Auf Weidersehen, Deutschland!
I couldn’t resist going to Docklands to see the departure of the MS Deutschland.
It was a tight squeeze to get out.
I think we’re going to see more ships like the MS Deutschland entering the docks at Canary Wharf and berthing on the South Quay. I suspect that a lot of people are wishing that the lock connecting the West India Docks to the River Thames was built a bit larger by the Victorians. This was published by Motor Boats Monthly.
The manoeuvre took just under three hours, and a huge amount of skill to complete. The ship itself is 175.3m long with a 23m beam, and the lock is just over this at 178m long and 24.4m wide.
So it was a very tight squeeze. Note that the largest ship of the nineteenth century was the SS Great Eastern, which wouldn’t have fitted into the lock to get in and out of the docks.
Through The Angel,Islington On a 30 Bus
I took this video in the style of Mitchell and Kenyon, from the top of a 30 bus, as it went through the Angel at Islington.
Note the tram washing shed on the right, which is now the Jack Wills store and the statue of Hugh Myddelton on Islington Green.
In the end, I got off to go to the Carluccio’s on Upper Street.
Germans Book Their Place For The Olympics
I know there is a bit of a stereotype about Germans getting up early to put their towels on loungers.
But then they go and bring their cruise ship, the MS Deutschland, into London Docklands, a whole year ahead of the Olympics.
It did suffer the indignity of having to come in backwards. So is this an omen, that the Germans are going to do well in the rowing?
The Royal Victoria Dock Bridge
The Royal Victoria Dock Bridge is a footbridge that links the ExCel Exhibition Centre to the south side of the dock.
As it has lifts at each end, it is not difficult to get across the dock. Some of the pictures of the SS Robin were taken from the bridge.
Th SS Robin Opposite the ExCel
The SS Robin is the last steam coaster left and now after a certain amount of rebuilding it is sitting on a barge in the Royal Victoria Dock behind the ExCel Exhibition Centre.
If you want to go and see it take the DLR to Custom House and walk down to the dock.
Is It Legal To Take Inflated Balloons On A London Bus?
I took this picture today by London Bridge.
Balloons On a London Bus
It clearly shows that some of the passengers have inflated balloons.
Is this legal?
I ask the question, as when C and I were students at Liverpool University in the 1960s, the buses there displayed a notice that clearly stated that the carrying of inflated balloons was not allowed.
Do We Mislead Tourists?
I travelled to London Bridge today and on the train I met a couple of ladies from New Zealand, who were trying to get to the Churchill War Rooms in Whitehall. But their hotel had told them to go to London Bridge to see something similar by the London Dungeon. I put them on a Jubilee Line train to Westminster.
I also met an Australian tourist and her family going to the London Dungeon. I suppose they had kids, but at least I was able to point out Borough Market and Sothwark Cathedral. Let’s hope that when London Bridge Quarter gets finished, they put up some decent information.
At least though I saw this outside the Globe Theatre a few street’s away.
I have a simple tourism rule. I don’t pay to go into anything, unless it’s National or special interest museum. I’ve never been to Madam Tussauds, the London Dungeon or any of the other places in London setup to relieve tourists of their money. These places are not an asset to London, just as others of a similar ilk aren’t in Paris, Amsterdam and New York.
Many of the best tourist sites in London are free and all some require are a London Travelcard or Oystercard. Here’s my favourite top ten.
- The front at the top of any London double deck bus. Favourites include a 24 from Victoria to Hampstead and the two heritage routes (9 and 15). I like to play bus roulette and get on the first that turns up.
- The British Museum. It’s worth going in, just to see the roof and have a nice coffee. Special exhibitions are extra, but the main museum is free, althougth they do like the occassional donation. When it’s not too busy, you can handle some of the exhibits. I’ve seen little girls, and big ones for that matter, in Roman necklaces.
- The Olympic Park. But go before June 2012, as I suspect you’ll find views will be shut off for security before the Olympics.
- The Imperal War Museum.
- The Kensington Museums; Science, Natural History and V & A. There’s even a good Carluccio’s nearby.
- The Victoria and Albert Embankments. At low tide, look for the beach at Tower Bridge.
- The North and East London Lines on the London Overground. They connect lots of small, good museums, Hampstead Heath, Kew Gardens and Crystal Palace. There is also a superb panorama of London in several places.
- The Docklands Light Railway. Take it from Bank to Canary Wharf and on to the Thames Barrier.
- St. Pancras Station. Even the French think it’s the best railway station in the world. It may not be by next year, as King’s Cross may outshine its neighbour.
- Green, Victoria and St. James’s Parks.
- The Regent’s and all the other canals that take you from Islington to Stratford and Docklands.
I suspect this list will grow.
I did like this bike though.
Mobile Low Carbon Tourist Office
Is this the first mobile low carbon tourist office?
What Are We To Do With Lancaster House?
Lancaster House is one of London’s most prestigious buildings, but it is treated like the way many of my parents generation treated the front room; for special occasions only. And you don’t let those outside the great and good in. Although to be fair, it is used for quality films.
So the news this morning in The Times, that the Government is thinking of transferring the property to the National Trust, is to be welcomed.
It would appear that the Trust would still allow it to be used for films, such as The King’s Speech, in addition to being open to the public, but also they would use the house to display some of the important works of art in government collections.
After all, Somerset House has undergone quite a transformation in the last few years, since C used to go there to the Principal Registry, which has now moved to an anonymous block in Holborn. It is now a gallery, half is part of King’s College and there is an ice rink in the winter, to name just some of its important uses. It is also used as a film set.
So a good precedent has been set.
If we do the right thing with Lancaster House, we should follow that with sorting out Marlborough House.
From West Ham to Abbey Mills on the Greenway
The Greenway has now been reopened close to West Ham station and it is now possible to walk along it past Abbey Mills Pumping Station and on to Stratford again.
Note the large bridge, which I suspect will be used to take those walking to the Olympic site over Stratford High Street.
It will be good when it is fully open again from Hackney Wick to West Ham and on to Beckton. It will be one of the best walks in London.
The Anonymous Widower 