386 - London 3 : Nunhead cemetery

(I used one of my own photos for the image above)

After the introductions to our trip, my very first to London, I now start the first adventure there. 

It was on Sunday 7th. We took a via van to Nunhead cemetery, were we met with Iris, a friend of my wife's. They did art, I read Tolkien (Book of lost tales, 2) ; we walked about, taking photos and discovering this famous abandoned cemetery, now overgrown with nature. My wife had actually been there before, but it was my first, evidently. 


I've never seen any equivalent in France. When we visit cemeteries over here, we often do photoshoots, which seem to annoy people a tad. I don't think french culture accepts  photographers so readily, except for cemeteries where celebrities have been burried (Le Père-Lachaise in Paris, for instance). So, it was a nice and different experience to roam Nunhead, the not-so-much a cemetery anymore. 

It was a nice day to visit it and to meet Iris. It seems a habitual place for londoners to visit, as you see them strolling the various pathes, when you can see squirrels, some green parrot (wild?), long faded and plant overgrown tombs, and it was lovely - until mid afternoon, when temperatures dropped and the chil made us all go back to our respective dwelling places. 

My wife's cousin Martin and his friend Graham showed up with Reggie, the chihuha ; we talked a while and when he saw my reading, Graham suggested the Tolkien exhibit, held in Oxford, which would eventually be organized for the following Friday. 

What I take from this excursion is a rather relaxing experience. I don't recall much more than a mild ambiant anxiety that never grew. I'm usually fine with cemeteries and parks, though in my worst days, a busy place with buzzing people around distracts me totally from reading, and inhibits my photography. Here, I wasn't doing my actual photo, as I'd only brought a point-ashoot Kodak camera, that I don't master yet, so I didn't feel inhibited by people.

It was a nice first location to visit in London, before trying busier areas. It was easy to come back to the flat, in a mostly empty bus. I'll post pics on Instagram and my photo blog, so you'll have to wait for them.