Thursday night after work I went down to the Speight’s Ale House after work for a pint or two and Danny, a King Country lad who also works on the Helpdesk came along. We were later joined by Keryn and chatted our way through a few pints of Speight’s followed by a bottle of Oyster Bay, it was a good evening.
Danny and Keryn at the Speight’s Ale House
Today (being Saturday) was the Lord Mayor’s Show and we headed into town to do a little bit of shopping, post off our passport applications (at last) and then find a spot by the Thames to watch the fireworks. After grabbing a bite to eat and sitting down to eat it we walked down to Embankment to look for a viewing spot but we had left it a bit late and all the really good spots were taken. We had to settle for a spot behind a crowd of people and once set up we waited for 5pm and the fireworks to start.
Crowds by the Thames waiting for Fireworks
Shortly after 5pm a flare was sent Thames-ward by the Lord Mayor and the fireworks began. It was quite spectacular with huge booms and bangs accompanying the rockets, sparks and explosions of light. A person next to me commented that it was good but “where were the oohs and aahs from the crowd” mid way through the show, shortly followed by a collective “Ooh!” from the crowd as the intensity was ramped up. The fireworks can’t have lasted for more than 10 minutes but it seemed much longer and the show ended to applause from the massed crowds on the banks and nearby bridges.
Fireworks go Boom!
The crowd quickly moved away onto Embankment which was thankfully closed to traffic. Rather than board the tube with the collected masses we walked to Liverpool Street, stopping briefly at the Guildhall to take a couple of photos. Keryn was quite surprised at the amount of building work that had taken place on Cheapside since her last visit, Landsecurities has one building site in front of St Paul’s Cathedral that currently resembles a big hole in the ground but it has revealed a view of St Paul’s that hasn’t been visible for decades. It wasn’t long before we were at the station and finding our train for the journey home.
The deserted Guildhall
