James Waldron's 6foot6 England travelogue

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England:

Stories and images
by Jim Waldron

Ah, jolly old England. Having met untold thousands of Brits backpacking during my little world jaunt I decided to take up their offers of hospitality and see the country. I'd only ever been to London, and it was unique to see all the cities that we exports to the United States named our hometowns after. My entire local area was named after places in the U.K., Chelmsford, Boston, Carlisle, Warrington, Chelsea, Lexington. I did a double-take on every exit off London's A4.

Stories

Why is it so hard in this civilized country
to get from point a to b?
The myth of British Efficiency Photographs

Some favorites

See them all at once
Look at thumbnails of all the photographs from this country.
Each picture was made with the Agfa ePhoto 1280 digital camera.

The Norfolk Broads
Camping for the first time since Nepal, my friend Rachel introduced me to the traditional English delight of Caravan Parks. A cross between summer camp and a trailer park it was, by no doubt, an experience in local culture. We lasted only one night in a tent, hit some local tourist attractions, and fled to Oxford the next evening. Between the pub and cabaret with the failed comedian reminiscing about his night with Dean Martin, it was truly memorable. Impossible to recreate in words, but indellible.

Carpark posters - Fun, fun, fun. Nonstop at the Caravan Park.
Carpark Campsite - Our mansion in the mud
BoatDog - Canal Barges need guard dogs
Mansion - Well, not everyone lives in a tent
OrganStage - The Thursford Collection organist and his fans
OrganStar - Robert amazes the white-haired tourists
Organ - awesome woodwork on the front

Oxford University
Roaming around this bastion of higher learning and history teaches you why they play Pomp and Circumstance at graduations. Great architecture, tremendous history, and just a mile away down the river and through the cow pastures, my introduction to the quintesential English country pub.
Kings College Lawn - Abstract of front lawn and windows
Grass - Nice mowing job
Kings College Window - Portrait in stained glass
Dorm - Unlike Yale, this is the real thing
Kings College Glass - From the cathedral at Kings College
Kings College Arched windows - Abstract of the windowsills
Square - My dormatory lawn never looked like this
Green Man Pub_Anja and friend - the new bartendress and recently returned local
Green Man Pub_Patrons - Regulars in for "a wee pint"
Green Man Pub_Taps and Anja - Selection of brews

London Tube
I took a little side route on my photography. My digital camera is pretty good at low-light situations, so I brought it down into the tube for an afternoon. Because there is a little video screen on the camera you don't necessarily have to bring it up to your eye to make a photograph. you can shoot from your hip and still see what your image will look like. I started making portraits of subway riders without their knowledge. I think this could be a very interesting series with some work.

Bored Couple
Black Woman
English Woman
Asian Woman
Interior
TubeSeats
StairEmpty
Tunnel

London around town
Just too damn expensive for a backpacker. I ended up staying at two hostels during my stay and they were nothing spectacular, and about thirty dollars a night. Add the cost of frequent pints, daily tube passes, and entrance fees to museums, movies, clubs. Forget it, there is no way to survive low cost. But, given I was a tourist, I did tourist things.

Eames Slides - photographs by Charles and Ray Eames at Design Museum
Sega World Screens - Media overload at Sega World at Piccadily Circus
Sega World Screens 2 - One second later
Inside Telephone Booth - those quaint red British telephone booths look different inside

Tate gallery
Warhol Mao - Andy Warhol's view of Mao
Warhol Jackie 1 - Jackie O
Warhol Gun - firepower in the museum
Warhol Jackie Lips - Abstract of Jackie O portrait

Tower of London
Lion - with a halo
Gun Angle - decorative firearms in the weapons room
Gun Ring - patterns of handguns
Red Suit - immovable tower guard
Chapel - austere tower chapel
Armor - on horseback
Armor - faceplate up close
Horses - faithful steeds
Modern Guard -
Tradational Guard -
Faceplate - metal visor
ToweBridge - over the Thames

Warrington goes disco
Karen Priestly, who I met in Australia, returned home and turned thirty years old. When this woman throws a party she goes all the way. The theme was the 1970's and the guests took it seriously as well.

Thumbnails - Lots of them showing the partygoers in full 70's dress
My Office - I took over a spot in the local pub to bide my time

Wales
Who knew that just a few short hours from Central London, and within the same country boundries, England contained another distinctly different world: Wales. Most of these are abstracts from an hour at a pier amusement park.
Pier Ride
Ice Cream
Pier Roof
PierT ables
Pier Tables 2
Pier Ride 2
Pier Ride Roof
Railing
Pier Sign - an example of bi-lingual signage
Pier Grannies
Sheep

Manchester
Home of the cotton mills and the industrial revlolution in England, I was interested in manchester because it was the town Lowell massachusetts was modeled after. I found the familiar brick mill buildings, most empty and abandoned, just like Lowel, the town next to my hometown. Also, I went to the well regarded Manchester Science Museum, which focuses on the technologies that made manchester famous. There is a great collection of airplanes, steam engines and locomotives, and a terrific interactive childrens science wing which, to little surprise, held my attention for hours.

Rainbow Ab - Make a big bubble with this contraption and see how the surface colors change
Rainbow Sheet - polarized light gives the surreal texture to simple soap bubble
Red Wheel - Abstract from locomotive
3157 - nameplate from locomotive
No - nameplate from locomotive
Spindles - electrical breakers from the early 1900's
Dummy - gaslighter looking worse for wear
Mill Stack - empty mill building
Iron Works - mill building exterior
Fence - keep out
Mill Walls - great loads of red brick
Doors -
Bridge - technologies from a hundred years apart cross the canals
Sisley Ad - the new rock and roll England?

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