The Thames

It's 02h10 in the morning and I just woke up to get a glass of water and now I can't go back to sleep again. It might be because I had one too many beers at our braai last night, but I think its more a case of my body not realising that night-time is sleep-time. I suppose this is a normal result of working four night shifts per week... So in stead of rolling around in my bed, I am going through the 'archives' on my phone and found a few nice river videos. I suppose compared to other mighty rivers of the world the Thames (pronounced 'Tems' or sometimes 'Tames' depending on where you're from) isn't all that special, but to me, coming from a dry part of a dry country, its a truely magnificent sight. Excuse me for sounding cliche, but that really is the best way to describe it, and thats just because of its size, not even mentioning the historical and technological aspects. So to give you a glimpse of the little stream I live next to, here's a few fun facts about the River Thames to go with the videos:

In most parts of the city, there's a high wall on the river bank on both sides separating water from city. I say most parts because I can only speak of what I have seen, but I suspect its like this in the whole city.

The River actually has tides. Twice a day the water level rises and falls like the sea with a difference of as much as 7 metres between high tide and low tide. At high tide the water sometimes splashes over the wall, reminding you of the force of the river and at low tide you can actually go down to the 'beach' at certain spots with stairs or ladders on the wall.

The River divides the city into a north side and south side, each with its own unique character. To me north has a more Gauteng business-like feel to it while south has a more relaxed Capetonian vibe, but maybe thats just me. Of course there's also a difference between the more cultured west side and the 'cheaper' east. We live in the south-east, work out the combination for yourself.

The River plays a big role in transport, not as much as it used to, but its still used by cargo ships, the occasional cruise liner as well as the navy. A lot of people also commute to and from work on a public transport system of fast clippers.

The water level can be controlled with the Thames Barrier to prevent floods.

The Romans (and others) used the river to transport their armies into London when they invaded the city.

On a more recreational note, you also see a lot of party boats going up and down the river as well as sight seeing tour boats, private yachts and smaller boats. There's even a floating pub or two. The River was also the site of the Red Bull Air Race two weekends ago, not far from where we live.

When I sleep with my window open I can hear the waves breaking against the river wall and it almost sounds like the sea...

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Sent using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone