Taking a trip on the City Cruises fleet of Thames excursion vessels is a great (and relaxing) way to see much of London's architecture, whilst being regaled with all sorts of interesting facts and anecdotes by the shipmates.
Along the course of the river, I discovered, amongst other things, that the Waterloo Bridge was built by women, that Charles Dickens lived in the attic above The Grapes pub, that a bottle of Perrier water in the restaurant on the top floor of the OXO Tower will set you back 7 squids, that the architect of The Shard (which will open in 2012) will receive the penthouse of the building as payment, and that Cleopatra's Needle (awarded to Nelson for beating Napoleon) is the oldest thing in London.
We took the boat from Westminster Pier, and it travels to Tower Bridge and then Greenwich. We hopped off at Greenwich to look around for a couple of hours...and by 'look around', I mean, hunt for ice cream!
Our ice cream mission was easy to complete, so we also had time to walk up to the Observatory and check out the Greenwich Mean Time line, look around some vintage shops in the town centre, and generally wander about in the sunshine.
Our trip on the way back was super romantic as the sun was setting, and it felt peaceful and serene traveling along the water. As well as feeling loved up with my sweetheart, I also had one of those I love London moments, which, when you live in one of the best cities in the world, is unavoidable and quite frequent.
Incendiary Blonde,
ReplyDeleteThis cruise is sure to be one of my many favourite memories of time spent with you. I'll remember it as 'London summer lovin' with my blonde bombshell!' Actually I've learned that the Thames is a living, breathing entity with its own life and energy that surges and flows through the heart of London with a very colorful and exciting history both connected to and removed from the city itself. I'm having the time of my life Melanie and I'm so grateful to be spending it with you. I love you!!