London

 I wanted to go to the Tower of London to see a newly refurbished area - the Medieval Tower.  With no tube running I had to find an alternative way to get there, which as it happened was very easy - I could get a train to London Bridge and a short walk (about 15 minutes max) along the Thames Towpath... 

Coming out of London Bridge station you are confronted by the Shard - which I love (you either love or hate modern architecture I think)  

I never use London Bridge when I go to London, I always get the train to Victoria and hope on a tube - so for some reason didn't realise the Shard was slap bang at London Bridge...

I found my way (round a police diversion) to London Bridge itself and crossed the river 

beautiful sky, gorgeous clouds, lots of photos en route.

not as many tourists as normal, partly due to the end of summer holidays but probably mostly the tube strike 

I tried to follow the Thames Towpath, close to the river, which was partly successful but partly thwarted by building work

there were people down on the shore, mudlarking 

the good thing about London is the landmarks make it easy to navigate your way!  

I got to the Tower, and found that the normal entrance is being repaired!  

so you go a bit further along the towpath to the new entrance (normally the exit!) 

at Traitors Gate you see the first of the poppies which are still in place (until Armistice day in November)  

where you go in at present, you first meet the ravens 

the White Tower

I decided to find the Medieval Palace first - in the battlements 

not sure if you will be able to enlarge this to read it, but it tells you about Henry III and  Edward I whose rooms they have re-created 

it was very impressive 

these were the stairs you come up out onto the top of the battlements around the Tower 

you get a good view of the poppies outside the White Tower

this is my favourite part of the display

towards the City 

I can't resist the old and the new together 

whilst I was still on the battlements 

I tried to get some different views

back down on the ground I still tried to get different views to usual. 

then went round to get closer (by the entrance to the White Tower)  to see the poppies 

I did my usual crouching down for shots

and then lots of the White Tower itself 

remnant of the Roman wall of London

I decided not to join the (fairly small for a change) queue to the Crown Jewels 

display round the side of the White Tower

down under the arch was a huge crowd - one of the Yeoman Warder tours....

he led them up the steps to the next stage on his tour

but I left them to it and made my way to the exit

down at the inside of Traitors Gate, the poppies continued into the water 

having made my way out onto the path outside

some ominous clouds!  

I went under Tower Bridge and along to St Katharine's Dock - not been for a long time

I didn't walk right round all of it 

before making my way back to the river front 

and back to the Tower 

the light wasn't obliging either with the river in front of me or behind me to get perfect shots of the dolphin - I'd forgotten it was here (it's outside the Tower Hotel) 

I took the steps up to the bridge 

and joined the crowds on it 

the clouds were sill looking ominous but they were behind me now 

shooting over the crowds 

and of both sides of the river as I crossed the bridge - I was heading back towards London Bridge but was going to go along the other side of the river this time

blogger of course wants you to see the photos in it's own order! 

it was tricky waiting for gaps in the traffic to get shots of the other side of the river 

and the people on the bridge who mostly don't stop for you to take photos!  

eventually (due to the number of photos I was taking( I made it to the other side of the bridge 

I was loving the reflections in the glass buildings along this side of the river

be it the clouds

or the Tower and the bridge

HMS Belfast moored on the Thames near London Bridge  hard to make it out with the city skyline behind it

there's a runway type thing marking the history of it's life until coming to London.  Not sure if you can read it (if you enlarge it) 

there were one or two spots of rain but nothing really

finally cleared the skyline to get a bit of a view of the warship

peeking through a pub doorway

I carried on past the road to the station 

Southwark Cathedral 

I did go in, but didn't take any photos this time (I went  a few years ago) 

and then carried along to Borough Market 

where I wandered round trying to avoid people  - it was still lunchtime and there were queues of people getting food 

I was hungry too, but didn't want to stop 

there were lots of fascinating shops  and stalls 

I was trying to find my way back to the station

but seemed to walk in a circle round the Market! 

on my way back to station I paused at the Golden Hinde - well a replica of it 

that Francis Drake circled the globe in in 1577

and finally back in Tooley Street and the old London Bridge hospital - was really lucky with a train, that was about to depart for home! 

Thanks for looking - not sure if tomorrow will see me go out as the forecast isn't at all good!