We rose with sunshine and ate with purpose. And at 9:15, aboard a boat over Thames river, WestMinister Abbey awaited our arrival. We made sure it didn’t have to wait too long. Big Ben was ripped apart. The wonderful Abbey, the statues outside, the serene St. James Park were quick stops. Our agenda was same as the day before, one of walking the streets of London but with caution. We would take a cab in the middle of the day. Adapting to experience is what makes us better. My least favorite stop was the Buckingham Palace. Even though we timed our stop here with the change of guards, the exteriors were plagued with people. Crowd had climbed statues of the Victoria’s Memorial and for folks with three little children, there was no chance of pushing toward the iron gates to catch a glimpse or finding a foot of empty space to sit. So, we eagerly walked past and enjoyed a few moments of shady fun in the Green Park between the Palace and Wellington Arch.
At the wellington Arch, now sure of the walking asks, children were fussing. I was ready with Uber to the Trafalgar Square where we spent countless playful moments. Trafalgar Square is a melting pot of artists, pigeons, and tourists alike. Thanks to the expert tip from my cousin, we ate a splendid lunch at Dishoom. From there we walked to Covent Garden and realized deeper, the charm of London – a Charlie Chaplin-look-a-like actor made us laugh, music played like rain, and we spent a few peaceful moments before boarding the boat for Greenwich.
It took a half hour in the boat to reach Greenwich with the Prime Meridian. We climbed strenuously to make it to the 4:15 show to look at the sky tonight in real time with a real astronomer. The show calmed our huffs from the trek up and was informative. We looked at the Prime Meridian longitude where the time is zero, negative on one side, and positive on the other. GMT. After soaking in the panorama of London, we had dinner, and ice cream, knowing the boat back to the hotel would be our last. Last London Night separated us from tomorrow when we would have to enter a rental car and drive away instead of walking.
