00:09We went to the Royal Observatory today for a tour.
00:13It is set in the beautiful palatial Greenwich Park.
00:17What I didn't realize is that you gave to pay for an entry ticket even if you have booked
00:22a tour.
00:23But despite that, the tour was so excellent it was worth it.
00:26We met outside Flaumstead House, we were then given things that you can use to hear the
00:32talk more clearly which was a fantastic idea.
00:36We went to five different areas of the Royal Observatory.
00:40The tour was absolutely fascinating and I felt I learned a lot.
00:45Mary our tour guide was fabulous, they explained everything clearly, brought it to life and
00:50you could tell that they had a genuine passion for the Royal Observatory.
00:54It was amazing to see everything such as the Octagon Room, the telescope etc.
01:01It is such an iconic place with so much history which I recommend you take a look at anyway.
01:07Also the advantage of the ticket is that if you want to re-see anything, you can.
01:12I would highly recommend this tour for anyone but it is sort of weather dependent.
01:17I would allow arriving at Greenwich Park 30 minutes at the very least before a tour.
01:22These tours run twice a day.
01:26I took my parents to see the famous Greenwich Prime Meridian on their wedding anniversary.
01:31I bought the tickets online, prior to taking them.
01:36They loved the beautiful sights of Greenwich Park, as well as the history and science of
01:41the Prime Meridian Line.
01:43They were also fascinated by the Great Equatorial Telescope.
01:47We had to enter the scenic Greenwich Park and then climb the hill, where we saw some of London's
01:53best views.
01:54On reaching the top, there was a small queue near the building.
01:58After you get inside, you also get to see instruments of astronomy and navigation.
02:04The famous Greenwich Line is marked by a metallic strip on the ground, with major cities of the
02:10world marked along the line depicting the western and eastern hemispheres.
02:15We spent roughly 2 to 2.5 hours at this place, as we also wanted to read more on the
02:21instruments
02:22on display.
02:23My parents deeply cherish this experience of standing on this famous line together, as
02:29it was a reminder of their honeymoon days when they crossed the international date line,
02:34180 longitude degrees from this spot.
02:38Thus they marked a timeline of their own.
02:41Another week and another trip to Greenwich.
02:45This time the Royal Observatory.
02:47After a lovely walk through the park and up the hill, we arrived at the observatory with
02:52its sweeping views of London and the Thames below.
02:55There's plenty to explore both inside and out.
02:59The free audio tour, downloadable to your phone, lets you discover the exhibits at your own pace.
03:05We were also lucky to catch John explaining the famous time ball on the roof, and to watch
03:12its ascent and drop at 1pm, a memorable highlight.
03:16Standing on the Greenwich Meridian is a must, as is learning about how time and time zones
03:22were calculated.
03:23The museum is fascinating, and although many say two hours is enough, we could easily have
03:29stayed longer.
03:30We had to rush off to catch one of the last Sky Tonight shows in the Peter Harrison Planetarium,
03:37a brilliant experience, with a knowledgeable guide who explained what we'll see in the
03:42coming nights and under darker skies.
03:45We'll definitely return once the refurbishments are complete.
03:48For now, it was a memorable and worthwhile day out.
Comments