Views by the Thames


The View from The Shard

The River Thames is a staple of London, as the city was built around it when it was established as the Roman settlement of Londinium. The Thames has played a major role in the city's evolution since, as well as the manmade canals that run throughout London and the UK as trade routes. 

Narrowboat of London

The buildings surrounding the Thames are testaments to just how old the city is, and as are the hundreds of narrowboats that are moored along docks and marinas throughout London and the UK. Before the invention of cars and motors, narrowboats served as the only means of transport of goods, and served as a home for many people (even to this day as houseboats - like North American trailers).   

The "house" part of a narrowboat

Men would tie ropes around horses to guide the engineless narrowboats full of products and walk along the canals to their destinations. All of the tunnels still show the groove marks left from the constant rubbing of the ropes into the stone. When reaching a tunnel with insufficient room for the horse, two men would lay planks on the front of the boat, lay down on top and walk along the walls of the tunnel to propel the boat forward.  
Some boats serve as restaurants or bars now

Take a look at this blog post to learn some lingo and slang terms used during the time of narrowboats.

The Tower of London



Despite not being the oldest castle in the UK, the Tower is one of the most interesting, seeing 500 monarchs inhabit its walls. Learn more about it on the Heritage website. 

During WWII, it was even used as a training facility. Every year for Remembrance Day, the Tower pays homage to those who've been affected by the war and fought for our freedom, and in 2018 the castle was surrounded by 10 000 candles. 

Remembrance Day (Armistice) Memorial 2018

The Tower Ravens

The Tower has been host to many who've entered via the Traitors' Gate and have never been seen again (a.k.a. they were imprisoned or sentenced to death at the Tower). You can visit some of the "prisons" and see some of the the prisoners' carvings within the walls (some of dates, names or verses). 

  The Traitors' Gate Entrance & Prisoners' engravings

Please excuse my ignorance as I didn't even realize that London had a castle, or that it was historically a Roman town (you learn something new every day).

Tower Bridge


Beside the Tower is the world's most well-known bridge, often mistakenly called London Bridge. For its time, Tower Bridge is an example of engineering ingenuity to solve the problem of allowing boats to pass without disturbing traffic. 
  

Parliament: The Palace of Westminster

The Palace of Westminster 

One of the biggest shocks for me was learning that the clock tower that houses the Big Ben bell was under construction. Funnily enough, I learned that that clock tower was actually modelled after the one in Manchester. 

If you haven't seen the movie, V for Vendetta, the main character recites a poem: 'Remember, remember the fifth of November'. This poem refers to a gentleman named, Guy Fawkes who, in the 1600s, planned to blow up parliament because of the rise of non-Catholicism in governance. He, along with a small group of men, smuggled barrels of gunpowder to be placed underneath the parliament building. Of course the plan failed because someone betrayed the group and snitched. Now, this evening is is forever celebrated as Guy Fawkes Night with a show of fireworks (and heavy drinking).

Brexit

The biggest topic of conversation while in the UK was Brexit. I will always remember the daily news constantly covering it, the protests and the second vote allowing Boris Johnson to go ahead with it. I will also always remember being out on Wednesday, 28 August 2019 and witnessing the protest that occurred after Johnson shut down parliament. 


Comments

  1. ZaynMay 10, 2020 at 12:11 AM

    I’m all caught up! I liked the Tower of London pictures.. I’ve not been there myself!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AngelinaMay 10, 2020 at 1:16 PM

      Thank you so much for checking out the blog! I have many more posts and pictures in store :-)

      Delete

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