Down river on the Thames Path

May 9:  We had the nearly perfect afternoon break today - drinking English ales at the Captain Kidd Pub while watching the tide flood in on the River Thames, with sunny skies and comfortable breezes.  It would have been even more perfect had the pub not run out of cider during a busy, warm weekend, with no delivery due till Tuesday.  The pub, which is named after the pirate who hanged in the vicinity in 1701, was handsome and comfortable.  We had walked from our flat, past Parliament, and along the Thames Embankment as far as Wapping before pausing for drinks.

They still had Britain's "Best Bitter"

"Oh, to be in England now that spring has come"

Sunday, May 8th, was mostly a relaxing day.  In the summery afternoon, we strolled out to the river and walked along the Thames Path to the Houses of Parliament, then turned toward Westminster Abbey, and circled back around to the flat.  We lazed around until 5:30 pm when we returned to the Abbey for an organ recital, along with a few hundred other people.  There was a short security queue to get in.  We sat in the back half of the cathedral facing the organ pipes, located above the choir loft and a large ornate altar screen that divides the interior space in the middle.  We heard a 25-year old Frenchman, Thomas Ospital, play Bach's Sinfonia from Cantata 29, Faure's Fileuse and Sicilienne from Suite Pelleas et Melisande, and Liszt's Funerailles.  The Bach boomed, the second part of the Faure was familiar, and the Liszt reminded me of silent film accompaniments, which, according to the program notes, Mr. Ospital likes "displaying his improvisational talents" on.

Westminster Abbey

Back to May 9th and our walk on the north side of the Thames Path.

Along the way we noted (by the way, most of the facts cited below are taken from the very excellent guide to the Thames Path):

• Vauxhall Bridge, which opened in 1901 and is known for the bronze statues on each pier that represent the arts and industry.  On the South Bank, there is the MI-6 building, "reminiscent of a Babylonian ziggurat," surprising, given its existence "was not officially acknowledged until 1994."   

MI-6

• Other points of interest on the South Bank in this area included Lambeth Palace (used by the Archbishop of Canterbury), St. Thomas' Hospital, 2 performing arts centers, and the London Eye.
• To complete the spy motif, the north bank office block that  houses MI-5.  

MI-5

• The Embankment Gardens, which are built on recovered land created in the mid-1800's by a civil engineer, Sir Joseph Bazalgette, hired to solve severe water pollution and disease problems in an era when waste was just dumped into the Thames.  He constructed huge sewer tunnels along the riverside, added other tunnels for future train lines, and put parks on top - all brilliant urban engineering that enable the city we see today.



Memorial to Joseph Bazalgette



Memorial to the ending of slavery; behind is Parliament



The Eye of London



Cleopatra's Needle

• Many people eating lunch, jogging, and smoking along the river.
• Somerset House, formerly the place to go for information on births, deaths, and wills, now offices and the home of an art collection (Rubens and Impressionists).
• Construction projects for more offices, housing, and a massive new sewer system.
• The Pool of London where the river is wide enough to handle big ships (including a National Geographic liner that sailed up river just as the tide was turning), Customs Houses, and warehouses - all facilities used when London was a huge and active port.  Now the big container ships dock downriver, and the warehouses have been turned into attractive flats. 

Note, the hoists

• Boat basins that connect with the river by locks, used now by private yachts and narrow boats. 
• The Prospect of Whitby, the oldest pub on the river, dating to 1520.

• Sites like Wapping Old Stairs and Limehouse that we associate with Sherlock Holmes stories.  The various stairs connect the roadside areas with the river - otherwise the river front is solid construction- either wharfs, warehouses, or docks/pathways.  The Metropolitan Marine Police have a floating dock opposite the Captain Kidd Pub.  

When we reached Limehouse we boarded a train, rode back to Victoria Station, and walked to a grocery store.  The weather was beginning to deteriorate, and it apparently poured while we were shopping, so we headed home for  a quiet evening.  BBC this week has been celebrating the 90th birthday of Sir David Attenborough who is still actively producing programs.  We watched his latest program, about bioluminescence, that was enchanting and funny - don't miss it if it comes your way.