TWP: Greenwich

Morgan, Emily, and Laura went to Greenwich. Here is Morgan's write up:

This past weekend the girls and I took a trip to Greenwich so we could stand in the Eastern and Western hemispheres at the same time. Although our only plans for Greenwich were to see the Prime Meridian we ended up making a whole day out of it. From the boat ride to Greenwich to touring the city of Greenwich to eating our first fish and chips to actually standing on the Prime Meridian, it ended up being a very adventurist day.

Instead of taking a train to Greenwich we decided travel by boat, the more scenic route. I really enjoyed traveling down the Thames and getting to see some of London’s biggest attractions. Even though we were not on a touring boat, our captain told us lots of information about each place we passed. It was really cool to hear the history of different buildings and places along the river. This also gave us a chance to see which places we have not visited and figure out which sites we wanted to visit later.

Greenwich was a really pretty city with lots of cool places to visit. We visited the chapel and painted hall which sit in Queen Mary’s and King William’s Courts. Each was filled with beautiful art and designs. We also visited Queen’s house which was a former royal home. The inside was filled with art and photos of past royal family members. One of the coolest places we visited in Greenwich was the Market in the middle of the town. There were venders selling all kinds of handmade items and little deserts. We also experienced our first fish and chips in London, which will now be a regular meal for us.

The best part of Greenwich was being able to stand on the Prime Meridian and be in both the Western and Eastern hemispheres. We decided not to go into the National Maritime Museum but we were still able to find a place outside the museum that showed where the Prime Meridian lies. Now I can finally say I have been in two places at once.

Students in Spain, Greenwich, Southbank, and new foods

The majority of the students went to Spain this weekend. Laura's cousin lives in Madrid and they are visiting her and then going to the beaches in Valencia. Sounds nice, right?! Two students stayed behind--their travel plans are to Germany and France later this month.

So, Luke and Andy joined my family for a day trip to Greenwich.  We spent some time in the Greenwich museum getting an overview of the area. There were many interactive exhibits including armor to try on. It was heavy and hot and almost impossible to see out.

Trying on armor

Then we made the trek up up up to the Royal Observatory.  Since 1884, time has been measured for the world at the Royal Observatory and we stood on the Prime Meridian! The Royal Observatory sits on top of a hill that overlooks London. The views were amazing since it was such a beautiful day.

We stopped at a cafe attached to a small museum and had "tea." We would call it a late lunch.  Both students tried scones and clotted cream for the first time and loved them.

While at the museum, we discovered that there is a foot path that goes under the Thames River.  So, we ventured down eight flights of stairs into a tunnel that runs under the Thames. It was quite cool and damp when we got to the very bottom of the tunnel. After a brief rest on the other side, we went back through the tunnel.

Instead of taking the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) and the tube back, we opted instead for a ride on a Thames Clipper. We stayed on the boat until we got to the London Eye at Southbank. At that point, Luke headed back to the apartments but Andy stayed with us.

Southbank is very busy and very crowded on a Friday evening. We stopped and watched street performers and saw a break dancing show. We ate dinner at Yo!, a sushi conveyor belt restaurant. Andy didn't eat sushi with us, but he tried edamame and ginger.  It is good to be adventurous with food!

Tomorrow, the forecast is calling for rain, rain, and more rain. So, it was great to have such a bright day for our excursion.