Thursday, 24 September 2009

The Best of Thames, and...the Best of Thames

There really was no downside to the Thames Festival.  It was free, it was accessible, and there was lots of fire.

Night one:
After stuffing myself with the sunflower bread I purchased for a pound (gotta love late-night discounts), we wandered across the bridge to the Tate Modern side of the shore.  There we found the first of many delights--a glowing display of urban poetry calling people forward like mosquitos to a light.



Then we regrouped at the fire garden, and it was truly an ethereal experience.  Glowing spheres of iron with fire pots mounted all around the rim rotated in the wind, while locals launched mini hot air balloons from a nearby balcony, twinkling against the night sky.  Further into the garden there was a woman surrounded by lanterns singing eerie tunes, and groups of young people with pots of incense and candle rings.  We felt like we were at a hippie pagan campground.  Nevertheless, journeying on revealed the true prize: a spinning wheel of water suspended above a pool of the same, with buckets of fire all around it that seemingly rained down into the water.  Water can't catch fire?  I've seen it.




Night 2:
I got over my fear of bridges and after a quick stroll through the innumerable food stalls (and some rather excellent vegetarian curry), we found a good perch on the Waterloo bridge from which to watch the fireworks.   However, good is relative, as the traffic was between us and the fireworks and was as interested in craning to get a good look as we were.  But aside from these interruptions, we had a great view of the display.

 
 


London sure knows how to throw a party!

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