Royal Museums Greenwich-dagpas

Greenwich Observatory is a fascinating place to visit. Its many historical highlights include the prime meridian and the first working naval clocks made by Harrison (which are really art - and still work). Meticulously maintained, the Observatory also has several telescopes and a very interesting collection of related items as well as several striking rooms. It really is a special place. My advice is to start early and make a day of it. I would start early and try to get there for around 10 am - make sure to get tickets in advance. Tip - be If you’re staying in London take the Thames Link ferry to Greenwich. You’ll pass BELFAST, a WW1 cruiser, the Tower of London, and go right under Tower Bridge - killer pics. You’ll arrive at Greenwich where CUTTY SARK is, but go straight up the hill to the Observatory, which also offers fantastic views of London. Insider tip - along the path on the way up is where King Henry VIII awaited the cannon fire announcing Ann Boylen’s execution. You might hit a pub for lunch on the way down, then go to Queens House, which has the finest collection of maritime art in England, and perhaps the world. The National Maritime Museum is next, and this treasure alone justifies a whole day. Make sure to see the Nelson exhibit and the Polar Exploration area. It is the best maritime museum in world. On the way back to the ferry, check out CUTTY SARK, which only takes 30-45 minutes but is also pretty good.

We kwamen aan bij het Observatorium na een wandeling de heuvel op en werd begroet met het geweldige en historische uitzicht terug over Londen en de Theems. We namen deel aan een rondleiding van de site met gids, Bruno, en het was fantastisch. Hij nam ons mee door de interessante geschiedenis van de plaats en het is reden om te bestaan in de eerste plaats en was in staat om uit te leggen in gewoon Engels een aantal vrij technische zaken. Dit eerste bezoek heeft de honger naar meer gewekt en mijn vrouw en Neill keren terug om meer te leren over deze fascinerende plek. We daalden vervolgens de heuvel af en aten een hapje in het zeer gezellige café van het Marinemuseum. We hadden bijna geen tijd meer maar maakten een fluitstop tour door een deel van dit museum. Vooral poolverkenning, Tudorperiode en Nelsons veldslagen waren hoogtepunten. De 5 uur die we op het terrein waren eenvoudig niet lang genoeg.

I’ve been wanting to visit this place for nearly 25 years after it got bumped off our itinerary for something else that ended up being very disappointing. So I had high expectations going in and was very excited to be there. Hubby was in tow just going with the flow and our 2 kids aged 20 and 17 had very low expectations, but tagged along, paid for by the bank of Mum & Dad and accepting that Mum will put some boring history and science things in the trip that they’ll just have to suck up.. We bought on the day a joint ticket to also see the Cutty Sark (where you have to nominate a time to be there but the lady on the desk said don’t worry, they’ll be flexible on your arrival time once you’re there, and they were). By chance our arrival was right before the morning guided tour was about to start, so we booked that. SOOOOO glad we did. Our guide was Paul. Give the man a pay rise, I’ve been on many tours in my day and have never come across a more engaging and knowledgeable guide. At the start of the day I wanted to see the Prime Meridien and get a better understanding about why longitude was so important to navigation. At the end of the tour I felt like I had enough information to pass a first year uni “historical navigation 101” exam. We learned about why the observatory was built (commissioned by Charles 2 and architect was Wren), how to read the dolphin sundial, how the astronomers used their eyes and ears to map the sky, the ground breaker that was a clock that could be used at sea to tell the time somewhere else, so you could consult your map of the sky and plot where you were. We also saw the huge telescope. We were all enthralled. Kids said at the end of the”Mum, we thought that was going to be sh*t and boring but it was so cool & awesome.” We were still chatting about it at dinner. I cannot recommend the guided tour enough. My only recommendation would be to pre advertise tour times on your website so people can plan their visits accordingly. Paul, you’re a national treasure.