iPhone End of Year Roundup

Here is a selection of my favourite images from this year that I shot with my iPhone.

 

Glencoe and Rannoch Moor

I stayed at the Kingshouse for Christmas again this year. After a very grey first day, for the rest my stay there were blue skies and sunshine. Temperatures never reached much above freezing so the boggy parts were firm and easy to walk on. Sadly the lack of cloud meant that I didn't see the stunning sunrises and sunsets that Scotland is capable of, but then, you can't have everything. 

 

Mayfair Christmas

Last weekend, I was in London for lunch and a show. In between, there was time for a stroll around the posh bits. Starting in Berkeley Square, our walk included New Bond Street and the Burlington Arcade. The Christmas decorations were just as lovely as you would hope could be achieved with a awful lot of money.

The Grafton Centre

The Grafton Centre in Cambridge had been in a slow decline for many years. It is now about to be partially demolished to make way for a 'laboratory space, offices, a new hotel and a reduced shopping experience'. Currently it is still open, but all that remains are half a dozen shops at the front and a gym at the back. Because of the Gym, it is still possible to walk through the length of the centre, despite most of the shops being shuttered and boarded.

I thought it worth taking a few photos, to document the passing of this once major shopping destination. In its nearly closed state, it made an eerie sight. Shops boarded up, but escalators still running. Also slightly depressing to think how it would of been in previous Decembers, covered in Christmas decorations and packed with people.

Zurich and Paris: End of the Line

The final two stops on my journey home were Zurich and Paris. One night in each. I would arrive mid afternoon and depart mid morning the next day. This didn't leave much time to explore, and after many days of eat, sleep, photograph, repeat, I was almost spent.

Zurich was a pretty place, but I had seen prettier. It was also a rather grey day, which didn't help sell it. Still, I did like its collection of spires.

 

It had been a long time since I had last stayed in Paris. There were places I really wanted to revisit, but there wasn't the time. My hotel was in Monmartre, so that was where I explored. Sacré-Cœur was too busy with tourists and love lock hawkers to give a decent photo. But at least it offered some good views over the city. As I was in the area, and after a decent dinner, I couldn't resist a night shot of the Moulin Rougue.

 

Milan: And Now For Something Completely Different

After more than a week looking at old, and even ancient, buildings I fancied a change. On the Sunday morning, I had a couple of hours before my next train, so I did a quick photo walk around a very modern part of Milan. It was a beautiful blue-skyed sunny morning, perfect conditions to show off all the glass and steel.