#SwaninLondon - Day Four
April 27, 2016 – MY BIRTHDAY
It’s my birthday on this perfect Wednesday! I purposefully slept in on my birthday which ended up being much needed after celebrating with my hosts the night prior. I also made sure that I had zero plans on this day so that I could do anything I wanted.
I took the train out to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory and where the Prime Meridian is. I never realized how calculated everything is. Time, longitude, distance…they’re all related. SO cool! Also, being in another area of London gives amazing perspective to the vastness of this world. The park in the front of the observatory was so green and lush. It made me so happy seeing people enjoy themselves with soccer or with their dog.
Above is the view from the top of the hill that the Royal Observatory sits on. The first buildings you see are the museum of some marine life thing. I didn’t go into it, but I remember it having something to do with water and boating. Behind it is another part of London.
It was my birthday, after all. I had to take pictures of all the adventures on that day.
After I had explored all about the Prime Meridian, I decided to walk across Tower Bridge. I always remember this bridge (not “London Bridge is falling down” – there’s a legit London Bridge) with the Olympic rings hung from it. Just another one of those iconic things to see in London. As I began to cross, I realized that the entire thing was, in fact, a museum! I could go inside, up to the top, and cross the beams that helped hold the bridge up. Just check out the views!
It’s so colorful and beautiful even though it is so dreary-looking outside.
What a birthday though. I had to make the remainder of the day wonderful and roam around, take pictures of Big Ben, grab a glass (or bottle) of wine, and then head back to the AirBNB. I did get to use the boat in the photo above as public transportation. Who knew that London would have such a vast array of ways to get around?
I went to Gordon’s Wine Bar with my friend to celebrate my birthday, then he took me to officially have my first fish and chips. Literally, nothing else compared to the place we went – I can’t even recall the name. Bought a “London Pride” beer – because, duh – and took the bus back to Skype with my parents. One of the most perfect days I could have ever asked for.