Ronkeslens

I’m sure everyone in London will confirm that the weather has really been weird. We have been having an indecisive summer here in London. It’s been a mixture of rain, sun, cold and cloudy days. It is so disappointing because I have been looking forward to the warm days. Amidst the chaotic weather conditions, the 1st of June gave a totally different vibe. We had 25 degrees Celsius. A lot of people were outside to enjoy the weather that day. My friend Motola was visiting from the states. While we were planning on the things to do that Saturday, she had initially mentioned that she was interested in going on a cruise. I told her I was going to wait for her at the pier while she tours the city. I can’t swim and I get anxious about water activities. On the appointed day, we met up at London Bridge station and made our way to the city cruise.

On getting to London Bridge, I decided to face one of my fears. I changed my mind and purchased a ticket. Going on the city cruise is a very touristy thing to do in my opinion. I had always brushed off the idea, because I had gone on the London eye in the past, visited the sky garden and some other places that had nice views of London. Once our tickets were purchased and numerous pictures were taken, we made our way to the boat. I was faced with my first disappointment on the trip. For some reason, I had pictured the water to have a light blue shade and be dreamy, unfortunately, it was greenish brown. Once we settled on the boat. The tour guide asked if we would like a live commentary or a recorded version, everyone opted for the live commentary.

The various destinations that were covered on the cruise were Westminster, London eye, tower and Greenwich. I learnt some interesting facts about London on that journey. Some I already knew, some were new to me. If you live in London or come visiting, one of the major tourist attractions is the London eye. The London eye generates an insane amount of money for the UK government annually. I can’t remember the exact amount the tour guide side now, but I know I was pleasantly amazed by the amount he said that day.

The Waterloo bridge or sometimes referred to as ladies bridge, was rebuilt during the second world war by a 90% workforce of ladies, while the men went out to fight. The bridge serves as road and foot bridge.

We also saw the Shard. This is another building that gives an amazing view of London. Fun fact, this is the tallest building in Europe.

Along the walls of Westminster, we have sculptures of lion’s head attached to them in the river. whilst on the cruise, the tour guide made us understand that the lions watch over London. While this is very fallacious, the lions head play a very important role and to sum it up, let’s just say that if the lion’s drinks, London will sink. Therefore, the police are always on the look out. If the water gets to the mouth of the lion, they will alert people nearby to evacuate the buildings and warn the public about a burgeoning flood.

Of course, we got to see the house of parliaments, very beautiful building. We also got to see the Big Ben, which is currently under renovation and will take about two years before it is completed.

The tour went on and the tour guide gave more commentary on other various landmarks, we were so hungry at this time, so I wasn’t really paying attention at this point. Refreshments were been sold on the cruise, we got some but at this point, I just wanted food.

When we eventually ended the cruise, we got off decided to go to Peckham for some Amala. After that meal, all I needed was a bed. We made our way of our various houses after eating. It was so nice reconnecting with Motola. Although she was London in March, the last time we saw each other before March 2019 was on our Primary school graduation. We used to be so close and petite in primary school. Good old days. We reconnected a while back on Instagram, Thank God for social media.

So, what are some fun activities, I can get up to this summer in London? If you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to leave your comments below. Also, has anyone ever been on the Thames river city cruise? Did you find it interesting? Feel free to share your experiences in the comment section. I plan on having a fun summer, will carry you all along on the blog. Thank you for reading as always.

See you all next week.