Cruising the Thames

Friday we spent sailing down the Thames to Greenwich, on the Thames Clipper, which is the local ferry service. We purchased a day pass, which made for a very reasonable and convenient cruise ticket. The weather was gorgeous, a lovely winter sun, still cold in the shade but warm and sleepy in the sunshine. Our ferry departed from The Embankment and it took about thirty five minutes to reach Greenwich. 

The Ferry Route

All aboard! Richie enjoying the views

It was great to see London from the river, it gives you a totally different and very relaxing perspective.  

The Tower of London, from the water

Tower Bridge, from the water

O2 Arena

On arrival at Greenwich we could see the Cutty Sark, which apparently burnt down but was rebuilt but we decided to visit the small museum instead. 

The Cutty Sark

We had a good stroll around Greenwich, followed by another delicious pub lunch. The pub was full of characters from central casting, including a couple of old cockney geezers who were chatting with Richie and arguinga bout where to have lunch.

What, another delicious pie?

After lunch and a few cold ones, we wandered around Greenwich cbd for a while. Richie spotted these unsual Victorian Domes and remembered from his school days, that they were ends of a tunnel that ran under the Thames. 

So went exploring and sure enough, after a short journey down a very large lift, we found the old Victorian Greenwich Foot Tunnel, opened in 1902. We walked the 400 metres, through the tunnel and came up the other side. After enjoying the views on the otherside for a minute or two, we walked back, only this time we were just ahead of a large gaggle of school girls, the noise, echoing through the tunnel, was unimaginable. 

Greenwich Foot Tunnel

We jumped back on the clipper and sailed back up river,
to the Tower of London. We have enjoyed a relatively relaxed uncrowded visit so far but discovered all the tourists were congregated at the Tower of London. Whilst it was very busy, you could still move about freely, however it must be really awful in full tourist season. The Tower was amazing, it's no surprise everyone wants to see it.

The Tower of London, very impressive

Tower Bridge

spot the yeti on the bridge

It’s incredible to think about the history and the lives that have passed through those buildings. We walked across
Tower Bridge and soaked up the views in the sunshine. Then we jumped back on the Thames Clipper and sailed West to Putney. We saw the most incredible development in Chelsea, row after row of huge apartment blocks, but all very modern and high end. Whilst they were quite grand and located on the river, they were so close together, so many people in such a small space. Apparently it's called Dubai on the Thames, it certainly didn't look like any bit of London that I recognised.

A bit blurry as it was snapped from the ferry, the start of Dubai on the Thames

We had a stroll around Putney, it's a very pleasant area, more upmarket than Fulham but not as posh as Kensington. Putney is another of Richies' old stomping grounds. It was Friday night and everyone was out enjoying themselves. We found another cozy pub, got a seat in the corner and had a great evening people watching. We jumped a number 74 bus home (Richie remembers all the public transport routes!) and finished the night by sharing a very average kebab.

Another of Richies old stomping grounds

So now, we’ve been in London for ten days. We were due to go to Berlin today, according to our original but very loose plan. 

However we are a) not finished with a London yet and b) decided to avoid as many flights as possible due to the virus outbreak. So we've extended our stay in London for five more  days, until the 12th March. This has given us time to catch up with Beatrice again and maybe see Beryl. We do a lot of walking even when we’re not having a walking day and that and the cold are pretty tiring especially for Richie, so we are trying to have some more rest days.

After London, the plan is most likely to visit Brighton and maybe hire a car and drive to Cornwall and Devon.