Get Blogged @ Cybergate9.Net

I decided not to do London for New Years eve – don’t think I could cope with the excitement (or the crowds for that matter)… :P

Exploring London requires you become familiar with the Tube. If you’re doing a heavy travel day the easiest way to ticket it is to buy an off-peak ‘travelcard’ which gives you unlimited (after 9.30am) travel for the day – at, currently, £5.30. They are magnetic strip based tickets which you just pop into the gates to get in and out of stations. And, as per previous advice, get a good tube map…

The next thing to get straight in your head is north-south and east-west orientation as when you enter a station, to take a particular line, the platforms will be split based on their compass directions. So, its really handy, particularly if its busy, to have a good idea where you are going (its compass direction on the line you are about to take) before you even get into the station. Having said that the signage on the underground is second to none and if you do happen to end up going in the wrong direction just get off the train at the next stop and turn around (go to the opposite platform) and go back…

As an aside, I have never been to the London Transport Museum – but I gather its very good, and it’s on my list…

On a completely un-related topic it’s interesting what effects you get doing panoramic ‘stiches’ on a camera with a fairly wide angle lens.

The photo below is the Natural History Museum in a four photo ‘stitch’ on my IXUS 860 at a 28mm equivalent focal length…

Had I have known it would work out ok – it looked all very skew-whiff taking the shots – I would have done it from the centre and then the fish eye effect may have been quite pleasing – ah well, you lives and ya learns…

And a couple more of my London photos @ Flickr.