This Week So Far

I have been to London many times and seen many of the sights, but I am doing things now that I have never done before.  For instance, I walked UNDER the Thames yesterday.  Yes, I said under.

On Tuesday, Ellen and I decided to take the London Walks tour of Greenwich, home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian.  It's just a boat trip down from Central London and still within the city limits.  There is a lot more to the place than just the Observatory.  Here is the old Naval College, now part of Greenwich University.

Designed by Christopher Wren, perhaps the most famous architect in London history (e.g. St. Paul's), the buildings were erected on the place where an old royal palace once stood.  That palace was the birthplace of King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.  You might think the new building would be built along the Thames, which is just behind me as I take this picture, instead of set back, but the white building in the distance in the Queen's House, built by Queen Anne, and she did not want her view spoiled.  Inside are two rooms open to the public that are spectacular, the dining hall....

And the chapel.

Greenwich is famously the home of the prime meridian, but our guide Chris did not want us to have to pay 10 pounds for the right to see the line at the observatory, so we went to a place down the hill where the line was marked as well.

Not very impressive, right?  Step on one side of that piece of metal strip, you are in the Western Hemisphere and on the other, the Eastern Hemisphere.  A plaque marks the spot.

Greenwich also has responsibility to keep the exact time so that all clocks around the world can  be set in unison, or something like that.  Now, I'm sure there are a lot of precise instruments involved, but there is also something very simple and practical.  Everyday at 1PM, a ball is dropped from the top of the observatory.  Here for your edification, the drop for Tuesday, March 22, 2011.

Greenwich was very lovely and we had another beautiful day to explore. I actually got a little sunburned. We had a huge lunch at this place on the river called The Yacht, a very good recommendation from Chris.

The river was coming in at this point.  Apparently the Thames, a tidal river, can change its depth by as much as 20 feet from low tide to high tide.  And when the tide comes in, it brings with it a lot of debris.  Here's our view outside of the restaurant.

When it was time to go home, we took another recommendation and took the footpath to the Docklands Light Rail.  This path went under the river at high tide.  We tried hard not to think of that as we walked.  Here's the entrance.  Not very impressive.

 Lots of instructions, then just a very long tunnel.

We were rewarded on the other side with a very nice view of Greenwich from the place called The Isle of Dogs.  No dogs in sight, however.

We took the train back through a place  called Canary Wharf, which is more like parts of Manhattan or Washington, DC than London, very modern, with lots of outdoor cafes.  The only difference was the canals that wind through the place.  Hopefully, I'll get a better look in the future.

Monday, we had stopped at the half price ticket booth at Leicester Square and gotten tickets for Billy Elliott. Then we headed for Notting Hill and Portabello Rd.  Nothing much to report there except that we sat outside and had an absolutely terrible meal but got to talk to a very nice couple at the next table who took this picture.

 Billy Elliott was really good.  We managed to get tickets in the fifth row near the center.  We were blown away  by the talent and the production.  Highly recommended.