DAY 30: Exploring Greenwich and a Night Out!

We decided that we were going to spend our time productively for the rest of our time here. Whitney and I made a list of all the things we’d like to do and see. So the first thing we decided to cross off was Greenwich, so Whitney, Cassidy, Shelise and I set out on our adventure. Outside of the center of London’s crowded hustle and bustle, Greenwich is a little more open and laid back, with more of a village feel. It’s home to Greenwich Market, the Old Royal Naval College, the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian from where all time is calculated.

When we got off the tube in Greenwich the only site we had known to visit was the Prime Meridian. We didn’t know where to find it so once we started walking around we stumbled onto a few gems on the way. The first thing we saw was the Greenwich Market. If you can’t tell by now, the markets are my favorite thing about London. They’re full of unique vendors selling one of a kind jewelry and art and street food that could rival 5 star restaurants! This was a very small market but we did snack there. I got some dumplings from a Japanese vendor and spring rolls from a Chinese Vendor. Delish!

From the market we went walked to what looked like a palace. Once we got to it we saw a sign that said Old Royal Naval College. I had no idea what that meant but it looked pretty and I wanted to take pictures.  The campus was beautiful and right on the river. The buildings were really old but well kept. We were drawn to the two giant buildings at the center with twin domes that kind of looked like St. Paul’s Cathedral. The first one we went into was called the Painted Hall. The room was literally breathtaking! The walls were gorgeous.

When we walked in I read the plaque about the site. The Old Royal Naval College was built on the site of the Greenwich Palace, there Henry VIII, Queen Mary and Elizabeth I were born. It was designed by Christopher Wren, the same architect that designed St. Paul’s (hence the similarity), which means it was built in the late 1600’s. When it was first built it was a Royal Hospital for Seamen, then it became the Royal Naval College where over 27,000 member of the Royal Navy were trained. The Painted Hall was a giant banquette room painted by Sir James Thornhill over 19 years. It’s also where Admiral Lord Nelson is buried. We also visited the Chapel, right across from the Painted Hall, in the mirroring dome. It was really cool to stumble on something so gorgeous and significant.

From there we figured out where to go to see the Prime Meridian. We had to walk through a park and up a HUGE hill to reach it. Once we got to the top of the insane hill we were able to see most of the city of London. It was really gorgeous. We took some pictures from of us all with the city behind us and enjoyed the view for a bit. The Prime Meridian separates the Eastern and Western Hemispheres of the earth, and it’s from this point that time is calculated. It was shown by a line through the bricks surrounded by lighter concrete. There was also an atomic clock, showing the exact time down to the fraction of a second. The actual buildings at the Prime Meridian closed right before we got there so we couldn’t go in to learn more about it, but we were able to see the line and the clock.

After lots of pictures, we headed back down the “mountain” and back to the tube. We went home to meet Ashley and Stacey and go to out. We ended up going to dinner in Covent Garden and a brick oven pizza restaurant called Fire and Stone. The wait was a little lengthy so we waited at the bar. Whitney and I tried to “beat the system” and get a pitcher of drinks , thinking it’d be cheaper than buying them individually. The pitcher of some fruity mixed drink was 16 pounds, and the individual drinks were 5. Thinking we were clever, we poured filled our glasses…. And the pitcher was empty. BUMMER, we were had.

The menu was really interesting with tons of different kinds of pizzas from all over the world. There was a section for Europe, Asia, America, The Carribean and Africa. I got the “Naples”, aka a cheese pizza. There were soo many I wanted to try that when they waitress got to me, it just came out cause I couldn’t make a decision. It was VERY good, but thankfully Stacey’s friend let me try her “Athena” pizza with feta and pesto, because that’s the one I really wanted. Finishing off the meal, I had a brownie a la mode. Amazing.

After dinner we went to a pub called the Porterhouse. I’d been there once before but everyone else is practically a regular. They have live music and beer and ciders from all around the world. Ashley and Stacey tired an English beer called Banana Bread Beer, according to them it was good and actually tasted like banana bread. We were there for about an hour before I left. It was a long day and that place was too loud for my mood.  I would definitely call that a good day!

Greenwich Market

I wish macaroons were as tasty as they are pretty!

The Campus of the Old Royal Naval College

The front of the Painted Hall

The Chapal (Which is identical to the Painted Hall)

The ceiling of the Painted Hall

The back wall

Looking up at the Dome of the Painted Hall, amazing right?

The courtyard of the ORNC and the River Thames

The Royal Observatory

View of the City of London

and again

Sending lots of love from London!

Whitney, Shelise, Cassidy and I

"Prime Meridian of the World" that square is an atomic clock with the exact time to a fraction of a second

The line surrounded by the lighter concrete is the Prime Meridian, it slices through that statue and follows up through that crystal spike. Click the picture to make it bigger.

"Greenwich Prime Meridian

East Longitude  |  West Longitude"

To my left, the Eastern Hemisphere. To my right, the Western Hemisphere.

A view of the line as it heads towards the city 

Couldn't snap a photo of it without someone in the way!

Standards of measurement

The hill from Hell

More floral perfection...

The girls, walking through the village-like Greenwich

a cute little alley

Whitney and I with our pitcher at Fire and Stone

Our delicious drink

Me, Whitney and Ashley at the Porterhouse