London is changing. I’m not sure if this is a good or bad thing; old London must be demolished to make room for a new, more populous London. As always, everything must change.
Several skyscrapers were under construction while we were here, including one I learned would be referred to as the Walkie-Talkie. Yep, that’s its nickname.
From here we could also see two of the (apparently many) controversial recently completed buildings in London. The first one was the Strata SE1 building. Easily recognizable as it rises high over the city. One of its nicknames is the “Electric Razor”, for obvious reasons when viewed from certain angles.
Strata SE1 is a residential building with over 400 flats. Three vertical turbines on the roofline are supposed to generate supplemental electricity to power parts of the building. Word around town is that the upper floors, where the penthouses (and the wealthy folks who can afford them) are, suffered from the vibration and noise of the blades when they were spinning. The residents of the upper floors complained. As a result, it was suggested that the turbines be turned off from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Turning off the turbines defeats the purpose of having them. It’s been said that the turbines have not moved since. Strata SE1 has won numerous awards both praising and panning it.
The other building is The Shard, a 95-story steel and glass skyscraper near the heart of the city. It is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, and is designed to be energy efficient. It dominates the skyline, easily recognized by its tapered shape. Apparently, The Shard’s observation deck just opened to the public less than six months ago.
I would think the nine-year-old, bullet-shaped structure called The Gherkin fits in this controversial design category.
Crossing The Thames once again, we came closer to London proper. The Tower of London came into view. A few minutes later I got a visible reminder of the city’s Gothic history. A statue of a winged dragon rearing up on its hind legs begged me to photograph it as we passed.
Aside from this dragon, you will find Gothic-themed reliefs carved into the façades of several buildings. I hear there are a number of tours that will introduce you to London’s Gothic side, including buildings featuring Gothic architecture, dungeons, museums, disused subway stations, haunted hotels and taverns, and who knows what else. Would I take such a tour? It’s not really my cup of tea, but if I were traveling with someone who would really enjoy such an excursion, I would go.
When this building came into view (I think we were on West Front Street at the time), I knew it was special but I had no idea what it was. I had to look it up after I got home. Turns out I was right about it being special.
What we were in front of was St. Paul’s Cathedral, another important landmark in the city. Several iterations of the church have existed on this site, the earliest dating back to the very early 7th century AD. It is the primary church, or mother church of the Diocese of London. Up until the mid-20th century, St. Paul’s was the tallest building in London. Modern London has sprung up around the church.
Admiral Horatio Nelson and Florence Nightingale are just a few of the famous people buried at St. Paul’s. The 80th and 90th birthday celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, services marking the end of World Wars I and II, and funerals for Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill were all held here. Worship services are performed in the church. Tours are offered except on Sundays and religious holidays.
Once again, we crossed The Thames. It made me wonder, “How many bridges across The Thames are there in London?” On a map, they are so numerous they look like railroad ties. It was from one of these bridges that we could see the Tower Bridge off in the distance. A few minutes later we did cross the Tower Bridge, then circled around behind the Tower of London.
To go back to the subject of London changing, the Tower of London seems to be getting swallowed up in the transformation of London. Looking from the river northward, tall buildings pepper the skyline, dwarfing the tower. I’m sure the Tower of London was, um, state-of-the-art for its time. Now, except for its historical bond, it seems rather disconnected from the new ambiance of the city.
The route continued back toward our old friend Big Ben. This time we stopped because it was one of the scheduled stops. We hopped off the bus here. Our driver gave instructions to those taking the cruise on how to get to the pick-up point once the cruise was over.
We are now on Westminster Bridge, next to Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the House of Parliament. Though we passed alongside Westminster Palace twice, we didn’t really get a good look at it. Our cruise along The Thames was scheduled to depart in a few minutes. So even though we are basically just across the street from the palace, we don’t have time to explore it.
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