Thames Barrier Park & cable car outing

The new London Pleasure Gardens by the Royal Docks opened at midday on Saturday, but by 2pm they were still not ready, the queue was long, and people were dispersed across the road the other side of Pontoon Dock DLR station.
It was a chance to visit the 35-acre Thames Barrier Park, an imaginative modern green space by French designer Alain Provost of Group Signe and London architects Patel Taylor, who have been involved in the Olympic Village. The sunken garden (left) that runs down the middle to the river is intended as a reminder of the dockland heritage of the area.
The barrier cannot be accessed from this bank of the river. A marquee and free visitor centre is to be set up on the south bank, from July 26 to September 9.

This was also a chance to take the air in a the new Thames Cable Car. Crossing the river, the gondolas are in continual motion flying 90 metres over the water between the Royal Docks (Olympic boxing, table tennis and taekwondo) and Greenwich Peninsula (basketball in the dome). Each gondola is themed with a city served by Emirates Airlines, the Dubai sponsors of the £62,6 million venture. ''Flights"cost £4.20, £3.60 with an Oyster card, and last around 5 minutes.