The Emirates Air-Line Wasn’t Very Busy
Early this morning, I went over the Emirates Air-Line
The Emirates Air-Line Wasn’t Very Busy
The picture shows the queues at Royal Victoria.
On the other hand the view was one of the best.
The O2 Arena And Canary Wharf
Note that the Shard is missing.
Riding The DLR To The Cable Car
On Sunday, I did my usual trip from Royal Victoria to North Greenwich on the Emirates Air-Line. I took these pictures as I progressed along the DLR to Royal Victoria Docks station.
There is a lot to see!
On any Sunday with good weather, it is an enjoyable trip to do a circular route.
I would start early, by going on the roof of One New Change for the amazing views of St. Paul’s.
Then a quick walk to Bank and take a DLR train to Royal Victoria station. You might not get one direct on a Sunday, so change at either Shadwell, Poplar or Canning Town.
The cable car is close by the DLR station and don’t forget to use an Oyster card to cross to the other side, as it’s cheaper and you don’t have to queue.
At North Greenwich there is quite a few places to eat by the O2 Arena.
You can continue in one of two ways. Either take the Jubilee line from North Greenwich station to Canary Wharf or take a bus to the centre of historic Maritime Greenwich.
If you take the second option, you can take another DLR train from Cutty Sark station to Canary Wharf.
Canary Wharf is a good place to eat lunch and also do some shopping, as a lot of the best shops are there.
After Canary Wharf, I take the Jubilee line, back to London Bridge station, where you can see The Shard, London’s forgotten cathedral; Southwark, Borough Market and the other attractions between London and Tower bridges.
A Real Pub Sign
I like to see a real pub sign.
A Real Pub Sign
This one is on the Cat and the Canary at Canary Wharf.
Canary Wharf’s Floating Bridge
Whilst at West India Quay DLR station, I also looked at the floating bridge.
Canary Wharf’s Floating Bridge
It is a unique design and it is something that could be copied elsewhere.
What A Mistaker To Make!
The phrase borrowed from Hello hello, was a phrase that C and myself used to use, when we did something, which we construed as stupid.
When I come home from Canary Wharf, I usually use one of three routes.
1. I take the Jubilee line to London Bridge station and then get a 141 bus from the bus station.
2. I go just one stop on the Jubilee line to Canada Water station and then get the Overground to Dalston Junction station.
3. I get a 277 bus all of the way.
When I arrived at Canary Wharf, I ascertained the the bus station at London Bridge was still not working, so route one was not one to try, as I would have shopping with me and was in walk-avoidance mode.
The bus takes a few minutes longer, so I took the Canaqda Water route.
But I’d gambled without the knowledge that the Overground was shut at Whitechapel because of CrossRail.
On Sundays, you should always check and my mistake wasn’t to do this.
So I was turfed off the train at Shadwell station and advised to get the DLR to Bank. Which is what I did, taking the Northern line from there to Moorgate, from where I got the 141 bus, that I should have been able to get from London Bridge station.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a great inconvenience, but I’ll be glad when CrossRail is finished and lines are not shut down at the weekend.
Canary Wharf From Canning Town Station
One of the best free views of Canary Wharf is from the high level DLR platforms at Canning Town station.
Canary Wharf From Canning Town Station
Canning Town is a good station to start an exploration of the mouth of the River Lee.
Building A Station Like A Caisson
I was at the new CrossRail station at Canary Wharf today and took these pictures.
They show the enormous concrete block of a station and the walkway, that will connect it to the area of Canada Square and its offices.
Note how the main building looks almost like one of the giant caissons used for Mulberry Harbours, that were used in the Second World War to invade Normandy.
These giant Phoenix caissons, were actually built in these docks, after they had been drained and filled with sand. They were then floated out for the invasion. I’ve actually been in several of these amazing concrete structures in The Netherlands, where they were used to fill the last gap in the dykes after the North Sea Flood of 1953. They are now a museum, dedicated to the floods and those who perished.
It’s rather strange how history is repeating itself in a similar manner. I suppose though, that the engineers know that the ground is strong enough to take the weight of the station.
It does look from this web page on the Crossrail web site, that Canary Wharf Crossrail station is going to be worth the wait until 2018, although it will be substantially complete by the end of this summer.
The highlight of spring and summer will be the tunnelling machines passing through on their way to Farringdon station.
The Anonymous Widower 