London Bridge to Waterloo
Discovering the South Bank
There is plenty to do and see all along this part of the river.
The Hay's Galleria at London Bridge was my first stop and I ended up with the Book Market near the Royal Festival Hall. I was even lucky with the sunshine. London Bridge is perhaps the most famous of all the bridges in this city. It
was built in 1967 by Lord William Holford. At 269 meters long and 8.9 meters high it spans the Thames from Southwark to Bankside. It is one of the most modern bridges in the city, replacing the old one which now lives in Arizona.
After a little time spent in the area I moved on, past the HMS Belfast to the Hay's Galleria.
It's a covered gallery with restaurants, shops, apartments and even offices. Everything here was refurbished in 1980.
Personally I found that there wasn't much choice of shops. However, there were plenty of places to sit down to eat or drink a hot drink. In fact, I went to Costa's for a hot chocolate and a piece of cake. The waiter was very nice and the hot chocolate just delicious.
I walked along to Southbank passing a stack of interesting stuff – Southwark Cathedral, the Globe Theatre and the brilliant Tate Modern. If you want to cross to the other side to take in St. Pauls the millennium bridge is close at hand. I got to the book shop about 45 minutes from leaving the Hayes Galleria.
There were a lot of books there at very low prices. The book market is outside and although a little chilly it’s a great place to pick up a few bargains
Personally I loved the South Bank which has a totally different look and feel to the rest of London.
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