to get hungry. So I headed back. On the way, I came across this family.
There's a supermarket on the corner of the hotel's block so I popped in for breakfast supplies. With a little guesswork I (hopefully) managed to work out the fat and sugar content labels in order to make some healthy choices (and I successfully resisted the muesli with chocolate pieces)
Dinner in the hotel restaurant was in order before a relatively early night.
After a big breakfast I headed out. First task was to visit Royal Albert Hall. It's only 10 min walk away and I wanted to see if I could get a ticket for a concert that night. I'd tried getting the ticket while still in Adelaide but I wouldn't work. On the way I walked past the Albert memorial. I've seen it before, but at that moment the sun was perfect and the gold glistened. I stopped to take some pictures but had to play cat and mouse with the sun hiding behind the clouds before I was able to get the shot I wanted.
I turned around and there was the Royal Albert Hall.
After finding the box office I managed to secure a ticket. More details on that later. After that I headed off through Hyde Park. The trees are just beginning to blossom.
The temperature was around 8 degrees but I felt comfortable apart from the occasional bursts of bracing wind. There were plenty of joggers out in the park. Some people riding horses too. Although I wasn't really heading anywhere in particular at first I got off track. My journey took me past some new buildings allowing me to indulge my love of photographing geometrical architecture.
Before long I was at the Thames and I had to duck for cover from a few spots of rain. I headed back north and finished up at Covent Garden looking through the markets. There was one stall with some lovely photos of London. I'll go back to get some when I return to London at the end of the trip.
Saturday was St George's Day which is England's national day. There was a festival in Trafalgar Square so I headed there next. It wasn't quite what I expected but it was fun all the same.
While sitting by one of the fountains in the square I noticed the statues in a pool. Can't say I've taken much notice before but this expression caught my eye.
After some food and watching the entertainment I decided to slowly head back to the hotel. My feet were killing me and I was planning to have a nap before the concert. Feeling some slight effects of jet lag. I took the route past Buckingham Palace. All through London I've seen preparations for the London Marathon which is on Sunday. Around the palace was the most activity. I think it finishes there.
As well as blossom I noticed there are tulips everywhere. I saw a couple of beds in Hyde Park as well as the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Back in the hotel I crawled into bed for a little doze. When the alarm went off I was feeling heavy but managed to wake myself up with some strong coffee and get ready to head out. The concert was starting at 7:30 which was nice and civilised. I grabbed some sushi for dinner. After pigging out all day it was nice to have something light. Then off to the hall. I'll write about that in my next post.
