Yesterday was the most romantic day I have had in a long time. The company of course was a major reason, since although it is 10 years and 1 day since we got married we are still just as much in love. But the suroundings also played a big part.
There is possibly nothing more romantic than a day which includes walking through Greenwich market to the observatory at the top of Greenwich Park hill. This is without doubt the best view of London available from the ground. It should be right at the top of your list of things to do if you are visiting our fair city.
But to top off your day in Greenwich think about how you are going to get there. Rather than simply taking the DLR to Cutty Sark, instead why not get off at Island Gardens and walk to Greenwich under the Thames in the quaint foot tunnel. This very trip through the tunnel was the first ever date I took my wife-to-be on all those years ago (although we were at the time pretending to be “just-good-friends”)
The park can be reached via a leisurely walk through the high street, and the artsy market. The uphill climb really is worth it, honest!
But, to make the visit even more romantic and to see London up close as it really should be seen, why not take at least one leg of your journey on the river itself. You can hop on and off at a number of points along the Thames including Westminster, Waterloo (for the London eye), the Tate modern, and the Tower of London. The commentary is fantastic and you will wish you lived here so you could visit all the sights they point out.
The best thing about the trip on the river is that you get to will see fantastic views of many of Londons attractions and bridges which due to the modern towerblocks you will simply not be able to see as well from dry land. London was built for the river and travelling along it is the the only way to get an overview of this great city.
On our trip yesterday we saw great views of The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, St. Pauls Cathedral, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe, the monument to the great fire of london, Cleopatra’s Needle, the Oxo tower, the Golden Hinde replica, The London Eye, The South Bank, Tate Modern, St Katherines Dock and several other sights including great views of Londons Wharfs which have mostly been converted to luxury appartments and other great architecture.
The trip from Waterloo takes just over an hour, so given the fact that the boats stop quite early (as we discovered yesterday!) why not do a couple of activities in London in the morning and early afternoon, then catch a mid-afternoon boat down river to Greenwich, visit the market and finish your day with an evening spent in the park. When the sun is beginning to go down, walk back to Cutty Sark, under the Thames and catch the DLR back into London.
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