Greenwich

On the advice of my dad, I decided to go down to Greenwich for my last day in London, which has to be one of the best decisions of my trip. The weather was beautiful, once again, and Greenwich has a lovely large park perfect for wandering. It houses the Royal Observatory, home of the Prime Meridian; I didn't get to see the actual line because it cost ten pounds and I'm a poor student. But the building was quite nice from the outside!

I also saw the Queen's house, a small palace built for James I's wife though it wasn't completed until the time of Charles I. It's a World Heritage site, the first example of classical architecture in the country. It's the perfect size for an afternoon; big enough that there's plenty to see, but not so large you get lost in it. The house was built for more intimate gatherings of the queen and her companions, and is pretty close to where the palace once was.

I also visited the National Maritime museum where I heard a fascinating talk about Britain and the Suez canal given by a Scotsman. As an international relations student, I have of course heard of events such as the Suez crisis of 1956 but it was interesting to hear from the British perspective.

Between the two museums I had a late lunch-- my first fish and chips! It was at a restaurant owned by a Turk, coincidentally, but I think it tasted pretty authentic. It was delicious, anyway, and I ate it too quickly and burnt my tongue. Fortunately, there was an ice cream shop down the road.


The view from the observatory-- it's on top of a hill in the middle of the park so you can see quite a lot.


Springtime at the Royal Observatory!


The Queen's House