Day 126, 7 November 2012, London Pass - getting up momentum now...Train to the city, Docklands light rail (DLR) to Greenwich (home of the Cutty Sark), National Maritime Museum, Cruise up the Thames to Westminster Pier, first glimpse of Big Ben and hearing the chimes, saw the London Eye up close, Westminster Abbey and finally Churchill's War Rooms under Whitehall - the secret bunker where he ran World War II. Without wanting to seem like we have a St Paul's photo fetish... This is an iconic photo taken during the Blitz in WWII and displayed at the Churchill War Rooms.
We started the day by taking the train from Chelmsford to Stratford. The Jubilee line to Canary Wharf then the Docklands Light Rail to Greenwich - Phew! We visited the National Maritime Museum and saw the uniform coat that Horatio Nelson was wearing when he was fatally shot during the Battle of Trafalgar. We also learned a phenomenal amount about the British East India Company and the many and varied reasons that China and India weren't too hot on England for a while there. We are starting to feel like the White Rabbit - Late, Late, for a very important date! We made it to Greenwich Pier just in time for the half hourly sailing back up the Thames to Westminster Pier. Stunning views were to be had of many historic buildings along the river. Apparently. We could pretty much see them from inside the boat too... and the risk of hypothermia was safely averted. We arrived at Westminster and saw Big Ben for the first time. And he obligingly chimed us a welcome. Though of course it is the Great Bell that is actually "Big Ben" - the Tower itself was the Clock Tower and in 2012 to celebrate ERII's diamond jubiliee it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower. We walked past Big Ben and made it to Westminster Abbey - the burial place for the Kings and Queens and many other famous and not so famous folks. One of the first tombs we saw was that of Doctor Livingstone (we presume). This was quite a moment for us since it was almost 4 months ago we were in Livingstone, Zambia to visit Victoria Falls - chasing history around the globe - and we are not even history buffs. As stunning as Westminster Abbey was, the highlight of the day and quite possibly the sightseeing so far, was our next stop - The Churchill War Rooms. Hidden beneath the streets of Westminster are the original Cabinet War Rooms and they now form part of this museum - including the Map Room - where the books and charts are exactly where they were left on the day the lights were switched off in 1945. There was also a stunning museum dedicated to Winston Churchill within the complex. We spent 3 hours in here utterly fascinated by the secrets and stories of Britain's government during WWII. We also picked up some fascinating tidbits from Churchill... such as, "An appeaser is someone who makes a deal with a crocodile so that he eats him last". We were also quite impressed that Churchill planned his funeral with a good 10 years in hand. The plans were code named Operation Hope Not. The best attraction in London without a doubt - the only reason we left after 3 hours was the doors were closing!