Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

888,246 ceramic poppies. Each poppy represent a soldier's life lost during the First World War.

Of course, I waited until the very last minute to visit the poppies at the Tower of London—and I paid the price for it.

A few things: It was über crowded. It was raining. The Lord's Mayor Show was the same day. Public transportation was all jacked-up and diverted, ANDDD on top of everything else, it was the last Saturday of the installation, so EVERYONE and their mother (or just other procrastinators like me) were trying to catch a glimpse—or take a photoshoot—of the amazing Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation.

There was an ungodly amount of people at the Tower. It was NOT my idea of a good time.

When I finally got out of the tube and wrestled my way towards the Tower of London, I waited patiently (and I am NOT a patient person) to get front row spot, so I could take a few photos of the poppies. Typically I would spend a good amount of time wandering around, getting different angles, trying to get that perfect shot, but it was abundantly clear thattt  was just not going to happen today.

Did I mention it was raining? ugh.

So, like I said, I managed to weasel my way up to the front of the fence in two different locations—but that was about it. I'm quite disappointed with the shots that I got; they basically just document that I was there. Honestly, it was just sooooo crowded, it was hard for me to get the emotional response I would typically get from a memorial like this, but at least I was able to see the installation in all it's glory.

It was truly astonishing to see how many lives were lost in WW1. It's so easy to never give it a minutes thought, to say that it happened so long ago, to feel indifferent, but that is not the case here. I was so touched by the remembrance crosses and the photographs of the fallen soldiers that were placed all around the fence... These men and women have NOT been forgotten, and their memories are still being honored to this very day.

You can find out more information about the installation here.

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