London Viewpoint

I took this picture looking west from Waterloo Bridge the last time I was in London, which was about three months ago. I've added plenty of light to the photo be able to pick out some of the detail.

On the left is the cafe at the back of the BFI (British Film Institute) on the South Bank. (It used to be known as The National Film Theatre.) Beyond that is the Festival Hall, and then, of course, the famous London Eye. It's been there for over 11 years now, and I still haven't managed to ride it.

At the right front is the Festival Pier stretching put over the River Thames. There you can pick up a boat to the Tower of London or Greenwich.  In the opposite direction, I've known some boats from here to go as far as Richmond, where the river still ebbs and flows with the tide, which comes to a halt a little further on at Teddington Lock and weir.

Between the river and the buildings is the South Bank promenade, with people ambling along beneath the branches of the trees in the foreground. They walk under Hungerford Footbridge which crosses the river alongside the railway and trains from Waterloo East station, that turn east and stop at London Bridge Station where the tracks divide to serve the Essex lines.

From my vantage point, it looks as though the river bends to the left as you go further back in the picture, and Hungerford Bridge hides the next one along.  This is Westminster Bridge, the one you must cross to reach Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, which I hope you can make out behind the London Eye.

If you walk further north over Waterloo Bridge, you get a much longer view to the east, past St Pauls Cathedral and the City's financial institution buildings. I didn't do that but you can find a good pic of it in William Wallace's London is Cool blog. I'm heading over there now to catch up with what he's been up to lately in London.