by the Greenwich tour
Back to my travel diary and our last few but extra busy days in London….
Our ‘Londoner’ daughter had once taken one of the walking tours of London and enjoyed it so she suggested we all take the Historic Greenwich tour because it combined a boat ride on the Thames as well as the walk. We thought the children would particularly enjoy it.
A bus and tube ride to the meeting point by The Tower started that sunny Sunday in early May. A surprisingly large group showed up but our expected guide did not because his tube was down that morning. Soon a replacement came, a pleasant and energetic fellow but we were to learn, not as knowledgeable and often rather difficult to hear over the large group. So, I don’t have all the names and facts of what we saw. Check out their description and interesting video on their website.
The half hour boat ride was very enjoyable as we passed under the Tower Bridge and past a mix of older and modern architecture. Coming in to Greenwich we could see the unique clock of the Royal Observatory. We were guided around immense classically designed buildings, many former royal homes like the Queen’s House, with delightful glimpses of art work like Hans Holbein’s portrait of King Henry VIII. We were entertained by stories of the romances, scandals and foibles of the royals of the day. Our tour ended with a watch of the movement of the timeball on the observatory up on the hill beyond the green green park.
Afterwards we were on our own for we learned the return trip was not included. We wandered around the town including the flea market, had an ice cream to cool us as we weaved through huge crowds of visitors; I don’t remember now what special event was on in the town that day. Way way past lunch time, kids and adults starving, we found a pub and had good old English fish and chips and ale! We eventually found the train back into London and our tube home, very tired, both happy and a just wee bit disappointed. The children were amazingly well behaved for such a long day and what must have been at times a boring tour for them. Opa’s pocket full of trail mix was a life saver!
Photos by my husband, again, and just a small selection from a great number.
August 2, 2009 in Culture, History, Travel by Marja-Leena
Oh that feeling of not wanting to be disappointed but feeling it anyway… We took the children yesterday to a Medieval Festival nearby, it was quite expensive but really a damp squib. We said we were quite disappointed and were quite apologetic and they were ever so nice about it; the little boy just wanted to get back to Molly!
Still, the Greenwich buildings are impressive, and at least you had some good fish and chips!
It’s so much to absorb on one trip, isn’t it. Everything so grand and imposing.
What kind of ale? (drool, drool)
Lucy, I think it was just an unexpectedly long tour so we got too tired at the end. Yet there were many pleasures as you say!
Hattie, yes, so much to absorb. That’s what happens to travellers like us who don’t go away often enough, then we want to see and do too much in a short time!
rouchswalwe, sorry, I didn’t make a note of the name. I imagine you would have! I shared daughter’s glass, it was so big.
More wonderful pictures and the story of a pretty good day. When none of the children have gotten lost or thrown up that’s the definition of a good one.
I used to have lunch next to the Tower Bridge and it hasn’t changed a bit 🙂
Susan, thanks, and you’re right about the children. A memory tweak here for you, that’s great!
I’m not surprised that you were tired – there’s a great deal to pack in on such a tour: history and architecture, and all. Besides which I have a theory about numbers of folk – just as the more people on a committee makes decision-making more tiresome, so touring with more people makes outings more tiring.
Olga, I think you are right about numbers of folk! That’s why we chose the small group tour for the Stonehenge-Avebury tour. It’s hard to hear the guide far ahead of the group, especially when we were often at the tail end because of the children. He’d be talking away before we ever caught up.
Sightseeing is often so overwhelming, isn’t it? You get bombarded by information and “sights,” but then it is equally disappointing when you go somewhere with wonderful things to see and you never get around to seeing them.
I’m amazed that they left you in Greenwich, as it is so far away from central London! I haven’t been to Greenwich in years, for that very reason. I’m going to London on Monday, with five children in tow, and the idea of a boat ride appeals.
Bee, if you and the five children are energetic enough, I think the tour is a good one, especially if you get the regular guide I’m sure. The boat trip itself is so worthwhile. It might be fun to explore more of Greenwich afterwards.