Up to town

I was off to London today to meet up with fellow Blipper HClaireB. Quite typically the train from Hampton to Waterloo was delayed - 11 minutes late, signal failure at somewhere. Does that remind you of anything?

I finally arrived at Wapping Overground, which is a long way underground! We walked along the Thames path, diverted inland from time to time, due to engineering works, ie, Tideway, the new London SuperSewer. A very interesting walk though, and my Blip today is a view across Shadwell Basin, of a group of skyscrapers including the Cheesegrater and the Gherkin - snuggled between them can be seen the church of St George in the East, built in the early 1700s. 

We stopped for lunch at The Grapes, one of London's oldest pubs, in Narrow Street, Limehouse. The current building dates from  the 1720s, on the site of the previous pub which was built in 1583. Perched right on the edge of the Thames, it's full of history and has an association with Charles Dickens.

After lunch we carried on to Canary Wharf, with its modern skyscrapers. I'd not been before and was prepared to dislike it, but it was absolutely amazing! The blue sky and sunshine lit up the buildings - quite a sight! 

Quote of the Day: 'We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us.' -Winston Churchill.