Canary Wharf

With the rain stopping and the sun shining again I couldn't wait to explore another part of my city, its financial hub, Canary Wharf. Situated in East London right by the River Thames it attracts tourists mostly on weekends and is currently, after Covid, full of people who mean business from Tuesday till Thursday especially.

As you can imagine it is pretty much entirely newly built offices and conference rooms behind shiny golden, extra long reception desks. The friendly though often useless staff are hiding behind giant orchids. No idea why exactly this kind of flower. I'm thinking an assortment of cacti would suit them better.

If you wish to get to know a bit about how it all looked in the past, head to the Docklands Museum.

Entrance is complimentary, donations are welcome and there are even free guided tours. There are three floors to kill a few hours on. I recommend starting from the top and working your way down. You'll read about slavery and how Britain welcomed many people from the Caribbean. Then there are areas preserved from the past, when the docklands were so busy with receiving cargo that needed unloading, sampling, evaluating and so on. This provided many jobs for the local community. Here there is even a replica of a pub from the olden days.

You can take a sit or wait at the bar but currently there are no drinks on offer. Maybe that sounds more like an after hours experience which I see is becoming rather popular lately.

A woman working at the museum told me her favourite bit about the job here. Guess what, it has nothing to do with the museum whatsoever. She peaks through the window too often I guess and has a good laugh when the people who just hired one of the boats with a barbecue or a hot tub get soaked. Mean? If you ask me, yes, a bit. Bored at work? Totally. I hope Secret Santa hires her one of the boats so she gets the real feel.

Picking a favourite tea Old Man's Eyebrows.

A mummified huge cat and a mouse right next to it drew my attention. Better for the mouse? I guess as it was so close to ending up in the cat's tummy. They are both dead now but the mouse died free and they are both here for others to see. Maybe some kids will give them names. I am not good at this but I know somebody who is. Recently I got another koala teddy from Australia that is now called Cookie which goes perfectly well with my teddy bear Biscuit. I hope they made friends or if not yet, they will.

To take it all in, we popped in The Alchemist for some cocktails with a twist.

The drinks here are literally on fire, smoke is coming out of them or they are entirely edible including the container they are served in. Here at the bar, right in front of you, is where the magic happens. Be prepared to wait as they are not your usual gin and tonic. Cheers to the weekend!

The Alchemist Google maps

Last but not least I would like to thank @patjewell for posting such a useful article on how to improve the quality of our posts I love that it's written in plain English and there are examples of dos and don'ts.