England

We had planned to visit the Tower Of London today but when we went to the tourist office to buy tickets they said a power failure had caused it to be closed that morning.  We went to the National Maritime Museum instead and found it a bit disappointing, mostly educational displays and such a huge building it seemed kind of empty so we wandered up the hill to see the Greenwich observatory where we had fun doing the usual tourist things.  There is an awesome view through more than 180 degrees across the city.  Had a great lunch at a small cafe nearby.

On the way back to the bus stop we passed by the gate to the Maritime College - they were having an open day and a guy urged us to go in and look around.  We did an were instantly impressed by some of the architecture and the setting by the river.  We ventured into the chapel and were instantly charmed, what a magical place it is, not especially large but just so balanced and pleasing to the eye.

Through an underground walkway is the Painted Hall which is amazing in itself - the entire interior, walls and ceiling, is a series of vast paintings. Anywhere else it would seem kind of tacky but this was done over 300 year ago and took over 20 years!

We decided on the way home to go to an Evensong Service at Westminster Abbey if we could get there by 5pm when it started.  We arrived with about 10 minutes to spare and had time to look around outside - the detail of the stonework is incredible and the building itself is so vast and has such a 'presence'.

It was well worth seeing the cathedral this way, the acoustics are awesome (especially behind the organ pipes on the way out) and the atmosphere is breathtaking.

Caught the bus back to "The Palace Theatre" in Charing Cross to catch Les Miserables, it was wonderful!  The bus conductor on the way back to our hotel in Victoria was great, kind of a tour guide and very entertaining - the perfect end to a wonderful day.