Meantime in Greenwich

Still waiting to move... so in the meantime we spent a couple of days in Greenwich.

 

Thanks to Sam's generous flat mates James and James who shared their space with us and thanks to Sam for providing a perfect day of sightseeing.



View of Greenwich from the top of the park

It was a very warm and humid day and Sam and I set off quite early for the National Maritime Museum. There were lots of fascinating exhibits. Sam was particularly keen on Nelson's jacket with the hole made by the bullet that killed him!



There was a lot of stuff about Nelson including this miniature Nelson's Column

We saw the famous Turner painting  'The Battle of Trafalgar' which shows HMS Victory and the horror of the battle.

The painting is massive and we had the room to ourselves.

After the museum we met up with Paul. Sam took us on a long walking tour around Greenwich Park. It is the largest enclosed Royal park. It has loads of rare trees which Paul and Sam enjoyed identifying.  There was a small lake, lots of ornamental beds, a rose garden and Queen Caroline's Bath! We also came across a sculpture by Henry Moore.

'Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge'

The Royal Observatory is in the Park and of course the meridian line which represents the Prime Meridian of the world, Longitude Zero (0° 0' 0"). Every place on the Earth is measured in terms of its angle east or west from this line.



View of the observatory from the park.

We loved our time in the park, especially as it was such a warm day, although Sam did get stung by a sleepy wasp.

We had some lunch and then decided to take a boat trip up the Thames to the centre of London. This is a brilliant way to see famous London landmarks and you can pay for it with your Oyster Card!

Tower Bridge

 We travelled as far as Embankment and got out and walked along the Strand. We passed Paul's old place of work, King's College, and went for a drink in a beer cellar attached to a micro brewery called 'Temple Brewhouse'.

Then we sailed back down the river and enjoyed the sights from the other direction.

Fantastic view of Houses of Parliament and Big Ben

It was a really lovely day out. I think anyone visiting London would do well to spend time in Greenwich. This is now my favourite part of London.

 

Thanks again James, James and Sam.

 

I like this photo of Sam, James and James (taken in Cornwall)