Sunday's bus trip to Greenwich

We lined up 10:30 in the morning at the Faraday House (SU's home in London) to take a bus trip to Greenwich. On the way, we drove by many of the famous sites including Trafalgar Square, Big Ben (the name of the bell, not the tower) and the Houses of Parliament, The Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, and several others. Greenwich itself was a quaint little village, with shops, restaurants, and covered markets, and historic sites (see below). We arrived around noon and had two hours to roam around by ourselves before guided tours started. Jessica and I went to a nice little restaurant on the corner. It has a strange name...it was called "Beachcomer", but the food was good and the price was right. We thought that it might be too busy, but the owner saw us looking through the window and waved us in and pointed to an empty table for two.


We passed the Millennium Dome - now called the "O2" on the way to Greenwich. After the Millennium celebrations, no one knew what to do with the place. Now its an indoor entertainment district with movie theaters, restaurants, and shopping. It is also a large concert venue. Not far away from that is the site of the 2012 Olympics, where construction is underway. I'm kind of surprised that this picture came out - I took it while we were driving by on the bus.


One of our History Professors from the Faraday House served as one of the tour guides for the trip. Here we are across the Thames from Greenwich. The red brick building in the background is a circular stairwell that leads to a tunnel that goes under the river. Jess and I actually walked through the tunnel from the Greenwich side. It was neat to walk under such a huge river...although I think there are several of them around London. He also led our tour of the Painted Hall and the Chapel (see below).


Here is a view of the Old Royal Naval College from across the Thames. The Painted Hall is the tower on the right, and the Chapel is the tower on the left (see below). This complex was originally designed by Christopher Wren as the Greenwich Hospital, and was built on the site of the Tudor's Greenwich Palace. The complex and its surrounding buildings are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The University of Greenwich and the Trinity College Music now occupy many of the buildings here. The Royal Observatory is also located here...on the hill in the background. It was this building that held the clock determining Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) until 1954, and its location also marked the Prime Meridian (the set marker that serves at the basis for longitude).


This is the Painted Hall of the Greenwich Hospital. All of the ceilings are masterfully painted, and are surrounded by extraordinary carved moldings. My telephoto lens was great for capturing the ceiling, unfortunately I was able to get a wide shot of the entire space. I plan to go back with my wider lens to get those shots as well. At the head of the room, there is a plaque stating that British naval hero Lord Nelson was laid in state in this room when he was killed in the Battle of Trafalgar. In 2000 when we were in the UK, we went on Nelson's ship - the HMS Victory - that's dry-docked at the naval yards in Portsmouth. The Victory was built between 1759 and 1765 and been restored and partially rebuilt numerous times since. I can't wait to make it down to Portsmouth to see her (ships are always referred to as "her" or "she") again.


This is inside the Chapel of the old Greenwich Hospital. It is directly across the courtyard from the Painted Hall


The Queen's House was built between 1614 and 1617 as a part of the old Tudor Greenwich Palace complex. It is significant in British architectural history because it was the first building in the classical style to be built in the country. Today, it is one of the only remaining parts of the Tudor complex in Greenwich. The palace fell into disrepair and was replaced in the 17th century with the Royal Hospital for Seamen, designed by Christopher Wren (and later used the Royal Naval College, hence its current name, the Old Royal Naval College). We did not go in because we didn't want to check our bags, but plan to go back during the semester. Instead, we went next door to the Royal Maritime Museum.