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Part 3 of 8Tagging along to London

Westminster Abbey, a boat and Greenwich

Westminster Abbey with an audio guide for only one of us, the river boat down the Thames, and an uphill walk through Greenwich Park to the Prime Meridian.

By Thawaio1 min read28 April 2022 · London

A wide view from a hilltop over a green park, the white buildings of Greenwich and the river, with the towers of Canary Wharf on the skyline under a grey sky.
The view from the Royal Observatory, 28 April.

Westminster Abbey

On my first trip to London, I wanted to visit historical places, so on 28 April I chose Westminster Abbey.

The ornate Gothic north front of Westminster Abbey, with its rose window, seen across a lawn and path under a cloudy sky.
The north front of Westminster Abbey, 28 April.

Inside, I took an audio guide and wore the headphones, but I was not really listening to the commentary. Instead, I looked around and read the information on display. My son did listen to his audio guide, and he listened carefully.

A richly gilded and carved altar screen behind a high altar, flanked by banners, beneath a tall Gothic vaulted ceiling.
The high altar.
Rows of colourful heraldic banners hanging above carved wooden stalls under a stone fan-vaulted ceiling and tall stained-glass windows.
Banners in the Lady Chapel.

Afterwards, my son pointed out the many things I had missed, or did not know, because I had not listened.

The dark silhouette of a child in a hood standing between stone columns, looking out at the sunlit lawn and arches of the cloister.
My son in the cloisters.

By boat to Greenwich

The boat ride on the Thames was a compulsory part of my sightseeing plan.

One of the stone towers of Tower Bridge and its blue walkway, seen from a boat on the grey river, with the window frame of the boat at the right.
Tower Bridge from the boat.

Greenwich was a deliberate destination. I wanted my son to experience the Prime Meridian, the reference line for longitude at 0 degrees. Even if he does not remember the visit, I wanted him to have been there.

The tall masts and rigging of the Cutty Sark above its glass-walled dry dock, with a wide paved square in front where a small boy stands among other visitors. Faces are pixelated.
The Cutty Sark at Greenwich.

Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory

We walked uphill through Greenwich Park towards the Royal Observatory. The park was beautiful, and the view from the hill was excellent.

A green slope of Greenwich Park with flowering hawthorn bushes, looking towards white buildings and the towers of Canary Wharf in the distance.
Greenwich Park, on the way up the hill.
A tall dark wooden and iron instrument on a stand, behind a rope barrier in a white room.
A transit instrument in the Meridian Observatory.
A huge cream-coloured telescope on a heavy mount, under a dome lit in blue.
The Great Equatorial Telescope.

The National Maritime Museum

We also visited the National Maritime Museum, where we saw old guns and other historical exhibits.

A glass display case titled “Conflict”, with old pistols, rifles, swords and powder flasks arranged on a white wall.
Weapons in the Conflict display at the National Maritime Museum.

We came back on the river boat.

A white river boat with “Uber Boat” in large letters on its side, moored beyond a metal railing at a pier.
The Uber Boat at Greenwich Pier.