Spontaneity

Hubby only gets 1 weekend off a month, and often this can be cancelled at very short notice.  This makes it very difficult to plan anything in advance, so often we do things on the spur of the moment - like this weekend.  The basketball team that we follow were playing at the Olympic Park, so we decided to drive down on Friday and stay overnight.  I booked us into a Premier Inn which was situated in the Westfield Shopping Centre on the Olympic site.  I had asked for a good view, and it was a spectacular view when we arrived. 

 The Sharks were playing at the Copperbox Arena - a very spectacular venue.

 However they sadly lost - but that was the only low point of the trip.

 On Saturday morning, we decided to take a short trip down to Greenwich which is an area that I had never visited before.

 We got off the tube at the wrong stop, but it didn't matter as there was so much to see.  You can now apparently pay to take a walk over the Millenium Dome - not one for me!

 We did also consider taking a trip in the Emirates Skyride Cable Cars, but I chickened out at this one too.  But it is very spectacular.

 Instead, we decided to walk the Thames Path down to Greenwich - about an hours walk for a blogger that needs to stop every 5 minutes to take a photograph.

 This area of London reminds me very much of Sheffield in the way that the industry that this area was built around no longer exists here, leaving the whole district in need of a new purpose and identity.

 Although the industry of shipping - imports and exports - is no longer on this stretch of the Thames, the river still runs through regardless.  We found this very interesting sculpture moored by the path.

 Immediately across from us on this large meander of the Thames was the Isle of Dogs - an area with a fascinating history.  Once very dangerous docklands, now a very exclusive financial districts with some stunning and very expensive apartments there too.  

 Next time I want to have a look around here too.  The old docks are still there, but unused apart from the odd floating restaurant.  The old houses by the shoreline look worth a closer inspection too.

 A lot of building works are taking place on this derelict stretch of the Thames, but many relics remain from its past.

 Again, it is a place where I would have loved to step back in time and see it in it's hey day.

 I don't know what thee plans are for this area, but builders were working on Saturday.  The difference between here and Sheffield is that there seems to be a lot more investment here in London. (excuse the very rude graffiti on the brick building - only just noticed it! )

 You know I'm a Womble a love to bring home items that I find that seem to be discarded, but Mr H refused to attempt to carry this ancient looking anchor home for me.  I can't believe it was just discarded in this way.

 There is something sad, but very beautiful in decay and rust on this scale.

And then we were nearly at our destination.