After class today, CAPA took a group of us to Greenwich. We went there in great style - by taking a cruise down the River Thames. It was lovely! Seeing as there is generally dreary weather in London and I live in a basement, getting some sun was unbelievably great. It was also nice to get away from all the congestion (both internal and external) and noise. We had a great impromptu tour guide on the cruise that pointed out various landmarks while we were cruising down the river. Although I had seen many of the sights our guide pointed out before, there was something different about seeing them from the river's perspective: everything was more impressive. He had a great sense of humor that I guess would be considered dry, but I had a jolly good time listening to his jokes and other antics. The peace and quiet along with bathing in the sunlight even lullaby-ed me to sleep for a few minutes!
On the cruise by the Tower Bridge
Upon reaching Greenwich, we met one of our experiential learning professors and he led us around to a few places of interest. Greenwich has seen its main residents be royalty and the Navy. There is a beautiful Painted Hall, which was originally constructed to be a dining hall for the Navy. I was shocked to hear this because the hall is extremely luxurious.
The Painted Hall
There were a few other places of interest like the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory. We hiked up a steep hill to get to the Royal Observatory. There was an awe-inspiring view of the city from across the River Thames. Here is also the "start of time" or the prime meridian line. I thought it was very cool to be able to see the physical line. They have now even installed a laser than shoots across the line, that is visible at night. It is obviously very important.
The great view of the city from the Royal Observatory
The Prime Meridian Line
After this we were let loose to wander around on our own. My friend bought some postcards and then we found the Greenwich Market.
0 comments