Tower Bridge

Hello again everybody!

In this new post, I'm going to talk about one of the most famous bridges in London.

Do you know what bridge I'm talking about?

Let's see if you've ever come to London, or you know something about this city. What image of that bridge comes to your head?

TOWER BRIDGE!

Lots of you might have been thinking of another name. And it's understandable since London has 33 bridges across the Thames, only 14 of them are found in the centre of the city. Of those 14 bridge, you can cross only 11 of them by car or by foot and the other 3 are for trains.

Tower Bridge, a worldly iconic bridge that has over 123 years of history, that was inaugurated by the Prince of Wales, who became the future King Edward VII in 1894. It's almost 250 metres long and 7 metres wide. Each of the towers reach a height of 65 metres.

This Victorian style bridge is the only drawbridge in London, which is powered by a hydraulic mechanism and it has been perfectly maintained. They have even conserved the pieces it was built with! The only think that has been changed are the motors, which, nowadays, are electric. When they were first built, they were powered by steam engines that were powered by oil instead of water.

Tourists (including me) often confuse the bridge with London Bridge. But London Bridge is another bridge further down the river (going in the direction of Westminster Bridge), it's a simpler and more colourful (especially at night). They're completely different bridges!

I'm going to tell you about a small legend that exists, people say that an American millionaire (in Arizona, the United States) bought the old London Bridge for himself, thinking that he was actually buying Tower Bridge. So don't worry, you're not the only ones who get it wrong!

The name "Tower Bridge" doesn't come from its two towers, but rather from the Tower of London that is right beside it, which was key in deciding between the more than 50 models/designs that were presented for the bridge.

Every 25 years, they paint and restore the bridge's towers' imperfections. The last time was in 2011 to get ready for the 2012 Olympic Games. A lot of people think that "Tower Bridge" has always been white/grey and blue. Well, I regret to inform you that you're all wrong. After the Second World War, the towers were painted red, black and gold to represent England's victory over Germany. Later, in 1982, they were changed to white and blue after the Falklands victory, to celebrate England's victory over Argentina.

The upper walkway was open for people to walk along for 16 years (until 1910). But, owing to it being frequented by sex workers and thieves, it was closed. Until its re-opening occurred in 1982 and it remains open to this day.

The current timetable when you can enjoy the impressive panoramic views and walking on the glass floor:

• Summer Schedule (From April to September) 10:00 to 17:30

• Winter Schedule (From October to March) 9:30 to 17:00

The cost of entry varies depending on whether you buy them online or if you buy them there in person, so I'd recommend getting your tickets booked in advance if you're thinking of going up the towers beforehand. The price for an adult is £ 9. 00, they have discounts for children, students, the elderly and special packages for parents and children.

I'll leave a link here, if you're interested.

It's found at “Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 2UP”, you can get there by bus, tube (the closest stations are London Bridge or Tower Hill). If you go by boat from Greenwich, it's the first stop (the second stop is at Westminster Bridge, at the foot of Big Ben).

The bridge opens at least once a day and a total of 1, 000 times a year. So many times! To get the bridge's platforms raised, boats or sail boats that want to get by have to give 24 hours notice and to reserve a slot before they do so.

Around 40, 000 people cross this bridge every day, it's a key place and it's well-known for films such as "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Sherlock Holmes", episodes of Friends, etc. were filmed.

During the London 2012 Olympic Games, it was used/crossed for the Olympic Torch going towards the Olympic Park by David Beckham (Who could forget that?! ).

Another interesting anecdote about this bridge is that, in 1952, a bus was crossing the bridge when the bridge began to open. The driver sped up and managed to jump the double-decker bus across the gap, saving 12 people and himself. He got a reward of £10, which was a lot of money back then. Now £10 isn't worth more than €15.

I think everyone visiting London should go and take a photo on its most famous bridge. The views from above aren't too bad, but, in my opinion, the London Eye views are better. Lastly, I wouldn't recommend going if you're afraid of heights/have vertigo, since the floor up top is made of glass and you can see through it.

How to get the best photos of the bridge or with the bridge?

The simplest way is to go to London Bridge, you can get your pictures from a more central location. Also, you can take pictures being closer to "Tower Bridge", but remember that you will not be able to stay in the middle. Another way, the one I like the most and that is always my first choice, is taking the boat on the Thames, you go by all the bridges in the centre of London, you have audio guides, you can enjoy a nice walk while taking some incredible photos to remember it all by.

But for more information, you're better off having a look at this definitive guide to London, it'll give you a four day itinerary to get you to see everything there is to see in London.

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