South Bank or the passing of life along the Thames
Beyond his troubles with Brexit, and yes or no, United Kingdom it will always remain one of those easy-to-click destinations in the flight search engine **when you fancy a getaway**. Especially if we talk about London. Because in London, we all know, things always happen.
in the British capital neighborhoods mutate, transform and regenerate at the speed of light, and this translates into something very simple: there will always be a new face of the city to discover.
In the case of **the south bank of the Thames, an area known as the South Bank**, the same thing happens. So, now that All I want for Christmas is you has once again taken over the streets of half the world, we head straight to this interesting area dedicated to culture in each and every one of its variants.
Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, the London Eye... Where to start?
LONDON FROM A BIRD'S VIEW
Since the 135 meters high that reach the cabins of the Coca-Cola London Eye , everything looks different. In fact, everything looks miniature.
The Palace of Westminster it looks like a model based on Legos next to the Thames, and **the great tower of Big Ben**, even wrapped in scaffolding as it is right now –and watch out, it will continue like this until 2021-, continues to attract all eyes.
While the most famous ferris wheel in the UK spinning at a barely perceptible speed - 10 inches per second to be exact - we focus on scrutinizing every inch of the three-dimensional map spread out before us. It is time to stop at every detail, at every building . In those skyscrapers that stand out on the London skyline, locating us exactly where the City is, and in its other emblems **such as St. Paul's Cathedral, The Shard or Westminster Abbey**.
From the London Eye everything looks different...
under us, the mythical Westminster Bridge has been connecting the south of the city with the north since 1853 , the year in which, facing constant sabotage by those who monopolized the ferry business, completed construction with funds obtained from lottery tickets.
Now with your feet on the ground, entertainment continues to be the protagonist -especially if you are traveling as a family-, because **in the South Bank there are also other tourist attractions such as Shrek's Adventure! or London Dungeon **, an adventure for those hearts that are shock-proof: a theatrical journey through 1000 years of history in which all the most horrifying historical events and catastrophes in the city . In it, of course, great moments like **the Great Fire of London or the figure of Jack the Ripper** have a place. There goes that...
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS...
The most emblematic Christmas carols sing us with Christmas, which seems to also start earlier each year here, while a man with a white beard -wait, could it be Santa Claus?- and a hat serves us one of his mulled wines in a paper cup . With our hands very warm around him, we are going to go the different cabins that since last November 8 -and until next January 5- there are willing between the London Eye and the Southbank Centre, and which form part of the Winter Festival.
** Gastronomy from all corners of the world** –burritos, pad thai, crumbles, fish and chips, sushi or curries-, and crafts –old maps, utensils to replace plastic, woolen clothes or stationery products- enliven this Christmas market in which all kinds of public meet.
As in other places, Christmas has also come early in London.
And if the mulled wine doesn't convince us, no problem: the Rekorderlig Cider Lodge is a temporary bar that with its urban design bonfires outside they concentrate a large part of the atmosphere. Among the proposals, a novelty: hot cider to accompany live concerts that usually animate the cotarro. More options? Attached to the banks of the Thames, cafes and bars sprout like mushrooms in the countryside : there are all styles, sizes and themes.
AND OF CULTURE, WHAT?
Well, about culture, everything you want . Because we already told you at the beginning: We are in one of the cultural hotspots of London! Although, obviously, the area did not always have this character: in the past, and due to its proximity to the river, it was a nauseating and partly abandoned quagmire around which the city began to urbanize.
It was already during the 18th and 19th centuries when the actual development started. The land was cheaper than in the north and, furthermore, it was not as controlled either, which allowed the appearance of a whole set of entertainment-related businesses: from taverns to theaters, circuses, performance halls and, of course, brothels . The father spree was here.
Waterloo station brought with it more than 700 trains daily.
Industrialization also came in the XIX , which meant the flourishing of companies that were driven at the same time by the appearance of the railway: Waterloo station brought with it the transfer of more than 700 daily trains –with its corresponding pollution and permanent mist on London rooftops-.
To top it off, after World War II and to alleviate the discomfort and trauma arising from the clashes and bombings, the British government decided to establish, precisely here, the Festival of Britain, which started in 1951 . The destination was already marked.
As part of that legacy remained the Southbank Centre, a cultural complex –the largest in the UK, in fact- made up of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elisabeth Hall, the Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery , in addition to being the home of the National Library of Poetry, from the Collection of the Arts Council and to serve as home to four resident orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra . Not bad, huh?
Also in the complex itself, more bars and restaurants where you can stop for a drink – we stayed with Skylon , British cuisine with modern touches on the third floor of the Royal Festival Hall and with overwhelming views of the river and the city- and spaces in which performances of all kinds have a place. The same as on the street itself: along the pedestrian promenade that runs along the Thames, street artists follow one another without stopping.
and so do skaters, who find their own paradise here : the rolling of the boards can already be heard from afar, and that is in the basement of the Queen Elisabeth Hall there is a whole network of tracks and platforms in which jumps and pirouettes, before the attentive gaze of the curious, are the order of the day. It is recognized, by the way, as the oldest skating rink in the world still in use.
More culture? yes, more culture . For example, the one that takes place at **the National Theater**, right in front of the Waterloo Bridge: its programming is one of the best in the city. Of reinforced concrete and horizontal lines, it is the home of the National Theater Company since 1976 and one of the most emblematic architectural samples of the South Bank. Here you can also attend free exhibitions and take guided tours of its entrails, in addition to succumbing to **the gastronomic proposals of House or Terrace Restaurant**, which compete with **the craft beers of The Understudy pub and with our favorite : The Green Room** burgers. Spectacular.
The Southbank Center is the greatest cultural expression of the South Bank.
BUT WAIT, THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE...
Sure, what did you think? And it is that even the seventh art also finds its place in the South Bank . and does it in the largest film center in the whole of the UK: at the BFI Southbank – the British Film Institute - A very complete and varied selection of both classic and contemporary films is screened. Its media library, with free access, is a gem.
Just a few more steps inside, another stop: there stands the immense glass drum-shaped building or, what is the same, the award-winning ** BFI Imax , home to the largest cinema screen in the entire Kingdom United**.
But, How about a whim of those that you want to indulge in a city like this? We are going for the most elegant luxury: the one that is felt and offered in the London Marriott Hotel County Hall , where it is time to enjoy a afternoon tea of those who make history. Scones, sandwiches, cakes and the most British environment: the one that takes place in its impressive Library Lounge among original oak wood shelves, classics of native literature and busts of the country's most renowned authors and historical figures. To die of pleasure.
The icing on the cake can come -if we come upstairs and feel like it- in the spa of another of the most emblematic hotels in the area: **entering the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge's Mandara Spa is like doing it on the very island of Bali**.
Take in an authentic British atmosphere at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall.
AND SHOPPING, WHAT?
Well, there's also room. between culture and relaxation for shopping , that for something we are in the British capital. One option is found in Gabriel´s Wharf, an old wharf occupied by lumber merchants that already in 88 was conquered by some galleries and independent designer shops.
More purchases at the Oxo Tower Wharf, a former power station converted in the 1920s into the OXO factory –that of the famous cubes of meat broth concentrate-, and that was transformed again, this time at the end of the 20th century, into what it is today: an ideal framework in which apartments are combined with offices, designer shops –Josef Koppmann's jewels, Lauren Shanley's colorful proposals or J-Me's original gifts-, art Galeries –Skylark Galleries, Studio Fusion- **and restaurants**.
Here's a tip: **from the terrace of the Oxo Tower Restaurant **, with free access, you can enjoy some magnificent views of the river and the city . Of course: if we add one of their elaborate cocktails to the equation, everything will be much more wonderful.
And we are not going to be the ones to say that this would be the best of the endings for the day and for this article, but there is something else that we would like you to know.
Gabriel's Wharf is one of those places in London with charm and a 'vintage' air
A little further inland in the basement of Waterloo Station -which already has a visit due to its historical and architectural importance-, **art takes center stage in House of Vans . And what is it about? From a very interesting space open to the public since 2015 and led by the fashion brand, which stretches across five disused former train tunnels . They provide a platform for local communities to experience** art, live music, street culture and a first: London's first indoor skate park.
In two steps, Leake Street Tunnel it rounds off the urban experience: the **300 meter wall of this tunnel is open to street art** in all its splendor.
Pure graffiti poetry and the end of our journey through the largest artistic center in Europe.
Art is reflected on the walls of the Leake Street Tunnel.