We had a few minutes before the tour boat arrived. During those few minutes, we explored the SEA LIFE Center and other venues in the complex, then walked over and checked out the London Eye, aka the Millennium Wheel. I’m sure you’ve seen it many times on social media, print, and movies. It is huge, especially so when you’re standing beneath it. We walked under and around it but did not have time to actually ride it. (Another activity to put on the ‘next-time-we-visit list’.) Spectacular, unrivaled, and pretty much unobstructed views of London and surrounding areas can be had from inside the pods as they travel up and over the top of the Wheel.
Directly across the river lies the Royal Horseguards Hotel at Whitehall Court. This was another one of the things I had to research afterward. It consists of two sections; one of luxury residential apartments, the other of club facilities for the National Liberal Club. The Whitehall Court complex includes a couple of other structures. I was surprised to read that the famous Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6, was once housed here.
Looking back toward the south from near the Eye, you can get almost a full view of Westminster Palace.
The boat cruise will take us down the River Thames. The Thames snakes its way through London and the heart of England. I think its source is three hundred or so kilometers to the west and ends in the North Sea to the east. We will only cruise along a small portion of it.
Our guide on this tour was great. He gave us all of the pertinent information about London, drew our attention to points of interest, and seasoned his talk with generous amounts of humor; the perfect recipe for an exciting and engaging excursion. I wish I could have gotten his name, but I did thank him at the end of the tour.
One of the first monuments we passed is what’s called Cleopatra’s Needle. Our guide pointed out that it is an Egyptian obelisk given to England in 1819 as a gift from the ruler of Egypt commemorating the victories of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson in the Battle of the Nile. On either side of the obelisk sit two sphinxes.
Our guide told us the story of how Cleopatra’s Needle was transported from Egypt to London. The obelisk was originally cut and carved in Heliopolis around 1450 BC and later transported by the Romans to Alexandria. An earthquake later toppled it. Fortunately, it fell face down in the sand, which had the effect of preserving the hieroglyphics from the elements.
It wasn’t until 1877 that a specially-constructed, seaworthy container was built to ship the needle, and the obelisk began its journey here. But the transport team ran into a storm in the Bay of Biscay between Spain and France. Several crew members perished and the barge, uncontrollable in the storm and in danger of sinking, was cut loose. After the storm, it was found by a Spanish boat and taken to Spain. The barge and its precious cargo eventually made it safely to London.
So how did the name of Cleopatra become associated with the ‘needle’? Alexandria, from where the obelisk was obtained, was the home of Cleopatra. It was also the name of the vessel that transported the obelisk to London.
Bridges
As we passed under, our guide told us about Waterloo Bridge. It commemorates the victory of the Prussians, British, and Dutch in the Battle of Waterloo. The first one deteriorated to the point that it had to be torn down. This is the second bridge. Our guide said it is often called “the ladies bridge” because the workforce building this second bridge was mostly women. The men had gone off to fight World War II.
Soon we passed under the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that opened in 2000; thus the name. We were told that it also called the “Wobbly Bridge”. Why? Because people crossing the bridge the day it opened to the public felt a nasty lateral sway; not something you want to experience on a bridge that crosses over a body of water. It was subsequently closed down and stayed closed for two years while necessary repairs were made to stabilize the bridge. It is again open to the public.
As we passed Pickford’s Wharf, our guide told us that Prince Charles had once commented that a certain edifice was “the ugliest building in the city”. And with perfect comedic timing, immediately added, “And he should know.” Everyone on the boat got the joke and had a good laugh. I’m not sure which building he was referring to, though.
Fun fact: While I was researching some of the places we saw, I ran across something called The Carbuncle Cup. This award is given to the architect/designer of “the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the last 12 months”. The source of the name of the dubious honor? Prince Charles. According to several articles I read, he supposedly described a proposed extension of London’s National Gallery as a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-beloved and elegant friend.” The rest is history.
If you are wondering about London Bridge, yes, we crossed under it, too. Tower Bridge, just upstream from here, is often confused with the new or modern London Bridge. The London Bridge we know from the nursery rhyme was one or more of the earlier series of wooden bridges crossing The Thames at this location, which indeed came down for various reasons. The “old” London Bridge was a stone bridge, built in the 13th century. That’s the one that had heads impaled on spikes on top of the gatehouses at either end of the bridge. It is said that the head of William Wallace was one of the first heads placed there. (William Wallace was the Scottish hero depicted in the movie Braveheart.) And that bridge, too, was falling down. Literally. Which is why is it was replaced in 1831. To add even more confusion, that ‘second’ London Bridge was sold in 1967 (because it was found to be sinking), dismantled, and shipped brick by brick to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in the United States, where it was reassembled. It is now a popular tourist attraction.
Just beyond London Bridge is the HMS Belfast, a 75-year-old Royal Navy warship. As we passed, the Tower Bridge became the center of our attention.
Tower Bridge is, of course, one of the most famous landmarks in the city. If I remember correctly, you can cross the bridge for free. The structure running between the tower tops is the high-level walkway, which also serves to stabilize the towers. If do not have a fear of heights, you can walk across the glass walkway up there. There is a charge for this as it is part of the Tower’s exhibition.
Nearby is the Tower of London. Its official name is Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London. This is a 1,000-year-old castle/fortress. The famous Crown jewels are housed here. They are well guarded so don’t get any ideas about taking one as a souvenir.
I was surprised to learn on our river cruise that the Tower held prisoners, though that is not what is was designed for. Our guide told us about something called the Traitor’s Gate. Traitor’s Gate is so named because of the number of prisoners being brought in that were accused of treason. It lies midway along the river side of the fortress wall. Its purpose was to allow for a water entrance as a second entry into the Tower. The outer archway of the gate was bricked up in the mid-1800s due to the river’s rising water level.
Seeing this gate was bad news if you were a prisoner. Before you entered, you’d usually be brought up the river, passing under London Bridge where you’d see the heads of executed prisoners displayed on spikes. Then you’d be brought into the Tower through the Traitor’s Gate. At that point there was virtually no chance you’d ever leave the Tower alive.
The Tower of London marked the end of the Thames cruise. Anyone else see a curious irony in arriving at the Tower by water after what I just described?
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