April 26 Dockside London

Taking a quick click out the hotel window, Ibis London Docksides, I had no idea, until the day after Kate Middleton's becoming officially Royalty, that I was looking at the Meridian, a line, actually on the ground at this spot, marking Greenwich longitude 0 degrees, 0', 0” (arrow). I was then taking advantage of a nice sunny morning to find out if the cooling tower-looking structure were a vent for the subway or an old burger take-out stand (vent). After we got settled, we had time to walk the neighborhood to see if we'd have dinner at the hotel or elsewhere. We knew it wouldn't be MacDonalds, so set off along the eastern shore of our particular bend in the Thames, the docks at Blackwall. Early on we found that 'The Gun', described on our net search as a good bar with excellent food, was in fact an Inn for at least 250 years and Admiral Nelson's favorite hangout while ashore and inspecting the gun foundries in the area, Isle of Dogs. He bought a house right down the lane, still labeled 'Nelson'. He would often lift a pint, have dinner, then retire with his mistress, Lady Ellen Hamilton. We were too tired to have a beer with dinner, so saved the spot for another night. Along the West India docks, we came across what Gail thought of as 'Li'l Toot, in fact the last intact London steam tug of wood, beautifully preserved and shipshape. Next was for Lois, Linda, Lynn, and Beth, not much of a boat, but it's the thought that counts. Just when I thought I was done with ducks, this white faced inset showed up: turned out to be quite common on the Thames. (My Yorkshire secret agent, now living in Wales, tells me it's a coot.)
We had dinner at this Turkish restaurant (couldn't shake Amasra), lured by the special on the signboard. We then took a leisurely stroll over the footbridge from south Quay to Canary Docks and along the north side of the lock canal back to the hotel.