London Bridge

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John From Detroit

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Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Posts
28,644
Location
Davison Michigan
Made it to Lake Havasu with only one minor problem.. (Which I think I mentioned elsewhere,  When I went to gas up on my way out of Quartzsite I found a flat tire.. Thankfully it was a "New flat" (It was good a quarter mile back when I stopped to check the batteries and top speed in that quarter mile was under 10mph so no damage other than the tire itself, which was totalled, slice in the sidewall, must have hit a rock is all I can guess)

Took a few pictures of LHC's most famous landmark.  Man they don't build them like that any more.  This bridge was first built before any of us were born, Survived German shelling in WW-II (in fact you can see where German bullets hit it still today) and a move all the way from London to Arizona.  IT is a stone bridge, made of quarried and cut stone, some of those slabs have to be in the many tons range.  And today it is strong and sturdy (though I do admit they are making some repairs to the railing in one spot, looks like someone tried to drive off the bridge)

The English village however is mostly out of business.. I understand a multi-million renovation is in the works,  The pub is closed (For renovation) and the "English Village" is being re-done as well.  Still there are many stores still there and more than a few other attractions.

Tonight, we went to church,  Then dinner at Krystals (I had Halibut Wife Shrimp) very good food and service.  Then we took a trip out on the lake.  We took a romantic gondola ride with a genuine singing Gondolier!  It was a lot of fun, and something I never thought I'd do.

Got a few photos (Day time shots) of the bridge

 

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John In Detroit said:
Took a few pictures of LHC's most famous landmark.   Man they don't build them like that any more.  This bridge was first built before any of us were born, Survived German shelling in WW-II (in fact you can see where German bullets hit it still today) and a move all the way from London to Arizona.   IT is a stone bridge, made of quarried and cut stone, some of those slabs have to be in the many tons range.  And today it is strong and sturdy (though I do admit they are making some repairs to the railing in one spot, looks like someone tried to drive off the bridge)

Yes -- it's quite a site to see. I was there a few years ago installing my SW in an RV park a few miles North of the bridge. HERE are a couple of shots I took from the West end looking up at the structure.
 
John,

We thought that anyone who would take a bridge apart stone by stone, transport it across the Atlantic and rebuild it was crazy, especially since the bridge had a song written about it - "London Bridge is falling down". But, if you have money to burn, you can execute almost any crazy idea. Somehow it doesn't have the same majestic look in Havasu as it did across the Thames.

Where in LHC are you staying? We've stayed at a couple of places with different experiences.
 
Tom,

I don't know if it's true but I heard the British hoodwinked us. It's not the "real" London bridge! ???
 
LOL Jim, maybe they did. It sure looks in better shape than I was expecting. OTOH there are a number of same-era bridges over the Thames that look in similar shape.
 
Gary,

Yes, we know the Tower Bridge is still there. ;D Have a few photos myself. Even got some of the Tower of London. Wouldn't mind doing that again sometime. I guess you're right that many think the Tower Bridge is the London Bridge but I don't think what I heard was referring to the Tower Bridge. Well, it doesn't really matter. Just the Brits trying to get back at us. ;D ;D You know how cousins are!
 
RV Roamer said:
What most Americans think of as "London Bridge" is actually the Tower Bridge....

Wasn't aware of that Gary. Here's an illustrated story of the "real" London Bridge, old and new. It alludes to the mistaken identity that you mentioned.
 
The story we heard from a guide in London was that McCullock thought Tower Bridge was London Bridge when he offered to buy it and wasn't until after all was signed and dismantling was soon to begin that he realized he bought the "wrong" bridge, not the one he though he was buying.  So much for crazy Americans with too much money, not knowing what they are spending their dollars on.  :p

Daisy
 
Ive refrained from replying so far, but I have to say it.....

hahahahahahaha !!!

Got ya !!

Paul
 
Paul,

Lemme see .....  you were 8 years old when the bridge was moved?
 
Tom

On 18 April 1968, Rennie's bridge was sold to the American entrepreneur Robert P. McCulloch of McCulloch Oil for US$2,460,000

That would have made me just 2 years old - but nearly 40 years later I just act like the 8 year old !!

;D

Paul
 
Oh well, I was off by 6 years.

You're probably too young to remember the huge debt that Europe owes the U.S. for help in ending WW II.
 
Tom said:
You're probably too young to remember the huge debt that Europe owes the U.S. for help in ending WW II.

I think a lot of Europe (and Asia as well) have forgotten.

 
I stayed one night at the Colorado River Resort north of town and the next 3 at Crazy Horse campground on the island.

It is the real bridge.  Even has the original damage done by Hitler's air-force in WW-II where their planes hit the bridge instead of the boats they were aiming at.

Now one thing it has here it did not have is a Venice style gondola, complete with a singing gondolier  (We took the reasonably priced ride) Very romatic.

I took some night photos. don't know how well they turned out as I've yet to download the camera  Today was moving day, I'm back in Thousand Trails Las vegas for hte next too weeks than, alas, it's back to home.
 
Tom:

I find it interesting that I can see the link and see the picture of the bridge in John's message, but I CANNOT EVEN SEE THE LINK in Jeff's photo in the Superbowl memorial discussion.
 
Hi Tom

I "think" you're refering to the monetary debt ?

If so, we actually settled the WWII debt on December 31st 2006.

A BBC article I remember reading is HERE

What I didnt know was the following statement concerning WWI :-

...although Britain was unable to pay its debts, it was also owed the whacking sum of ?2.3bn.

These loans remain in limbo. The UK Government's position is this: "Neither the debt owed to the United States by the UK nor the larger debts owed by other countries to the UK have been serviced since 1934, nor have they been written off."


Paul

 
wendycoke said:
I think a lot of Europe (and Asia as well) have forgotten.
Many have forgotten. It's a question of how engaged the parents and the teachers are. Our two sons didn't hear much about WWI or WWII at school. So I told them something about those times.
I was born after WWII - in 1950 - but asked my parents when I was young and I'm still interested in that history due to my time in the German Navy and my interest in naval history.
And sometimes I am close to tears i.e. when I see films of the "Luftbr?cke" or "Berlin Airlift" after WWII, in 1948/49. Born in Berlin I state: Without General Lucius D. Clay and the men of the U.S. Airforce I wouldn't sit here and write those lines. That's only one thing in my mind.
 
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