I recently found some photos I took in 2011 during a trip to San Franscisco that I never edited. I had a chance this morning to edit them using Lightroom and the Tone Curve. Back when I took the pictures I thought they were so terrible that not even photoshop could save them. Using the Curve tool, I have made them look slightly better.
One of our last stops was the borough of Camden Town, in northwest London. It is an interesting and eclectic part of London. We visited because my cousin now lives close to this area. Originally I wanted to make it out to the famous Camden Lock Market but we never seemed make it during opening hours. Instead we wandered around town and visited a couple of pubs.
The Worlds End pub is sort of a landmark in Camden. It was a nice meeting place across from the Camden tube station. The Worlds End pub is a large establishment and its history boasts famous past visitors (like many other London pubs). While we were in here I saw a belligerent drunk old man spill his beer all over the hallway and a yuppy girl break a red wine bottle all over the floor (I guess she was going to a party afterwards). It seemed to be a mix of different types of patrons. The music was heavy alternative.
Another pub close to the Camden tube station is The Camden Eye. The pub was busy on arrival but we chose to eat in the empty dining area upstairs. The upstairs was much quieter and provided us a view of Camden Town. We experienced our last fish and chips here but they had an interesting pizza selection (the names too).
Our final pub visit was to the Earl of Camden. We happened upon trivia night. We tried to play along but the topics were more international and British in nature. It proved to be challenging for our group. An adorable large dog was calmly hanging out in the pub while his owner had a few drinks.
Here is another round of London Pubs to visit.
The Punch Tavern was a good place to get some traditional British grub. It was also a fantastic place to get sticky toffee pudding – our obsession while vacationing in the UK.
The Red Lion Pub is another one of those historic pubs that is now corporate owned. We did not eat at this pub but we were able to sample some beers that we have never tried before. 
One of the most unique pubs we visited was Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. It was a multi-story historic pub with lots of character. Dining there proved very confusing. We tried to eat at the room on the main floor only to be told it was closed (no information of its opening). We were told to try upstairs. Upstairs again we were told it was full and that there is no waiting list. We wandered around a bit and decided to ask again if we could be seated on the main floor for dinner. Suddenly we were seated. I guess things are sort of informal and unorganized. If you are to visit, keep trying, you may get a different answer. The dinner experience was charming from the food to the wood shavings on the floor. 
I went to the gulf coast last April to celebrate my good friend’s 40th birthday. While I was there we spent some hours in New Orleans antiquing in the garden district. Magazine street contains many interesting stores and restaurants to check out. If you have a chance to visit New Orleans, don’t leave out that part of town. Here are some photos from our antiquing adventure at the Magazine Antique Mall New Orleans.
A couple of months ago I spent a couple days in Edinburgh.
We spent much our time eating and drinking around town.
Many of our days started with a hearty gourmet breakfast at our bed and breakfast.
And on the day we couldn’t make breakfast, we were given this breakfast to go. It made our entire tour van jealous.
I got to try my first cream tea at Clarinda’s Tea Room. It was a delightful experience.
One day we took part in the touristy Scotch Whisky Experience. The highlights of the experience is the whisky tasting and entrance to the largest Scotch Whisky collection in the world.
We got to see some interesting looking whisky bottles.
The evening is complete with a nice dinner made with fresh ingredients. We had a great meal at The Outsider and it was completed with a dessert platter and a sherry.
Growing With Leala 