Day 10 - London day 2

Have seen the long queues and throng of visitors at Westminster Abbey, the plan was to get there early to see the Abbey. We arrived only to find everyone else had the same idea. It was packed. No priority access for London Card people meant we had to line up too. The line moved quickly and we were in within say 30 minutes. An awe inspiring place. Reading names on epitaphs revealed a whose who of history with a lot of unfamiliar names to. Seems at times someone who tended the king's dog on some occasion was assured of a place. The Abbey is a labyrinth of rooms, alleyways, halls and tombs. Well worth a visit and rich in history. Bummer was no photography is allowed inside.

After exiting the Abbey it was time to seek out the closest independent cafe for coffee. One very discerning and very English lad made ordering rather comical. Being close to the Thames, we decided to catch a river cruise to Greenwich. The trip took a bit more than a hour and traveling past from of the recently re-developed (well last 20 years) areas of the London. The Docklands including Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs. On arriving at Greenwich no one could go any further without lunch so it was into the Old Brewery Greenwich. A rather tastefully decorated and restored building. It had huge kettles, kegs and pipes against one wall that looked like a brewery complete with On/Off/Stop buttons but I'm not sure it was real or operational. The giveaway for me was the fact they didn't have an 'made on premises' beverages, only the usual Englich brands. It was a nice lunch.

Next to tackle the walk up to the Observatory. It was a pleasant walk through the park-like area, until the final climb up a steep ramp near the top. For a moment there I thought I was Sir Edmund Hillary. Once at the top there were many queued for something, but the London Pass got us fast access. You could spend a lot of time in the observatory reading about the advances and discoveries about astronomy and timekeeping. It always amazes me how early astronomers created tools, created and tested theories and made discoveries in early times. Today we start from a knowledge base and understanding that they didn't. Overall, the last part of the walk (climb) made for a short stay.

On the agenda for the day was to see the Tower of London so we headed back on the light rail and tube, leaving about an hour to see. Barely enough time under usual circumstances, however, it had begun raining (yes this in London, the Melbourne of the north) so come 5pm everyone was ready for home. Another great day of exploring.Read more