End of the road in London

 We had two sea days between Porto and London.  The Atlantic waters, especially in the Bay of Biscay, were the roughest we had faced since the Tasman sea three months ago.  Fortunately, once we entered the English Channel, the sea calmed again.  We reached the mouth of the Thames river about 4:30 am on May 3 and woke up in Greenwich at Longitude 0.

Off the starboard side, the most visible attraction at the Royal Maritime Museum at Greenwich is the Cutty Sark, the last of the clippers used to bring the English their beloved tea from China.  

This is the view from our mooring position in the middle of the Thames.  

Our morning excursion was a "panoramic" bus ride through the center of London.  On our ride from Greenwich, we passed many of the iconic pubs.  Our guide said that they are closing at the rate of 16 per week in the UK.  Once a staple of life in England, they are being replaced by coffee houses.

Even in crowded London, there are many parks.  The lawn chairs in this one are a permanent feature, giving a place to soak up the sun on days like today.  Our past visits to London have been at the beginning of April when the weather was cold and rainy.

Our driver had obtained the special permit needed to drive down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.  It was my first time to see it.

Our tour didn't include a visit to Westminster Abbey, just a comfort stop at the nearby Methodist Church.  I've had a chance in the past to use the headsets for the self-guided tour, so I didn't feel too bad to be so close without going in.  The Abbey is truly the most important church in the UK, where all but two monarchs were crowned, where many of the royal weddings are held, and where such notables as Queen Elizabeth I, Chaucer, Henry Purcell, Charles Darwin, and Issac Newton are buried.

At every turn are statues and memorials.  L-R: the Royal Air Force Memorial on the Victoria Embankment honors RAF personnel killed in the two world wars; the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace; Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square dedicated to Admiral Horatio Nelson; the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in the Piccadilly Circus.  

In the midst of the pomp and circumstance, occasionally there is just a beautiful English scene.

The London Eye, seen from the bus window.

In the afternoon, we went on another excursion which included a ride on the river from our boat to the London Eye.  There is a long stretch of former wharves, many which have been converted into luxury housing.  

Since the city was originally built along the river by the Romans, the modern city needs a lot of bridges.  Top-bottom: Blackfriars Railway Bridge; Hungerford and Golden Jubilee Bridges; Southwark Bridge.

And of course of, the most famous of them all, the Tower Bridge, adjacent to...

the Tower of London.  

The tallest building (at 1,016 ft.) in Western Europe is commonly known as "the Shard".  It houses businesses, hotels, and residences.

Tucked in along the river is the replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

The Tate Museum of Modern Art opened in 2000 in the old Bankside Power Station.

Called Cleopatra's Needle, it was actually 1000 years old during her lifetime.  This obelisk found along the Thames is one of a pair originally erected by Thutmose III in Heliopolis.  It's twin is in New York City.

The Elizabeth Tower which houses the clock and Big Ben bell is in the midst of an extensive renovation.  I'm grateful I've seen it in the past without all the scaffolding.

Our tour included a ride in the London Eye, built for the 2000 millennial year.  The "Blue Badge" guides are very clear that this isn't a ferris wheel, but an observation wheel, supported on one side only.  It takes 1/2 hour to make the circuit and reaches a height of 443 ft.

One can enjoy some wonderful views from that vantage point.

On a clear day, the visibility is about 20 miles.

There are 32 capsules which hold 25 people each.  

This is the last sunset to share from this truly marvelous "trip of a lifetime".  I am sitting in the business class lounge of the Heathrow airport as I write this last post.  It's the last perk of this trip and almost makes up for the 2:45 am disembarkation time this morning.  We will be in SLC by 2:00 pm MDT and this journey will become just so many wonderful memories.  This trip has occupied much of our time and focus for the past two years.  But, as we sang in our last Viking Sun Inaugural World Cruise Choir performance, "this is just the beginning..."