Footsore & weary after big day at Greenwich. The B&B is on top floor- 5th - & the Barbican area is very convenient, 5 minutes to the tube on the circle line which goes to everything but, no B, just bed, so had to get some bread for toast & fruit, but would you believe it, no toaster, felt like I was in Italy! Had to make my toast under the griller! Just setting the scene, I'm not sure how old the building is but not much has happened internally since, I'd say. Infact the shower does not come from above, but is one of those ones where you have to sit in the bath & hold it, I kept looking for the hook to hold the nozzle, nothing. I am going to have to go the hairdresser & get hair washed, as I know from experience impossible task with this "shower" Anyway the bed is comfortable & the host Tess is a nice woman. She must lead a very cosmopolitan life as not much in the kitchen cupboards by way of crockery etc or food. It's all an experience.
Off early for my 11.30 booking for the Cutty Sark as not sure how long it would take to get there. Circle line tube from Barbican to Tower Hill, got right out at the Tower of London, & then around the corner to Tower Gateway for the Docklands Light Rail, on that one for a few stops & then off & onto the Lewisham line for Greenwich/Cutty Sark. Got there in plenty of time so visited the Old Royal Naval College - the painted Hall with painted ceiling bigger that the Sistine Chapel from 1707 & the Chapel, the whole complex was a Christpher Wren design. The Cutty Sark tour was interesting, such a sweet little boat, the sailors must have been short, judging by the length of the bunks! A good display of the history of the boat as a tea clipper & then wool from Australia & how it was rescued. After that back to the naval college chapel for recital, piano, young chap played for an hour or so, very dramatic, nothing I knew, one Liszt one was vaguely familiar.
I then walked up the hill to the Royal Observatory, this was a long walk due to the closing of access, due to Paraolympics still going on, but worth it, did a very good tour of history of the Chronometer & John Harrison many decade quest to create an accurate one, his attempts are there H1, 2 & 3 huge brass things & the final one a large pocket watch size, then he had to fight for another 10 or so years to get the 20,000 pound reward which had been promised. His son then led the life of the idle rich with the money as he had popped off by then!
The whole thing a good day out & was crawling with people.
Next stop was the National Maritime Museum, which had a lot on the old favourite Nelson & also a special exhibition on the Thames river & it's history re the Royals.
6 o'clock by then & took the Thames boat back, takes about 30-40 minutes, & worth it for different view. I got off at the Tower & walked around for a bit, really I was looking for the tube station, which proved elusive as was coming from a different angle.........finally got home, got some indian takeaway on the way. Host Tess not home, vegged out in front of the telly, 100 channels & nothing on, had to watch a bakeoff show, but once in bed did not need much rocking.
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| One of John Harrisons first chronometers |
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| View from the Royal Observatory |
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| Part of the Royal Observatory |
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| The Cutty Sark |
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| "Beautiful" building development along the river |
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| Ditto |
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| The Prospect of Whitby, oldest pub on the river, from 1520 |
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| Love that gherkin building |
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| The big one's called the shard |
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| Obvious | |
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| Good view of the Tower of London just out of the tube |
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| The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich |
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