All Things Greenwich

 Sunday, June 5

On today's docket was Greenwich. Greenwich is a borough in London, somewhat far from the center where Buckingham Palace is, for instance. I did have to take the Tube and then a regular train to get there, so travel was a bit more inconvenient.

I got to Greenwich at about 9:15 in the morning and walked through a normal looking neighborhood to get to my first destination. I saw Her Majesty the Queen in someone's window!

My first stop was Cutty Sark.

Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship. She went on tea and wool trading expeditions starting in 1870.

 

 

I enjoyed my stroll around the innards and deck of the ship, but I wasn't able to learn much because I forgot my earbuds and couldn't listen to the audio tour.

I hung out for a bit at the café in the bowels of the ship and had an early lunch -- just an egg and cress sandwich, chips, and a latte.

Next up was a walk to the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian Line.

I had to walk up a pretty steep hill to get this view. I also had to ask someone who didn't speak English to take my photo. We figured it out.

Here I am standing at the Prime Median Line. What is the meridian, you ask?

 

"The Astronomers Royal used time as an essential measurement in their work. At solar noon, the Sun is on the meridian, an imaginary line that runs between the north and south poles directly through an observer's position. The historic meridians at Greenwich are defined by the positions of the telescopes that were used to observe the stars as they passed overhead."

"The Greenwich Meridian separates east from west in the same way that the Equator separates north from south. Over land, it crosses England, France, Spain, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Ghana, and Antarctica."

The museum in the Royal Observatory was super interesting, but difficult for my pea brain to understand. So much science! Other people are so smart.

Clocks

A ginormous telescope

Next, I walked through Greenwich Park on a nice little stroll to get to Ranger's House.

 

If you watch Bridgerton, you might recognize the outside of Ranger's House as the Bridgerton home. It's an art museum and art museums aren't really my jam, so I just did a little turn about the outside of the building and went along my merry way.

I walked back from whence I'd come to go into the National Maritime Museum.

I walked around there for quite a while and enjoyed myself. I didn't take any photos, though. Just lots of maritime history and facts!

Next to the National Maritime is a pretty building called Queen's House and a view up to the Royal Conservatory, where I had been earlier in the day. I took a little video of it. The roses in England are truly gorgeous and the smell... wonderful.

From here, I walked back up to the river in search of a pub called Trafalgar Tavern. I knew it was pretty historic and just wanted to see it. What I didn't realize was how decked out it would be for the Jubilee.

You love to see it!

After that, I was making my way back to the train station and rolled through the Greenwich Market and another little pop-up market which was just tiny little stalls of knick-knacks. I didn't buy anything. "When We Were Young" by Adele was playing in the pop-up market and I love that song.

Got back to Pimlico (near my AirBnB) and was ready for some more food. It was Sunday, so Sunday Roast was in order. I stopped a pub called the White Swan for my meal.

Sunday Roast is a staple of British culture. A lot of pubs feature a Sunday Roast meal on Sundays. It consists of roasted meat (beef, chicken, and pork are the most common I've seen), mashed or roasted potatoes, and side dishes such as Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and a wide range of vegetables -- I usually see carrots, cauliflower, peas, and parsnips. Parsnips are really good and not something I've really experienced in America. They taste like a cross between potato and cauliflower. Yorkshire pudding is not at all a pudding like we think of it. It's hard to describe, but it's like a chewy but soft dinner roll with a distinctive shape to it. The Yorkshire pudding is the circular item in the photo below on my plate. It's delish!

I really enjoy eating and hanging out in a pub. It's just enjoyable to be amongst the British.

I had one more day left in England, but I was ready to come home by this point! Never taking it for granted and always enjoying it... but also ready to be home haha.