Question of the week: Autumn is fast approaching, and leaves are slowly falling. What is your favourite thing to do on a crisp, London afternoon?

"Crisp, London afternoons are ideal for a refreshing walk along the tree-lined paths of Queen’s Wood. Set in Muswell Hill, Queen’s Wood provides any recreational walker with a soothing sense of peace and quiet as well as natural beauty. You could either sit and read a book at the local cafe, or wander around the endless, crisp leaves and majestic trees. Whatever you decide to do, Queen’s Wood is dressed most exquisitely in autumn..."- Christina

* Photo by Ewan Munro, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Photography exhibitions in London

Another question that came up over orientation weekend that needs a blog post to answer was "which galleries are good for photography?"

There are the big public galleries - the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A, Tate Modern, and while The Photographer's Gallery is closed for refurbishment at the moment, they still have an active program of talks and events. The Whitechapel Gallery, in East London, is showing an exhibition of Thomas Struth's work until the 16th September, and the Museum of London's exhibition of London Street Photography closes on the 4th.

Private galleries include:
- Proud, with galleries in Camden and Chelsea (the Camden gallery doubles as a gig venue offering FREE music every Saturday and Sunday from 3pm-7pm!)
- Michael Hoppen Gallery.
- Diemar Noble.
- Atlas.
- Chris Beetles Fine Photography.
- Hoopers Gallery
- Getty Images Gallery

Foto8's Host Gallery is currently closed, but will be back in November, whilst Viewfinder Photography Gallery have, in fact, moved outside the gallery space all together, but arrange events and exhibitions elsewhere.

PhotoFusion, in Brixton, hosts exhibitions, but is so much more - a key resource for keen photographers in London!

Close to the London Centre, small venues such as the Mall Gallery, and the galleries in the Royal Opera Arcade host a fast moving selection of short exhibitions, many of which are photographic.

And then there are the other venues - the places that are predominately book shops or theatres or embassies that also have photographic exhibitions. So, at the moment within a 10 minute walk of the London Centre, The National Theatre, on the South Bank, are hosting the Press Photographer's Year 2011, until Sept 4th while Foyles bookshop on Charring Cross Road is hosting an exhibition called Photo Stories

I'm sure I'm missing something, but hopefully this is enough to get you started!

- Miss Alice

* Photo by Arty Smokes, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Question of the week: Autumn is fast approaching, and leaves are slowly falling. What is your favourite thing to do on a crisp, London afternoon?

"The start of autumn means blackberrying for me - free, local, seasonal food, and an enjoyable afternoon with friends sounds good, right? Going blackberry picking in Nunhead cemetery was one of my first ever blog posts and that's still a favourite location - although I didn't make it last year.

Pack a couple of lunch boxes to bring your haul home in, check TfL's journeyplanner for your best route and you'll find the cemetery a short walk from Nunhead Station. (NB, as with any kind of foraging, make sure you know how to recognise your harvest, and don't taste or eat anything you can't positively identify as safe to eat!)

They're offering Woodland Wonder walks on Sundays at the moment, and will, I suspect, by far busier than usual during London Open House weekend, so - maybe best to take advantage of a free morning or afternoon during the week if you have the option, and want to embrace the peace and quiet.)"- Miss Alice

* Photos by Andy Aldridgeand Pgd, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Current Oyster fares

During our optional orientation session on living in London on a budget, the cost of current Oyster Card fares for travel came up, so:

For FULL details go to http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14825.aspx

BUSES:
If you can make your whole journey just using one bus, this will be cheaper than using the tube. A single bus ride is every time you get on a bus, regardless of how long you stay on the bus. This is not always the case overseas, where you often get tickets that are good for any amount of travel within a set length of time.

You MUST buy a ticket or have a topped-up Oyster card BEFORE you board a bus.

Without an Oyster card: Cash price for a single one trip on one bus: £2.30

With an Oyster card: Single trip: £1.30

If you only use buses one day, there is a daily cap on your Oyster card of £4.00.

This means that once you have made £4 worth of bus journeys, you won’t be charged any more that day. So, you’d be charged £1.30 for your first 3 bus journeys that day, then just 10p for the fourth journey and nothing for any further bus journeys. The price cap day ends at 4.30am the following day, so includes travel on late night buses.


TUBE AND OVERGROUND TRAINS IN LONDON
(including the Docklands Light Railway, or DLR):


(NB - prices correct 29/8/2011, information taken from TfL's website)

Things to bear in mind –

PEAK TIME on London transport:
6.30am – 9.30am and 4pm – 7pm Monday to Friday.

OFF-PEAK TIME on London transport:
9.30am – 4pm and after 7pm Monday to Friday.
ALL DAY on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays

If you use both buses and trains in one day, you’ll be charged up to the train/tube price cap.


16-25 RAILCARD

If you use your ISIC to buy a 16-25 Railcard (£28 from a railway station: it gives you 1/3 off off-peak national rail travel), you can also go to the ticket office at a tube station and have them put a 1/3 discount on your Oyster card which will then apply to the off-peak daily price cap.

Go to: http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/ for more information.

If you’re planning to do even one or two rail journeys to visit places in the UK, then just those trips might save you more than the £28 for the railcard – but plan ahead and check that out).


NATIONAL RAIL TRAVEL:

Finding out times and prices: You can look for train tickets and prices on the National Rail enquiries website: www.nationalrail.co.uk The site also has a cheapest fare finder tool. Click on “add railcard” to see what difference a 16-25 railcard would make to the cost of your journey.

* Photos by wecand and sharkbait , used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Question of the week: "Autumn is fast approaching, and leaves are slowly falling. What is your favourite thing to do on a crisp, London afternoon?"

"My favourite thing to do on a crisp London afternoon is to take a hike up to the top of Primrose Hill. From the top you get amazing views of the whole city and it seems for some reason to attract a collection of really nice people. I recommend making the trip with a warm cup of coffee in hand, preferably Monmouth coffee—but more on my love for that another time..."- Jamie

* Photo by Joe Mott, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Introductions - Prof Kucich

Question of the week: Introductions: who are you, what do you do in the LUP, and what do you enjoy most about living in London?

"As Director of the London Undergraduate Program, I have the great pleasure of working with all students and developing important academic links for Notre Dame in London as well as stimulating cultural events for students. I am a Professor of English, and I LOVE to talk about British Romanticism, in classes, walking down the street, hanging out at cafes. One of my great joys in London is the excitement of all the marvellous literary associations scattered everywhere. The past comes alive on so many streets in London, as one walks with one foot in the present and one foot in the rich cultural history of Britain. It's a constant high for the creative imagination! Exploring cool restaurants, cafes, and avant-garde theatres keeps the imagination inspired as well!"-Prof Kucich

* Photo by Rupert Ganzer, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Introductions - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Introductions: who are you, what do you do in the LUP, and what do you enjoy most about living in London?

"I'm Miss Alice, and I'm the Undergraduate Programs Librarian, which means I run the LUP Library and the Textbook Loan, and work with partner libraries around London to make sure that our students have access to a real depth of resources.

I love living in London for the sheer wealth of opportunities it presents me with on a daily basis, places to explore, things to see, hear, and do: London offers up a constantly refreshing banquet of possibilities."- Miss Alice

* Photo by Colin McCloskey, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Introductions - Christina

Question of the week:Introductions: who are you, what do you do in the LUP, and what do you enjoy most about living in London?

"My name is Christina and I am one of the Programme Administrators at Notre Dame, London. You will find me in the Undergraduate Office on the first floor; a place you will visit often throughout your stay here!

What I enjoy most about living in London is the fact that I feel I am in one of the most conveniently located places in the world, while the same place is filled with charm, beauty, and fascinating history. This rare combination makes living in London a spectacular experience! One day I may be roaming the tiny, pebbled streets of Covent Garden and the next, I may be on a cheap flight to Paris for the weekend (or train, for that matter). It is the sense of limitless local options and the distinct closeness between here and anywhere that makes this city a marvelous place to live. Welcome to London."- Christina

* Photo by Ali Catterall , used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Introductions - Jamie

Question of the week: "Introductions: who are you, what do you do in the LUP, and what do you enjoy most about living in London?"

"I'm Jamie Dunn, and I'm one of the Rectors here at ND London. As a Rector I'm responsible for ensuring the safety and general well-being of students during their time in London. My job focuses a lot on residential life here at Conway Hall, but its also part of my job to encourage students out into the city and to make the most of their time in this amazing city.

I love so many things about living in London, but I think if I had to choose the thing I enjoy the most it would probably be the city's parks and green spaces. London is a city with the most incredible selection of municipal parks, each with its own distinctive character. You can really get lost in some of them and almost forget that you're in the middle of a huge urban centre. For those who are interested I'll be leading a walk through some of my favourites on Friday of orientation."- Jamie

* Photo by Liline sur Flickr , used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Introductions - Clare

Question of the week: "Introductions: who are you, what do you do in the LUP, and what do you enjoy most about living in London?" "I'm Clare Ashdowne. I work with Jamie as one of the two rectors for the London program. We live in Conway Hall with y'all and are there to help you stay safe, live happily, and make the most of your time in London.

I enjoy lots of things about living in London, but one of the best things is that I'm in the city for longer than the tourists and the commuters and get to see her landmarks at all times of the day. Of course London by night is a marvellous sight, but so too is London on a foggy winter morning, before the streets are crowded with people. The best thing about living in London is being part of London, whatever time of day or night, the popular places and the quirky and odd places, and the moments and spots of quiet when you least expect them. It's a city that belongs to the world, but whilst we live here it's our backyard, day and night." - Clare

Photo used under Creative Commons, with thanks to Fabbio Venni