We got an early start because my dad and I wanted to see the changing of the guard. It only happens on certain days and we wanted to get their early enough to get a place we could see things. This day was the last day it was happening before we left. The kids decided they wanted to go back to the Science Museum with my wife instead.

Changing of the Guard

After another filing breakfast in the lounge we took a bus to get us to Buckingham Palace. We ended up getting off a few bus stops too soon because I wasn’t reading the maps properly so we ended up walking 5 more minutes than we originally expected. When we got to the palace there was already a crowd even though we were there a solid hour before the change was to take place. We walked around through the thick crowds looking for a good spot when we heard some drums playing off to the side.

We followed that sound and found a ceremony going on in the barracks where the guards actually live. On the grounds there were about 50 guards and marching band in formation. We had a great view as most people were waiting for the final part of the ceremony, but it appears most of the actual ceremony was happing where we were.

The guards marched back and forth in formation and the band played a couple different songs. One of the songs was “Africa” by Toto which… was not what we expected, but it was certainly entertaining! The other song was a more traditional marching band song. The ceremony lasted about 20 minutes before they started marching toward the palace for the final part of the ceremony.

By that time the crowds over by the palace were far too thick to get a good seat so we decided to skip that part. We’d already seen the best part!

Docklands Museum

Instead of fighting the crowds we headed towards a tube station located in the opposite direction where we could hop on the tube. Our destination was Canary Wharf where we had eaten dinner the first full night in London after taking the ferry there.

That first night the place was deserted as it was a weekend. At mid-morning on a Friday it was quite packed on the streets. We found our way to the Docklands Museum which is part of the Museum of London. It focuses on the history of the wharfs and their role in the development of London as a world power.

The displays were interactive and told very interesting stories. There were some exhibits full size models of what things looked like during the heyday of the docks. There were others with some equipment that you could get a closer look at and sometimes try your hand at operating them. It was very well done and the collection was quite extensive. It was housed in a former warehouse and was on two separate floors. There were a fair number of people there, but it was far from crowded.

Food Trucks

After a couple hours we had gone through the bulk of the museum and it was time for lunch. Looking outside we saw a line of food trucks with mobs of people waiting in line at all of them. We each picked a different one and waited… and waited. If the lines were so long it must be good, right?

Well, my dad’s steak sandwich was extremely tough and my chicken was unexpectedly spicy and dry. It wasn’t great food but sitting on a bench overlooking the canal it was an above average view.

I got talking with my dad about how the trip was going so far. He reflected on how this was really eye opening for him. He was realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to have the freedom to travel forever. At some point age was going to catch up with him.

My dad is a VERY healthy man in his 70’s and is in excellent physical condition and overall health, but age catches up to us all. He’d never really had the opportunity or desire to travel internationally until this trip. Canada and the Caribbean don’t really count as international destinations in my mind. It got him thinking about where he wanted to go next before things changed and he wouldn’t have the opportunity any more. The couple days of feeling under the weather earlier in the trip really brought that to the forefront (he rarely ever gets sick beyond a simple cold).

I was just happy that we were able to give him this experience and use points (mostly his) to give him such a great experience. The trip was far from free, but we got grate value out of the points we did use and ended up with a great deal on the plane tickets. The points allowed us to stay in places nicer than we otherwise would have paid for making the trip that much more special.

Greenwich

After the disappointing lunch we decided to head to Greenwich and the Royal Observatory. From the station we headed towards Greenwich Park and up the steep hill in the middle of the park. It was a solid 15 minute walk up a very steep hill on a paved park. The view overlooking the park was fantastic. While the path was not in any way treacherous, it’s steep and could be a struggle pushing a stroller or with younger kids. At the top of the hill is the Royal Observatory museum and the actual physical place where Greenwich Mean Time is located.

Like everyone else, we had to get a picture straddling GMT! You do have to pay admission to the museum in order to get to this part, though. Admission comes with an informative audio tour.

The audio tour took us through the various buildings that make up the Royal Observatory museum, telling about the buildings and their history but focusing on the history of timekeeping itself. It was much more fascinating that it sounds.

They had replica and original clocks of varying vintages that showed the evolution of timekeeping. It made it clear how challenging and important it is to have an accurate time. Even drifting a few seconds or minutes over the course of months could make ships sail widely off their intended course.

There were also several old telescopes on display. The museum, while a little bit out of the way, was definitely interesting and well worth the climb up the hill. The park it overlooks was beautiful (and crowded). It didn’t hurt that it was another beautiful day.

In fact, the weather towards the end of the week was pushing 80 degrees. We were expecting 50’s and maybe 60’s if we were lucky so it was much nicer than we expected. Too bad we didn’t remember to pack any shorts!

Dinner Time

We headed back to the hotel on the tube. The kids were just getting out of the pool and were starved after their day at the science museum. We decided to go back to Carnaby Street to find something there. There were so many options, though Tomatico wanted to go back to the burger place, Stax, that we had been to a couple times before. My wife wanted to try something new with our youngest.

My dad is like me with food in that he’s less adventurous (but not nearly as bad as I am). He liked the food there so he was fine going back.

After dinner we met up with my wife and did some souvenir shopping at a store in the area. He was looking for some local soaps or chocolates to bring back to his wife and friends. He found most of what he was looking for before we headed back to the hotel.

He was addicted to the flavor he liked at the gelato place so we went back yet again for dessert. Luckily there weren’t any exotic cars parked out front this time, so no embarrassing photo ops.

One more full day remaining!