Second "last" day - well, not really!

I'm saying last day because I mean it is our last day "out" before Philip and Ellen return.  We will have a few more opportunities because after they get home Wednesday around noon, we will leave the house to them and go out somewhere - haven't figured out where and also on Friday, we will do the same' so they can nap,, unpack, read mail and readjust.  So we really do have one and a half days left before the four of us go canal boating together for a week.  But it just kind of feels like the last day because we will no longer be the major players in the house but the guests and that is a little bit different than being here by ourselves.  But don't get me wrong - we are definitely looking forward to having them home.

Okay, so Tuesday John got to choose what he wanted to do and he wanted to try again to make our way to the Thames Barrier.  Remember when Robin was here and we went down the Thames with the Barrier as our final destination, stopped for lunch at Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich and got back on the WRONG boat which did a U-turn back to the starting point!  Anyway, since this wish of John's involved another river cruise, I had no objection at all!!  We took the same boat, had lunch at the same tavern and then made sure we got on the correct boat to go to the Barrier.

We took off at Westminster Pier and this time we went past Parliament which is always a building that causes
people to just stare at it's facade.  The beauty of the Gothic architecture and adornments is unbeatable, I think.  Don't forget that you can click on these if you want a larger picture.

The Thames River is a tidal river and the tide varies from 5-7 meters or over 21 feet.  We were traveling with the tide as it was going out to the English Channel and it was very rough going.  The weather was perfect, sunny and in the 70's like today.  I hope this lasts when we go canal boating next week.

Lunch at the Trafalgar again.  It certainly is quiter during the week than it is on weekends and I like it a lot better with all the people, although we did get a table inside this time with a great view of the river.

This time we got on the right boat and headed for the Barrier.  To quote Wikipedia "The Thames Barrier is the world's second largest movable flood barrier (after the Oosterscheldekering in the Netherlands) and is located downstream of central London. Its purpose is to prevent London from being flooded by exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the sea. It only needs to be raised during high tide; at ebb tide it can be lowered to release the water that backs up behind it. Its northern bank is in Silvertown in the London Borough of Newham and its southern bank is in the New Charlton area of Charlton in the London Borough of Greenwich.

London is quite vulnerable to flooding. A storm surge generated by low pressure in the Atlantic Ocean sometimes tracks eastwards past the north of Scotland and may then be driven into the shallow waters of the North Sea. The surge tide is funnelled down the North Sea which narrows towards the English Channel and the Thames Estuary. If the storm surge coincides with a spring tide, dangerously high water levels can occur in the Thames Estuary. This situation combined with downstream flows in the Thames provides the triggers for flood defence operations.

The threat has increased over time due to the slow but continuous rise in high water level over the centuries (20 cm / 100 years) and the slow "tilting" of Britain (up in the north and west, and down in the south and east) caused by post-glacial rebound."  (The words printed in blue are links in the Wikipedia texts and I don't believe you can connect with them from this quote.  Sorry.)

This shot is across almost the entire width of the river.  The barriers are about 100 feet apart and remind me of the Sydney, Australia Opera House.  Here's a closer shot:

The wall you see between two of the barriers is what comes up to prevent the high tides from travelling up the river to the city.  These are raised periodically for maintenance.  The concern is that the tides are getting higher due to global warming and the barriers are getting older.  Since they may age out around 2060, plans are starting to compensate for this.  A great picture of the barrier is on Wikipedia at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Barrier#Future.




After going around the barrier, we got off back at Greenwich and took the Dock Light Rail which is over land and the new Overland system to the Wapping area to a WONDERFUL OLD pub, the first on the river.  Pirates, cockfights, boxing, all kinds of savory things with savory characters went on in this pub when it was opened in the 1500s and for many hundred years after that.  The Providence at Whitby's bay window on the second floor was also a favorite spot of contemporary characters such as Princess Margaret and Frank Sinatra.

Tide's out here and we're down on the Thames shore.  First time for us in all these many trips.  How do you like the hanging noose?  When the tide comes up it's almost up to that first balcony and wakes from boats can splash the water into the pub.  If you are being hung there and can survive 3 tide changes, you can go free!  Of course, the hanging probably got you in the first place.

We both touched this river growth on the pilings just to feel it and then awhile later read a sign not to do that because it can cause skin rashes!  Yuck, went back in to wash my hands.

Here's a view of the street front of this lovely pub:

The area around the pub was once all warehouses.  Now it's all upscale apartment and condo living.  The warehouses have been refurbished and it's clean, safe and quiet.  Amazing when you consider who used to frequent these streets.