// DAY ONE

// DAY TWO

The best travel companions! Please do yourself a favour and find these two on the internet and Instagram (@welikewelove & @syuhas) and get inspired!

Looking down…

Looking up…

Park Guell

I asked her if I could take her out for an afternoon around London and shoot some portraits of her and her beautiful hair. This is the result. Amazing how London just lights up in the sunshine! These were taken in and around the canals at Regent’s Park.

x elyse

“‘Dear old world,’ she murmured, ‘you are very lovely,
and I am glad to be alive in you.’” — Anne Shirley

The next few shots are from a recent trip to Barcelona.

Thanks as well to @vscocam for their awesome iPhone app. Love the colours I can now get with my phone!

1. The people

There are few places in the world where you feel so fully free to express all the quirks of who you are. Londoners fit into different distinct categories and yet no category at all. That’s the beauty of it. Everyone lives in the juxtaposition of this city. Neither traditional yet rooted deeply in tradition. Creative and carefree but reserved and down-to-earth. I love watching people and I just long to hear their stories because this city is full of the most beautiful people!

A street market vendor setting up on Leather Lane.

Mans' best friends.

Daily commuters.

2. The clouds

A lot of the time, the clouds in London form a thick barrier between us and the glory that we call the sun. I checked, and London gets 1500 hours of sunshine annually. Okay, so that’s not a lot. But in the evening, for that 20 minutes or 2 hours when the sun is lower in the sky, the clouds are stunning. Big, and fluffy, and riding along the wind, constantly changing. They are beautiful and definitely photo worthy. I love the clouds here!

The clouds this evening from my flat.

Clouds near King's Cross.

Cloudy afternoon at the bus stop.

3. The unending list of things to do and see

I think I could live in London the rest of my life and still only experience 1/4 of what is going on. Maybe even less! There’s a saying by Samuel Johnson, “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life” and it’s most likely true. (There’s even a book dedicated to this!) There is no better place to explore all the things you enjoy and learn more about what you like. With amazing theatre, dance, galleries, parks, gyms, cycling, fields, festivals, shows, concerts, pubs, restaurants, cafes, museums, palaces, conferences, courses, and cinemas, it always just comes down to, “what do YOU want to do.” It’s really amazing. I feel like I have been given the opportunity to really define what ELYSE likes simply based on the amazing choice here. I can really do whatever I want!

Sufjan Stevens performing at the Barbican Centre with Nico Muhly and Bryce Dessner.

Reflecting at the Saatchi Gallery.

Glass bottles from the Wellcome Collection.

4. The opportunities

Similar to New York or other amazing big cities in the world, London is full of opportunities to make your dreams come true. You have to work for it (and I’m still working on it) but in this city, I can see it! You can see people living out their own dreams and it spurs you on to keep pursuing yours. As a photographer, there’s so many magazines, newspapers, and designers always on the lookout for new talent. Not only that, but there are over 7 million people in this city, and so much history, just waiting for me to photograph it! The opportunities are there, you just have to make the effort to make it happen.

Oh hey London! @ The Wellcome Collection

London, city of dreams!

5. The history

It goes without saying, but I love living in a city that has seen so much for thousands of years. And you really can sometimes recall Jane Austen’s London or the streets the Charles Dickens described or the reign of ancient kings or the footsteps of Romans. There are little reminders all over the city. I always say when I am showing friends around the city, “just imagine all the dead people you’re probably walking on!”. Morbid, I know. Absolutely fascinating, indeed! I actually saw a book recently at the Wellcome Collection that was all about all the hidden cemeteries and burial grounds around London and then had a collection of photos of what stood on those spots now. It was things like council houses and random street corners. The idea of walking over all those people gives me a thrill.

Leather Lane Market, one of many street markets that has been around for hundreds of years.

Crossing Waterloo Bridge.

Farringdon Station, one of the world's oldest underground stations.

At this point, I have been in London for four months, and there are probably more things on the “what I miss about Canada” list than this one. But this list is growing. And London is home and I love calling London home.

x

elyse

I’ll be moving into the Hammersmith area in a month and I love the neighbourhood. Close to the river, parks, and so many little places yet to discover! Thanks to Simon for snapping this when I wasn’t paying attention!

One of the things I have learned with my recent travels is this: seize ever opportunity that comes your way. This isn’t a Europe lesson. This isn’t a traveling lesson. This is a life lesson.

I decided to take the train for my trip to Amsterdam. It’s quickly become my second favourite way to travel. Second only to driving myself! Scratch that, it’s equal to driving in that, while I can’t stop whenever I like to snap a quick photo, I also am not distracted by driving and can read and enjoy the journey.

On the way to London, I had a connection in Brussels that was “unfortunately” delayed which caused me to miss my connection. “What’s that? I can have two hours to explore Brussels!? Yes!” The more… let’s say, cautious… traveler would have taken this time to stay close to the station, find some free wifi, and catch up on emails. That was not what I was meant for. I immediately threw my bags into storage, hastily grabbed one camera, my phone and charger, wallet, and started walking away from the station.

My initial route found me in a less-than-desirable part of town. A bit rumpled around the edges. I chose not to flash my camera around to everyone there. Having absolutely no idea where I was in the city, my first plan was to find a map. Any map. “Do you sell maps? No? Can you tell me where I am? Oh, nowhere near the center? Oh, okay, no problem!” So, I hopped on the Metro. Again, having no clue where I would really end up. I just picked a station off the Metro map with a church. There always seems to be a church in the centre of the city.

And this is how I found myself wandering through Brussels for an hour in the middle of a crazy thunderstorm. And I was so happy! Not only do I love thunderstorms, I love getting lost. Yes, that’s right. Getting lost. Because you always come to that amazing moment when you find exactly where you are.

I’m also happy to report that I did, indeed, make it back to my train on time.

The following are from my “real” camera taken around Grand Place (a big grand square) in the middle of Brussels.

This is what happens when you let someone else take your photo. I still kind of like them though…

A few of my iPhone shots for good measure…

‘When you can look me in the eyes, I’ll take you for tea and scones.’

So, she did. And while I kept growing up, we’ve managed to find a few times to continue the tradition. Tea and scones. A very small part of my British heritage.

While in Edinburgh, Chelsea and I stumbled upon a little tea house, tucked away at the end of the main street. Named after Robbie Burns’ lover, Clarinda, the tea house had all the charm of your grandmother’s house. It was vintage in the most untrendy way. And we liked it that way. Our tea and scones may not have been on TimeOut’s top ten list, but the view of our recent hike up Arthur’s seat through the window, and the cluttered, homey feel of the room, made me feel right at home.

xx

It was a wonderful reminder of all these things to spend a few days with the stunning — inside and out! — Chelsea, another designer/traveler from home and also, now, a dear friend. A reminder too, of the honest hearts you meet along the way.