One day we went up the Thames (down the Thames?) by boat to Greenwich. It was a beautiful day so we sat on the top and enjoyed the scenery. Starting at Westminster we saw The Eye, The Belfast, both London and Tower bridges, many of the great riverside pubs, the Tower of London and all of the new building at Canary Wharf. I wouldn't have recognized the area. It seems like every major domestic and foreign bank has a tower there.
In Greenwich we did the obligatory hike to the observatory, but declined to pay £10 each to stand with one foot in the Eastern hemisphere and one in the Western. Here we are at the clock.
We visited the Naval College and admired the ceiling in the dining hall that took 19 years to paint--sounds like some of our projects! 
And the chapel with exquisite detailing!
It's hard to believe that this place was originally built to house retired military officers.
In Greenwich we also visited the Naval Museum, which is next door to the college. It has lots of new displays since the last time we came and especially liked some of the things for kids (no comments necessary).
And, don't forget the Cutty Sark is on display at Greenwich too!
Back in town we went to Evensong at St Paul's cathedral. We felt that we had to give the C of E (Church of England) equal time since we went to mass in Galway. The music was beautiful, the service was a speedy 40 minutes long, and the vicar was a woman--3 stars! Plus, we think we were sitting right about where the Queen of England sat during Charles and Diana's wedding. And, did I mention that it was The St. Paul's Cathedral. The one where they have been holding services for the past 1400 years!!! 3 more stars--at least!
The Churchill War Rooms definitely warrant a visit! We all keep commenting how much we learned and how fascinating and accomplished a person he really was. Did you know that, at one point in his early career, he was the highest paid journalist in the world?
The War rooms have been restored to exactly as they were during the war. It's humbling to realize that the decisions made in those underground rooms have affected how we are living our lives today.
Lastly, but definitely for me not least, we were able to spend time with some of my family who drove down from Coventry to have lunch with us. Living continents apart we don't get to see each other nearly often enough, so it was really special that they braved the motorways and London traffic to come and hang out with us. Thanks to Frank, Muriel, James, Liam, Toby and Oliver for a great time!
London we will miss you--until next time--Cheerio!
2 comments:
So glad you got to see the family, how fun! I recognize a lot of those places from our previous trips- I remember going to Greenwich and standing with a foot on each side...did we have to pay for that back then?
Nope. It must be a more recent charge. The museums are still free and the churches still charge!
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