London Thames part 1 Greenwich to Tower Bridge

When we visit London, one of our favourite journeys is along the Thames on a cruiser. Combined with an hour or so in Greenwich Indoor Market and a stroll along the South Bank, it's the kind of day which gives a buzz. 

Greenwich is probably most famous for the zero meridian; the line from which all time zones are measured, but it is also home to the National Maritime Museum, the Observatory, the Cutty Sark (currently undergoing restoration after a fire), a foot tunnel under the Thames and the Royal Naval College (pictured).

Interestingly, the domes on here were designed by Christopher Wren and were his practices for the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.

Journeying upstream towards London centre, we pass Canary Wharf, the tallest building in the capital.

These Lego-brick looking apartments are part of the massive Docklands development which has transformed this part of East London from a rough docks to a prestigious residential area, complete with huge price tag. This particular building was designed to give every apartment a river view, because an apartment with a view of the Thames will sell for around a quarter of a million pounds more than one without.

Moving on, the Captain Kidd pub is named after the famous pirate who was hanged just up the river at Execution Dock in 1701, convicted of murder and piracy. On the first attempt, the hangman's rope snapped, so they took him down and tried again, after which, they doused his body in tar and left it to rot, suspended in a cage over the Thames as a warning to others.

It was thanks to pirates like Kidd that London was the first city in the world to have a dedicated river police service. Their headquarters is still here in Wapping.

Passing under Tower Bridge, City Hall becomes visible. The home of the office of the Mayor of London, it stands 45m tall, with 10 floors and is described as 'A glass globe that's as green as possible', running on 1/4 of the energy consumption of an equivalent high spec office building.

And looking back, there is the unmistakable shape of Tower Bridge itself.

Tomorrow, I'll journey on to Westminster, but for now you might like to take a look at Alphabe-Thursday to see what else in on the L menu.