Final Views From The Cruise

First of all, huge apologies for the quality and quantity of pictures in this post. This is due entirely to the steamed up windows on the City Cruise boat! It had started to rain so I took a couple of pics from inside the boat and then realised it was pretty pointless!

As we moved steadily along the river, I was quite struck by the variety of architectural styles and ages represented on the banks of the Thames. Many of the once industrial buildings have been sympathetically converted into residential apartments; there are modern glass constructions; there are Victorian buildings aplenty including one built in the Italian Renaissance style and there is even a replica Tudor warship!

But none of the buildings you pass, modern or old, sum up the history of the River Thames better than Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. This recreation of the 16^th Century Globe Theatre was opened in 1997 and was the first building with a thatched roof to be built in London since the Great Fire of 1666. As well as being the venue for an extensive exhibition about Shakespeare and the theatre of his time, the Globe also has an annual theatre season with performances of Shakespeare’s work and those of modern playwrights’.

The Globe theatre tour and exhibition is on the list of London Pass attractions and, having seen it from the outside, I am now keen to go inside and see this outstanding reconstruction properly.

All in all, the City Cruise boat trip was a good experience despite the weather. The bonus of doing this with the London Pass is that you get a Red Rover ticket which enables you to use the boats like buses- getting on and off where and when you want throughout the day. If you get your timings right it is quicker than taking the bus or tube from the Tower of London to Westminster. Although I didn’t do it on this occasion, you can also take the boat all the way up to Greenwich Pier where you can see the Cutty Sark exhibition and visit the Royal Observatory and the National Maritime Museum (another London Pass attraction).

The Thames River cruise is a pleasant way to see some of the important sights of London and perfect if you haven’t got a lot of time to spend exploring London in detail.