Looking back on this trip it is hard to believe the amount of walking we did. Now walking is not unusual, but for me walking is the last resort. Yet I walked from the Embankment Tube Station to Westminster Bridge thence down the South Bank to Queen’s Walk, cross Blackfriars Bridge and finally St Paul’s Tube Station. I have no idea of mileage and I will admit it was by no means a power walk but apart from the tube ride to Embankment the rest was all foot power to St Paul’s. We left the Hotel at 3:30 and arrived back at 10:30 after dinning at 9:15 in the Premier Inn near Kings Cross. Anyway folks back to day two. Battle plan for today was: visit Tower of London, Tower Bridge Exhibition then British Museum First stop was breakfast. The hotel did do breakfast albeit a basic one – tea, toast (hot), cereal, yogurts ham and cheese however, I like a cooked breakfast. One thing about the Grey Inns Road at Kings Cross there are plenty of eateries and we found a lovely one – run by Portuguese Madeira Cafe and they had a large selection which included tea/coffee and toast (Portuguese bread):
Along with “Big Ben” Clock Tower and St Paul’s Tower Bridge must be one of the most readily identified London Landmarks known throughout the World. Which is appropriate when you consider that the constructor of the iron/steel also designed another iconic bridge in Scotland The Forth Railway Bridge. As I mentioned – on entering the Exhibition and paying the modest fee requested we took the cunningly disguised time portal AKA lift to the walkways and entered a world where time no longer mattered. These walkways were originally intend for pedestrians to use when the bascules (roadway) were in the up position to allow ships to pass under. However, there were closed in 1910 for lack of use – the public then, as now, like to watch ships pass through the raised leaves. I can recommend this exhibition as it is informative, entertaining with interactive elements and above all for photographers of all skills a great place to watch the city skyline change with the light. The views from the walkways are fantastic:
When we entered the time warp known as the Tower Bridge Exhibition it was 11:30ish when we finally exited the bridge itself it was going on 3:30 and we still had the engine room to visit. Here it is Boys Land, steam engines, hydraulic pumps, accumulators and all manners of levers and switches to pull/press – by gum when them Victorian engineers took it into their mind to design a bridge there were no half hearted measures. The steam engines were massive and yet had a beauty all of their own. We finally escaped from the time warp at 4:40 too late to visit London Tower or the British Museum – so we had a coffee and cake before walking up river on the Queen’s Walk. To quote Wallace of Wallace and Gromit fame “It were a grand day out” and it had not finished.
We made our way -at a very slow pace, due to the photographic opportunities, along the Queens Walk formerly known as the “Pool of London” here the docks had been regenerated into the County Buildings – an all glass affair, and monstrous glass tower offices. I stopped to take a final, and I think one of my best, shots of Tower Bridge:
Yet one building appears to rise up above the new constructions now matter where you view it from. St Paul’s Dome still dominates the area on the north bank of the Thames, as much as it ever did during the dark days of the blitz. Perhaps after all, despite the charges to enter it remains a beacon of hope for everyone. Back to the South Bank and Queen’s Walk, we came across an interesting regeneration on one of the docks - Hays Galleria (Video Courtesy of Susan Wales)Our plans having, like the poet said “Gan astray” we decided to have a River Cruise up to Westminster Bridge and then down to Greenwich and back to Tower Bridge Pier.This would take about 90 mins to 2 hours and we would see the changes of light and the effects on the river side. We boarded one of the commuter clippers and spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening enjoying our ad hoc river cruise.
After a twenty minute return journey we disembarked at Tower Pier where I took my last two pictures of the evening (again I’m really pleased with these two pictures of HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge at night)
Once again we had entered a time vortex and realising it was 8 pm and that apart from a small snack at 4:40 ish we had nothing (okay Susan had Chocolate drink and I a coke on board the clipper) substantial to eat since breakfast dinner called. We had a very enjoyable diner at Cotes Restaurant at London Bridge- which I heartily recommend. We then took a slow stroll to London Bridge Tube Station and made our way back to the Hotel at Kings Cross. Two tired but happy adventurers on tourist trip to London.. G’night folks.
