For my last day in London, I figured it would be best to explore a bit outside the central districts and also slow down a little, as I had a flight to Berlin in the evening. Korinna had suggested the Docklands and I wanted to also to extend this to Greenwich, as it is home to the Meridian. I was really looking forward to this as it would take me away from the hectic hustle and bustle of the previous day.

First stop was Canary Wharf and Canada Square. I don't know too much about the history of the Docklands and would love to find out more at a later point. But for those of you who are curious, here's the Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Docklands. All I knew was that it had been developed quite extensively in the past years, giving rise to massive skyscrapers and buildings that had a very sleek, futuristic look.

This was certainly the case when I arrived here...quite a contrast to the previous day in which there were so many historic buildings that I had come across. It was pretty much glass and steel towers all around. But I really loved it here, loved the shadows cast by these monstrous steel structures and the reflections of clouds drifting past on the glass towers. There were many photo opportunities here and I would love to come back again on a completely cloudless day, as that would certainly change the entire mood of the area.

After meandering for a bit here, I moved along to Island Gardens, which is across from Greenwich. From here, there's a gorgeous view of Greenwich across the Thames. From here, it was under the Thames via the Greenwich foot tunnel which is super cool and a bit creepy...with the echoing footsteps and lighting.

After a bit of meandering, I took a short jaunt through Greenwich Park (stopping at the Cow and Coffee Bean for a refresher) and up to the Royal Observatory, where the view is spectacular, even on a cloudy day. There were clear views of the Queen’s House and Maritime Museum in the foreground, with the Docklands and Millennium Dome in the background. Although there were many tourists here, they were spread much further apart and it was a great opportunity to relax and enjoy the scenery. The Royal Observatory is a must see…it was great watching people have their photos taken straddling the meridian line. I had read in a tour guide that this was a popular thing to do, but had not really expected to see it in full force:)

Unfortunately I did not have too much time to fully explore Greenwich, as I had an evening flight to catch. So I meandered back down the hill and passed by the Queen’s Palace, the Maritime Museum and also skaters at the Royal Naval College, back through the pedestrian underpass and off to Berlin! This was a really lovely way to end my first visit to London…I really loved being here and only had a tiny taste of what the city had to offer. On my next visit, I would really love to just visit local weekend markets and also to come back to the Docklands and Greenwich.

So off I go to Berlin…to re-visit an intriguing city, to meet a new friend and to catch up with another friend…and of course to continue a journey that had started out beautifully!

Tagged: docklands greenwich meridian royal naval college nikond70s