Friday, November 5, 2010

Riding the Thames River Cruise

The Thames is the river which feeds London and has been a site for many historical events. In the present day, the Thames is recovering from the damages done to it over the centuries.

Luckily for you, you might be able to still enjoy the Thames river cruises! Departing from Westminister Underground station, there are numerous companies which offer group tours, and usually these boats will fit about a hundred people at a go.



Along the river at night is no doubt a romantic view for the stong stomached. The lights are amazing as you can see. Do not miss the HMS President, a world war 2 Battleship which is on permanent anchor along the Thames!




Going further down the bridge is the iconic Tower Bridge (It is not London bridge as people tend to call it!) This used to be the icon of London right until the London eye came into the picture. However, this bridge still has its historical value and would be something you would want to see with your own eyes!





Cruising down the river on this huge boat you will see a green laser illuminating the night sky. If you do not already know, this is Greenwich. Yes, and the green laser is the official Greenwich Meridian Line which by international standards, set the timezone of London to be GMT or the Greenwich Meridian Time.



All the while, you will have the DJ and music pumping in the boat. Technically, this river cruise is a floating club and you can potentially go wild or just enjoy the ambience.



Also in Greenwich is the iconic O2 arena lies. This mega stadium is home to many performances over the years and was supposed to be graced by the late Micheal Jackson himself. Micheal Jackson was supposed to perform his final show, This Is It in which he never got to. Ah well, many other things happened there but its a nice sight at night.



Depending on the crowd, you will usually meet very different people on board. See what I mean? Yet, it is a good experience to meet other travellers and just have fun!





Check if your cruise provides drinks or if drinks are on sale. Usually, there will be a nice bar on board which will provide you with all the drinks you need. Wine, beer, liqour, you name it!



Further down the river, where the city ends, would be Canary Wharf. This is the power center of London, in that this is the financial centre of London. Here you will get the big names in the banking industry, HSBC, Citibank, Barclays and a whole host of other big banks. This is the only place in London which the buildings reach the 60 storey mark and the views from the top are simply stunning!



One word of advice! Make sure the weather is good! If it rains, better not take your chance on the cruise cause you will not get to enjoy the outside air. Best done in spring summer when it is not that cold!



Finally, the boat turns around and takes you back to Westminister where you will find Big Ben!

No comments:

Popular Posts