Day 19 - Exhausted, but so much more to see. We got up early to try and beat the crowds to the Tower of London. Our flat we have is near the South Kensington tube stop and by a restaurant called Pret a Manger. Each morning, we look forward to our stop at Pret for a coffee and croissant. I wish we had Prets at home. After a quick breakfast, we hopped a tube to the Tower of London. With our London Pass, we had admission included and we were able to skip the line to get in faster.
We headed for the Crown Jewels first because the line to get in can get very long. We were inside within 3 minutes and had lots of room to look. By the time we finished inside, the line was significantly longer. We then headed for the White Tower and got straight in. It was interesting seeing all the armor throughout the years that has been used by royalty. Upon exiting the tower, we happened upon a few people in costume sharing about what life was like in the tower for prisoners. It was informative and humorous. We then joined a Beefeater tour to learn more about the history of the Tower of London. We spent a little over three hours at the Tower and I am very glad we started so early because the crowds became crazy by the time we left.
We left the Tower of London and caught a Hop On Hop Off River Cruise Boat (London Pass) that runs between Westminster and Greenwich. From the Tower, we took it to Greenwich, which was about 30 minutes. It was a relaxing way to go and nice to see some sites from the water. Once in Greenwich, we walked from the pier to the Royal Observatory (London Pass) to see the Prime Meridian. It was very crowded, but also very interesting. There were displays and information about how clocks and navigational tools were invented and then altered to become portable. We also saw the clock from which all world time is calibrated. For Austin and his love of travel, this stop was a highlight.
After leaving the Observatory, we found a pub and had a wonderful meal. Then we found the local market was still open and tried some delicious small batch ice cream. We then walked past the Cutty Sark, a former trade ship, and then back to the port to catch the river boat back to Westminster.
We ended our night back at Trafalgar and more lion climbing. It was a full day and lots of fun.
We headed for the Crown Jewels first because the line to get in can get very long. We were inside within 3 minutes and had lots of room to look. By the time we finished inside, the line was significantly longer. We then headed for the White Tower and got straight in. It was interesting seeing all the armor throughout the years that has been used by royalty. Upon exiting the tower, we happened upon a few people in costume sharing about what life was like in the tower for prisoners. It was informative and humorous. We then joined a Beefeater tour to learn more about the history of the Tower of London. We spent a little over three hours at the Tower and I am very glad we started so early because the crowds became crazy by the time we left.
We left the Tower of London and caught a Hop On Hop Off River Cruise Boat (London Pass) that runs between Westminster and Greenwich. From the Tower, we took it to Greenwich, which was about 30 minutes. It was a relaxing way to go and nice to see some sites from the water. Once in Greenwich, we walked from the pier to the Royal Observatory (London Pass) to see the Prime Meridian. It was very crowded, but also very interesting. There were displays and information about how clocks and navigational tools were invented and then altered to become portable. We also saw the clock from which all world time is calibrated. For Austin and his love of travel, this stop was a highlight.
After leaving the Observatory, we found a pub and had a wonderful meal. Then we found the local market was still open and tried some delicious small batch ice cream. We then walked past the Cutty Sark, a former trade ship, and then back to the port to catch the river boat back to Westminster.
We ended our night back at Trafalgar and more lion climbing. It was a full day and lots of fun.
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