Funny Foto Freitag - UFO's Be There!

UFO's Ahead.
Or more precisely, just ONE UFO.

I wish I could say exactly where this was. I think somewhere in Britz.
Usually this sign just has a "U" on it for Umleitung (detour).
Someone must have put the "F" and "O" on the sign to be funny.

Been reading:

• Frustrated Berlin commuters discover pedal power - I love it! Personally I like my two-wheeler to have a motor, but I really LOVE my bike too!
• Gay activists: Marriage secondary to basic rights - This is what I'm waiting for. This right to marry and to be a soldier make no sense/difference to me. Give me the right to be on the same level with everyone else and I will once again feel like a human in America.
• Spain on high alert after bombs - Oh my GAWD, Germany's 17th state is bombed. Majorca is often joked to be part of Germany, especially in summer due to the high amount of German tourists who flock there.

Random Tuesday - Whoa, really random!

Round and round she goes... where she stops, nooooooobooodddy knows!

First off... Billy Joel and Elton John are touring together again. SO far there are no tour dates listed in Europe although Elton will be in Dusseldorf alone on the day before we are taking off on holiday. Sorry, I don't see it happening.

I've never seen Billy Joel although I have every one of his albums, many in 2nd or 3rd generation (you know, started with 8-Track, then to LP, cassette, CD ... dammit no more medium switching, it is expensive!). I've even worn an LP (that's one of those round shiny black things for you kiddies out there) completely out. A friend of mine joked that he could see through it. Ha Ha, funny. NOT.

Elton is another story. When he was behind on some bills and needed the money he actually started hitting the smaller cities and Wichita, KS was one of them. The show was thoroughly enjoyable and simply whetted my appetite to see both on the stage at the same time.

Last night I finally had a chance to visit the new Hooters in my world. Those of you who know me know that I would happily live on the delectable wing treats for the rest of my life.

Thankfully it wasn't disappointing. The wings are a bit smaller than I remember them to be in the States, but still satisfying. Unexpectedly it didn't seem that the "spice" had been tamed down for the more sensitive German palate... good for them. The beer on offer (Berliner Pilsner) was a lot weaker than I normally like my beers to be, (I'm a dark girl in more ways than one) and they didn't have Coke Zero for No, which was a downside on her part.

We went with a lesbian couple who had also endured the sneering of their coworkers about how we were going to Hooters "for the wings" (wink, wink). Oh well, it was fun and really the vibe of the place is nice. It struck me how many families were there, but it makes sense. The waitress said that there have been MANY tourists come to check the place out. (wouldn't have anything to do with the incredible amount of money spent on outdoor billboard advertising, would it? ... nah)

Afterward we took a walk through the nearby park and had a lovely time. May I just say that the relaxed Marijuana laws in Germany have made sitting by the banks of the river on a quiet evening a different experience? As we walked along there must have been 5 or 6 groups quietly smoking the pungent herb. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Give me a stoner any day over a drunk. Very rarely are they belligerent or nasty, they are less likely to do the truely gross things a drunk will do such as puking or pissing in public and the nature of the drug makes the user more calm and relaxed. "Hey dude, let's go toss that homeless guy... Nah, I just wanna lie here and stare at the sky for a few more hours."

My Sweet No let it slip that last weekend was the start of the German-American Folksfest here in Berlin. Last year I took the opportunity to go with that Queer Expatriate, Adam, who seemed to enjoy himself. This year I may have to go alone if I can't find any takers. My darling wife just isn't much for this whole goofy carnival thing.

The planning for the London Olympics in 2012 is coming along fine. I would REALLY like to go. Do I stand a chance? Is it simply going to be too expensive? Will Michael Phelps be there?

Do you remember the opening sequence of the Jodie Foster movie "Contact"? It started by showing the Earth from above with a soundtrack of a jumbled mixture of current (as of the making of the movie of course) songs and news texts, then proceeded to back away from the Earth as the sound bites become older and older, eventually fading away into complete silence as we pass through the Asteroid Belt out the Milky Way Galaxy and into open space and past what looks like thousands of other galaxies. All of this to give you the idea/impression/realization that our broadcasts were all going into space, and any interstellar traveler or resident alien could find himself snuggling up to a "rerun but first-run" of Gilligan's Island.

Now thanks to the Heidelbergerin who used a blog post to throw up a bunch of links, my browser got pointed in the direction of a map showing where our favorite shows will be by now when allowing for the speed of sound... well, and a healthy bit of suspension of reality. But kinda fun to think about, eh?

Speaking of Heidelberg, No and I will be visiting there over the weekend and into Monday. Anybody in the area up for some English conversation and possible sight-seeing? IS there sight-seeing in Heidelberg? Is there something we shouldn't miss?

No always says that it is a big German joke that ALL Americans are familiar with Heidelberg. OK, so I have to admit that my father was stationed in the area during the Cold War. Yes, I've sat through my share of slide shows of his travels in mystical Europe.

I don't think we will have a car, or I would insist on driving over to Idar-Oberstein to take a promised photo. When I moved to Germany I promised my Dad that I would get another shot of the Felsenkirche for him - one of his favorite pictures was ruined by a friend who tried to copy it.

Been reading:

• Call her the diva of diving - Evelyn Dudas, a "living legend" of the deep.
  
• The 411 on the German health care system by Jentry - (OMG SOCIALIZED MEDICINE... RUN TO THE HILLS!!) and how it is working quite well, thank you.
  
• ClickClackGorilla - a lovely blogger who left the craziness of commercialization behind and lives on the refuse of others.
  
• Concert Summer - This year I'm going to go to some of these performances, come hell or high water!
  
• Biggest-Ever Bauhaus Exhibition in Berlin - I never really got the spirit of the Bauhaus movement. I think I'll work on getting to this exhibition and seeing if I can understand the big deal.
  
• 12 IAAF World Championships in Athletics - There hasn't been much advertisement (or even talk) about this excellent event. Too bad. Because it is going to be cool.
  

OK, so there ya have it. Head on over to the UnMom for her take on the Random Tuesday Madness and see how it is REALLY done.

Just because I want to, I leave you with this giggle brought to me courtesy of Goofball who just celebrated her 1000th post.

Gauklerfest Berlin 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen, Lasses and Lads, Step right up and gather 'round for the most fun festival in Berlin! The Berlin Gauklerfest is back and we had the chance to enjoy it last night for the first and hopefully not the last time of the week.

"Walk right up and buy your tickets!" The three Euro entrance fee gives the visitor a chance to sample Berlin's finest festival fare on Am Opernpalais. We enjoy sipping drinks to live music on one of four stages, last night's choice was a Dixieland/Swing band named Jazzin' Hot Fellows. Before and after such entertainments we enjoy strolling through the market and taking a look at all the well-chosen handicraft tents. I say well-chosen because there isn't the normal cheap crap here. A majority of these items are hand-crafted and high quality. I've got my eye on a necklace (of course) and No is thinking about a cool new pen holder for her desk.

If you give LEO (I love LEO and don't know what I would do without him) a spin on the word Gaukler you get the translations "juggler" and "imposter". This is what sets the Gauklerfest apart from other street festivals, the entertainment offered is so much more interesting. All along the paths are street performers such as magicians and fire-eaters working to entertain the crowd. Some of them aren't so obvious until you fall victim to one specializing in tomfoolery and find yourself the butt of the joke. Others are like this spectacular fellow who wore a plastic suit, funky contacts and performed a robot-like skit to music, complete with dying as the music came to an end.

What really trips my trigger about the Gauklerfest are the edible treats. No and her mother usually head directly for the sheep cheese in sauce tucked into a thick pita, while FIL makes his way to the nearest Wurst stand. I however, am a Dresdner Handbrot kinda girl!

This wonderful concoction is a most fantastic type of bread pre-filled with cheese and your choice of Schinken (ham) or mushrooms. They then bake it in a large wood oven right there on the premises.

Here is Mr. "I don't move very fast because I have hot work" as he pulls a sheet of bread from the oven and begins to cut it into already pre-set sizes.

This is the point at which he ladles Sauerrahm (sour cream) into the areas where the bread has split while cooking, and then sprinkles chives and a little bit of either Schinken or Champignon (mushrooms).

He is almost done, the smell is quite enticing by this point. This time we stood in line about 10 minutes and watched the way he worked. Let's just say that he knows his oven is slowing down the process, and he takes advantage of this. In a way he is nice, looking at each and every customer, and having a nice exchange with some as he works his magic. The handing out process is horribly slow if you ask me, but once again, he can sell them only so fast anyway. Otherwise people are standing around waiting for the next batch to come out of the oven.

Finally it is MY TURN! As I said, he hands out the nectar of the GODS with a smile on his face... but not half as big as the smile on my face!

4 Euro ($5.68) is what this handsome little devil costs, up .50 from last year, but who is counting anything but the minutes before I get to enjoy this wonderful treat again?

Don't you touch my Dresdner Handbrot!
What? No! Get your own!




When: 24 Jul - 2 Aug 2009 (annual)
Where: Am Opernpalais
Cost: €3; evening ticket from 10pm €1.80; under 14s free
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri from 4pm; Sat & Sun from 2pm
Website: http://www.gauklerfest.de/
Address:
5 Unter den Linden 10109
Directions:
By U-Bahn: to Friedrichstrasse.
By S-Bahn: all east-west S-Bahn lines to Friedrichstrasse.

Photo Friday - Shadow

The good folks over at Photo Friday have given me another chance to pull out an old favorite. The theme is "Shadow" and the shadows you see in the picture above are of the warm, silky kind I like so much. It might be best viewed as large or even black.

This was taken on a winter visit to my Mother who lives in Tempe, Arizona. Tempe is one of the suburbs which make up Phoenix in the Valley of the Sun. Ahhh the SUN! For me this is the world of the glowing gold orb, the unrelenting, cruel, tenacious sun that rules over this valley so fiercely.

As is often the case with something that rules your life so completely, when the sun starts to go away, the tone of the day begins to change. This picture was taken in the last few moments of sunlight in the valley. I was walking along the downtown area specifically for the purpose of loading up a memory card as the day was waning. People coming out into the streets, lights over outdoor cafes being swtiched on, the noises of the day had started to become more prounced in the gathering gloom of darkness.

But here and there the sun was still peeking through the taller buildings to land on sweet spots such as this little bridge leading to the rather strange upside-down pyramid which is the Tempe City Building. Strolling across the bridge, the sparkle of the sidewalk hit my eye. The camera seemed to pull me down into a crouch to get into a good position for the image. Once I was almost on my knees I felt the need to tilt a bit to get as much of that fantastic shadow as possible. Then comes the decision on where to focus. Do you focus on the bridge and the show of light? Perhaps taking a clear image of the sidewalk and allowing the bridge to bokeh out is best. After taking 3 varieties of image, this is the one I decided for in the end. Sometimes it is hardest to know on the spot when you've got the image just right. It is even harder when faced with the raw photo in post-production.

In the end I got what I wanted, something that showed off that glorious golden light!

As I write this entry, the valley is experiencing temperatures climbing into the 110 range (43c). Ladies and gentlemen, this is too hot for me, I don't know about you. But the winters are fantastic! This kid has really enjoyed having the chance to watch New Years Eve fireworks in shorts and a tee shirt. I could get used to it. Too bad the place is such a hellhole each summer.

See more of my Tempe pics.

See more entries or participate yourself by visiting Photo Friday.

Photo Friday - My Favorite Spot

Another of the Photo Friday entries. This one wants to know more about "My Favorite Spot" and the thought process took about .5 seconds. The Maldives! (wiki / my blog post) Of course! Now don't get me wrong, I love where I live, I love how I live, but when I want to envision peace, tranquility and pure enjoyment I think about our visit to Embudu Village in the southern atoll of the Maldives, nestled in the fantastic Indian Ocean.

The picture was taken on our first day in paradise. After settling into the bungalow which would be home for the next two weeks, we took our first steps in fluffy white sand, felt the cool breeze off the sea and enjoyed the warmth of the water. This picture was taken in those first precious moments as we walked a few steps away from the bungalow through the shade-giving coconut trees and directly onto the beach. As we dipped our toes in the bath water temperature sea I looked to my left and snapped this keepsake of our magical time in paradise. What a wonderful place, absolute relaxation was ours within hours.

With fast currents, a beautiful house reef and azure water with visibility at 100 meters, the diving was of course perfect, but the time I enjoyed most was the early morning. No and I started our days at the sun rise. She would jog around the island (around and around and around - it was about a half kilometer in circumference) and I would head out for the beach on my way to snorkeling on the house reef.

Imagine complete serenity, floating in the water face down, the night fish heading off to their hideyholes, the day fish waking up and catching the first food of the day. The parrotfish munching on the coral fills the ears with constant cracking and popping which becomes the background noise of the sea. Occasionally a small sting reminds you that the ocean is filled with little creatures with defenses against you and your kind, but they aren't too serious, and by the time the sun has come up the whole way, those little guys will be gone.

I saw huge eels which were twice as long as me coming back to the shallows from their nightly hunting grounds in the deep. There were huge Napolean fish slowly lumbering through the coral garden, dwarfing all the other skittering fish. My heart would pitter patter as I caught a glimpse of a Blackfooted Clownfish family, also known as Maldives Clownfish. He is the cousin of Nemo except his lower fins are black (insert black sheep of the family joke here) and his type is only found in the Maldives.



For more action I could come closer to the beach to watch the Black-tipped Reef Sharks in their early morning bid for small fry fish found in schools by the thousands in the shallows.



While diving we saw many beautiful things and encountered LOTS of fish, too many to mention here. Swimming is simply more fun when done with the Lionfish, Manta Rays, and Tangs, oh my!

Things which I had only seen in aquariums and books were swimming all around me filling my mask's narrowed field of vision. Ah yes, the Maldives were paradise above and BELOW water.


No surfacing after a low-key afternoon dive finding the sun is setting.

See more pictures of our Maldivian paradise.

See more entries or participate yourself by visiting Photo Friday.

On Harry and Hairy German Situations

I'm so excited that I'm a bit afraid I will burst. (well, not literally... come on... stop TAKING ME LITERALLY!)

Harry Potter and his crew of meddling Gryffindors are coming to a big screen near me... and I have tickets! Yeah, yeah I know it is a bit childish to be so excited, especially when this movie is about the book I liked the least out of the series. But I really enjoy Harry's world, and I look forward to stepping back into it this evening.

Tonight will also serve as another milestone. This evening after work as I make my way to the Harry Potter flick, Mimi (the name of my Vespa Scooter... don't you name your vehicles? you don't? silly you, it's more fun) and I will have logged a total of 3,000km (1,184 miles) since we being rescued from Scooter Hell in the fall of 2007. As we rolled to a stop this morning, her odometer read 2,999.06. All of that and my butt isn't even sore!

Speaking of Mimi adventures (and really, there are many although I don't chronicle them here for fear that my Sweet No will read them and forbid me from riding.), this morning I was getting petrol/gas/benzine (yeah, one five liter tank lasts over a week - love it!) I pulled up alongside a sexy-looking Mercedes two-seater. Behind slinky and brown was a 50-ish looking man holding a gas nozzle in that position which I've always thought was slightly suggestive.

As I hopped off and stowed my helmet I realized that he was scrutinizing me. When I reached up for a paper towel to help control drips while filling I stole a glance his way and I caught him unabashedly staring at me. OK, no worries... I just stared right back at him as I returned to the scooter. Mimi got her fill of gasoline and I went inside to pay. Walking out I was shocked to see that he was strolling directly toward me, still staring intently, with his body between me and the scooter.

With a raised eyebrow I asked him (auf Deutsch of course) if I could help him, as he was now in my way. He told me that he had something to discuss with me. I motioned to follow and then walked around him in an attempt to get back to Mimi and a possible weapon if need be - just joking there.

Soon I was listening to a long diatribe about how I had picked the wrong type of gasoline to put into the scooter. It seems that Mimi was getting the store brand which was designed for "special vehicles" with a number rating of 100 (who knows if it is an octane rating or not - Germany doesn't have "must display octane ratings" rules like America) and it simply would not do to put it into my Vespa. I didn't know the word for Octane so my response was probably rather cloudy to him, but my explanation centered around the fact that my scooter gets high octane gas (as recommended by the manufacturer) so that it goes faster and starts more smoothly.

Mr. slinky car seemed to accept my not-necessarily coherent explanation and went on his way which relieved me as he was really intense and even though he was nicely dressed, his way of acting was a bit strange to me.

Which begs the question... Why do Germans feel that it is their right - no, duty - to tell me what they think I am doing wrong? Crossing the street against the light, standing on the bus in the wrong area, queuing incorrectly (perceived) for the grocery store, biking on the sidewalk on my way to park, all of them are a reason for telling me what they think I should rather be doing. Ask any Ausländer Mother (from another country) about walking the streets of Berlin and being told that her child needs a hat, doesn't need a hat, should have a coat, shouldn't have a blanket, too much wind will give the child who knows what ailment, or even just that they shouldn't have a child that small on the back of a bicycle regardless of the efficiency of a child chair.

What makes Mr. I drive a piece of German engineering perfection such an expert about my Italian scooter when I'm quite positive that he's never been on such a low-tier vehicle in his adult life?

Random Tuesday - Slightly Chauvinistic version

Yes lads and ladies, it's time for another round on the random wheel. It seems as though my life is all random these days, it's been a busy few weeks. But let's give this a go and see if the stuff rattling 'round in my head can make it out through my fingers without sounding toooooo crazy.

This year's holiday spot for the Snooker and No will be both Tahiti and New Zealand. We will meet a friend on Tahiti and spend a good bit of our time there underwater taking in the incredible sea life. This morning I had a COOL video link in my mail to give me an idea of what awaits us in the ultra-blue waters around the atoll Rangiroa... ahem, sharks... lots of sharks... and LARGE WAVES (yes, I know it is a bit silly of me to be a diver and yet get seasick in big waves, but that's JUST the way it is - stop laughing), and bottle nose dolphins, did I mention the sharks?

Oh, and other things that made my heart skip in the past week. I dragged took Sweet No to Beelitz-Heilstätten Sanatorium (official German website) which in the early 1900's was the largest hospital complex in Europe. The fun part... it has been abandoned for 19 years! You guessed it, creepy! Photos from a Flickr group.

How do you get into a boarded up and abandoned building? Well, you hope that some enterprising punks have been there before you and have "paved" the way. Usually a window or a door has been broken or pried away from the building allowing access. In the case of this building we managed to get into a cellar window.

May I just tell you that falling into who knows what in the dark, with little or no ambient light, and having forgotten an important urban exploration tool (flashlight), we were treated with quite a heart pounder. Sweet No and I were walking blindly around the huge basement of a rotting corpse of a building trying to find a safe set of stairs leading upward with nothing but our cameras as a light source. (note, if you are ever in a similar dark situation, press your camera's "take picture" button down halfway - this throws out a quite bright light which is supposed to check for focus. COOL and in this case, a life saver)

The rotating gif is me not so gracefully climbing out of one such window. And no, my jeans were not green... by this time of the day however they were quite dusty and still very blue. Gifs just suck that way.

We spent over two hours investigating just ONE BUILDING out of 60! Yes, it was illegal, yes it was like something out of a horror movie, yes we got dirty and dusty, (and the Monk side of No came out BIG TIME!) yes I filled up a 2GB memory card with photos which by and large remain unedited, yes I will post more of them Flickr, yes I will blog more about the entire experience, and YES it was FUN! I'm digging this urban exploration thing and will do it again.

I'm reading a book by R.J. Ellory named "A Simple Act of Violence" which is a crime-thriller wrapped around a secret program of the C.I.A. where trained killers are sent out to eradicate enemies, heads of state, up & coming people of power, and whoever else they deem necessary. The story itself goes back to Nicaragua and the Manuel Norriega scandal - Contras, drugs and Oliver North. How fracking interesting to see this crap popping into the news cycle all revolving around Puppetmaster Dick Cheney and his secret group of trained C.I.A. killers and how it was all kept on the lowdown by Tricky Dick II.

Sidenote... This book is excellent. I think I'm in love with this R.J. Ellory guy. The first book I read was "A Quiet Belief in Angels" which I think I sailed through in about 3 days - all of that while working and having a life.... I'm not sure I slept during that time.

Speaking of books that I inhaled... Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is coming out at the theaters this week!!! Whoo Hooo! Yes, I'm a total spaz. (see how easily I revert back to the 80's?) Yes, I already have my tickets. And YES I plan to see it more than once. Duh!

Prepare... I'm going to mention the King of Pop. For those wanting out, just skip to the next paragraph. OK, for those two still reading... We all know that Michael Jackson spent the last part of his life trying to keep the faces and lives of his children out of the media. Has anybody given it a second thought that over his dead body the kids were trotted out onto the stage at his memorial service... by his loving family? Isn't it interesting to find out that Prince (who names their kid that, come ON) and Paris are not biologically his?

On to other things which are happening this week which excite me yet probably don't do anything for anyone else... Berlin is getting its first HOOTERS! Yes, I know it is basically a shitty American restaurant known for its mega-breasted waitresses in orange spandex and required to wear hose no matter how hot it is. Yes, I know that it is a step backward on the evolutionary scale for womankind as a whole. But do you know that they have the best wings in this world?

OK, now it is official... I can stay in Berlin the rest of my life. No longer do I have to fill the refrigerators of my family with delectable hot wings every time I go back to visit the States... No longer do I have to explain my strange love of ranch dressing (not available in Germany) to my family. Now I can have my (10 hot and 10 three mile island, thank you) wings in the privacy of my own home! Whoo hooo! Don't hate me because of my love of GOOD WINGS!

In slightly related news: brothels (totally legal) in Germany are being hard hit by the crappy world-wide economy. As a promotion stunt, a Berlin brothel owner is offering a discount to anyone arriving by bicycle. What a riot!

Is anyone else worried that the U.S. Budget gap has now topped $1 trillion?

Speaking of lots of money going into the air... The Pyromusikale kept the skies close to my home quite bright and LOUD this past weekend. I live very close to the Airport Tempelhof which was the staging point for the HUGE fireworks competition.

Really it kind of snuck up on us. We had forgotten that it was even going to happen... that is until around 10.00 pm on Thursday night when two of the largest explosions I've ever heard rattled our windows and caused things to move about in our living room prompting the following stimulating conversation: Snooker to No, "Whoa, what was that?" No to Snooker, "I have no idea but it was LOUD!". These booms were followed shortly by the telltale signs of further fireworks, thus bringing us to the conclusion that there were no buildings being bombed (Berliners are a little skittish that way) and we were going to be treated to some lovely noises for a few minutes. HA! That night it went on 40 minutes. Not bad if you are outside enjoying them, (can't see them from our balcony or windows on the other side, too many trees and our building is facing the wrong way) but if you are trying to sleep on a work night, um... not so nice.

The next night was even longer, I think it lasted over an hour, but this competitor wasn't using the BIG boomers, just the normal ones. Finally on Saturday night I managed to be at home and have some time, so my FIL and I walked to the nearest vantage point (of course I got pictures, just no really nice ones) and enjoyed an hour of world-class fireworks. Next year, I will pay the 25 Euro entrance fee and be on the field for this festival of fireworks and music!

OK, so there ya have it. Head on over to the UnMom for her take on the Random Tuesday Madness and see how she manages time travel... No Doubt.

Photo Friday - Big and Small

An entry for Photo Friday with the theme "Big and Small"
It isn't necessarily very artistic. It isn't really very good.
But for me it was a moment in time.

I was on a whirlwind trip of London. Really I would be there for only a few hours, and I'd decided to spend them seeing as much of the city as I could. The weather was absolutely fabulous for an April day in a city known for rainy/crappy/cool weather. The tour bus I was on took me through the major touristy points of the city and allowed me to get off and on as I wished. This is the aspect I love the most. When the bus stops I get off and walk a two square block area, just taking it all in. By the time I get back to the bus stop, the next bus is ready to whisk me off to more discoveries.

This particular shot was taken from the bus itself (thank goodness for the open top double-decker). To tell you the absolute truth I cannot even pinpoint exactly where this is. (Perhaps a more frequent visitor could help with that?)

As we tooled around a corner these two HUGE lion sculptures took over the landscape with a couple hundred itty bitty people milling around. When we drew closer my eyes focused on this young man and girl sitting at the foot of one of them.

In my imagination (I freely admit that it is WAY overactive), they are brother and sister. His mom made him put her up there and then he popped up there himself for a quick photo by his frantic parents. In an exaggerated attempt to look cool, the young man draws a sip from his Coke can. Thinking that she should also try to fit in with this coolness, his little sister begins to tap her thighs to an imaginary beat.

For me "big and small" is not only the lion juxtaposed against the humans... but also the two kids with about ten years in between, on a trip with mom and dad, posed at the foot of a huge statue, trying their best to act nonchalant and give their parents guilt because they are so obviously not having any fun.

See more entries or participate yourself by visiting Photo Friday.
See more of the London photos.