LONDON! Day 10: Thames Riverboat Part 2

So, we're having a great time on the River Thames (pronounced "Tims"), laughing with the non-tour guide and just enjoying the morning. Onward!

While the guide had plenty to say about the buildings on the left side of the river, at one point this was all that was on the right:

Kinda lonely-looking, isn't it? Reminds me of that part in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when Johnny Depp's father moves the house out somewhere all by itself.

See that little pub there in the middle? That's the only place in London where you can buy American stamps. Can you read it's name? The Mayflower. It's called that because the *actual* Mayflower moored there just before it's infamous voyage. Pretty cool, eh?

This is the HMS Ark Royale. It's an air craft carrier and also the largest ship in the British fleet. It was anchored here for the Queen's birthday celebrations. Comes with several helicopters and even some of these:

I tried not to take too many pictures...

The Millennial Dome, as seen in the James Bond movie. Pretty cool looking place! They couldn't dig into the ground for supports, had to find another way to keep the top up. Also, those large grey cages all around it are generators. It is completely power self-sufficient. Roz, our fabulous guide, actually worked there when it was in full swing.

The end of our ride: the Thames Barrier. This is a sort of flexible dam to keep the river from flooding. Arms extend between the large Conquistador-helmet-looking things as needed to prevent too much water upriver.

So that ends our boat trip! We exited the boat at Greenwich. More on that later...