L. D2

London, Day 2 Monday
Today is a bank holiday in London, and the whole of London was on the streets today. Since we woke to clear, sunny skies, we decided to go to Greenwich and the Royal Observatory. On our way to Westminster Pier we passed Buckingham Palace and noticed that everyone in this city was congregating in front of the Palace, we assumed for the Queens horses, and/or changing of the guard. We opted to pass, and walked on toward Big Ben. The direct boat ride to Greenwich was very pleasant, passing all the major sites of London. In Greenwich, the Cutty Sark was under wraps for renovation, so we headed to the Naval College to view the Painted Hall and Chapel. Impressed, we were. Then we made a short, but steep, hike up the hill to the Royal Observatory, and some great views of the Thames and London. It really was a lovely day to be out and about. We had one unplanned misstep on the return to London, as the Jubilee Tube line was not running. So, we hailed a famous London taxi for the ride to Tate Modern museum. Here we saw more amazing art, much more contemporary than the National Gallery, but all the big names in modern art are represented here. Following the Tate Modern, we walked across the Thames on the Millennium Bridge to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was a great view with St. Paul's lite by floodlights. In a few minutes we are heading to an Indian Restaurant for dinner. Can't wait! Observation: The sun never reaches very high in the sky this time of year. All day it seemed like it was never more than 30 to 40 degrees above the horizon. And, by 5PM it is dark in this fine city. And a fine city it is... we are having a wonderful time.