Go Kingston 2012

I found link to a interesting competition on Study Space. It was about creating a logo for the 2012 Cultural Olimpiad. I took my chance with a logo of my own.

I thought that if it's cultural so that the grey leg would represent that. And the campaign called "Go Kingston 2012" is represented by the colourful foot tracks after Kingston's involvement in the olimpiad. 

My feet can make the bus stop illuminate

A couple of weeks ago I saw on the TV a very interesting video about a pretty sustainable invention. It's nothing different than a paving slab but the tricky bit is that when you walk on it the kinetic energy of the feet create energy. It's made of stainless steel and recycled tyre and recycled aluminium. The paving sinks down with 5 mm and that generates enough energy to light the embedded bulb. And that's after only 5% of that 1step have been used. The other 95% are stored in a battery and used to illuminate nearby signs or bus stops. 

As I kept on researching I actually realised that this invention is not new. Since 2009 it has been even in use in London.                                                          

London walk 16 February

On 15 of February most of our colleagues went on a field trip in Stockholm. They are already complaining of the freezing temperatures. Anyway! I stayed in London and guided by one of our tutors - Mat we went for a walk in London. To discover the undiscovered.

The first place we visited was the Finsbury Circus, a small circular park in the heart of the City which is actually the largest public open space within the boundaries of the City. The park was created in 1812 but has been redeveloped throughout the years till present time. There is a great diversity of grasses, bushes, hedges, small trees and huge tall oaks surrounding the park.Fountains are under construction at the moment but are expected to operate as usual soon.

On the way to Finsbury Square we passed the Broadgate Ice rink and the very very interesting Finsbury Avenue Square. Of course it was day time and we couldn't see it in its full glamour. However the coherence of lines, balance of materials and combination of colours create an extraordinary and vibrant space where people with white shirts and ties stop for lunch.

Next stop - Bishops Square. A narrow strip within the business buildings that allows people to sit and enjoy. Potted trees, small pond, green grass, shaded benches, scaffolding structure and a monument on which there is a goat is only some of the features of the non-square shaped square.

100 metres from it is an old Market. The Old Spitalfields Market which we just passed like a small train station and went to a farm where there were some sheep. Nothing exciting though. 

My overall feeling about the area was as if that place is in London, but in a way separated, quiet, nothing much happening. It looked like that at night is dodgy and scary. I mean I didn't like it quite much. Some of the people judging by their clothes and hairstyles looked like they came from Camden. 

After that we went to the Hackney city farm. It was my last stop for the day. The farm really reminded me of my country. I saw all these hens, sheep and the whole environment. As I've seen it turns out that most of the back yards in the villages in Bulgaria are farms according to the british standards of a city farm. Quite a smell but it is actually nice place for young families to bring their kids and show them that the world is not only steel and concrete or between the buildings. It's a nice example of how domestic animals live.

A trip to Bristol 8 and 9 January.

My girlfriend and I decided to have a weekend off and visit a place we haven't been before. That place was Bristol. Of course the choice was not random. My girlfriend's sister was also going there from Spain to visit her husband. And having travelled around 3 hours we arrived in Bristol and found the quickest way to our hotel. We dropped the luggage and headed towards the center of the town with a map in the pocket. As I like to say now, Bristol turned out to be unexpectedly beautiful, diverse, modern and interesting. Huge churches, contemporary designed centre, historical sites, modern housing, shopping area, all in one. 

The Amphitheatre

Modern houses by the river Avon

Brunel SS Great Britain was the world's first ocean-going, propeller-driven iron ship, built and launched in Bristol in 1843.

A small Bridge in the central part of Bristol

One of the most interesting features of the city is the Millenium square. It's a stunning combination of water, glass, steel and lights. Put all that in a public square and you get a great place for everyone.

The whole central part of the city is a mixture of steel, glass, water and lights combined with different pavings all around the centre. Here are some examples:

I liked the Millenium square so much that we returned on the next day to take more pictures. We were very lucky to have a nice sunny day so here are some more photos:

After that we went to the Clifton Suspension Bridge. A huge bridge 74 m above the street and the river.