London is no longer a major port city but
the River Thames still bustles with barges, yachts and sightseeing
cruises. So it seemed only fitting that we take to the water for our journey to the World Heritage Site of Maritime
Greenwich.
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The River Thames, London |
We boarded a Thames Clipper high-speed catamaran at Embankment Pier. The journey to Greenwich Pier took about
40 minutes, with seven stops enroute.
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The Aurora Clipper |
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St. Paul's and Blackfriars Bridge |
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The Millennium Bridge
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Greenwich Pier |
The attractions of Maritime Greenwich are spread across the grounds of Greenwich Park, the oldest of the Royal Parks.
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Greenwich Street Sign
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Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, by Yinka Shonibare
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Greenwich Park |
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View from the Hill - O2 Arena |
We began our visit at the top of the hill at the
Royal Observatory Greenwich, the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian of the World. The red Time Ball on top of Flamsteed
House drops at 1 p.m. every day.
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Flamsteed House, Royal Observatory Greenwich |
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Entrance to the Royal Observatory |
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The Dolphin Sundial |
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The Red Time Ball on Flamsteed House |
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The Meridian Courtyard |
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The Meridian Line, 0ยบ Longitude |
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The Octagon Room, Flamsteed House, designed by Sir Christopher Wren |
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Replica of a Telescope Tube. The angle of vision was adjusted by moving the tube up and down the rungs of the ladder. |
Next we toured the National Maritime
Museum. At the time of our visit the museum was attempting to raise funds to purchase the Armada Portrait of
Elizabeth I, commissioned after Britain’s defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. In ten weeks they raised £1.5 million in donations! The painting has now been removed from public display but will return in October at the reopening of the Queen's House, which is currently closed for renovations. I'll tell you more about the National Maritime Museum in a future post.
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National Maritime Museum, Greenwich |
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Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I National Maritime Museum, Greenwich |
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The Queen's House
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Our final stop in Greenwich was the Cutty
Sark, the world’s last surviving tea clipper. The ship’s hull rests on a huge glass
structure housing a cafeteria and the world’s largest collection of merchant
navy figureheads. (A figurehead is a carving, usually of a human figure, built
into a ship’s bow.)
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The Tea Clipper Cutty Sark |
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Upper Deck of the Cutty Sark |
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Map of the Cutty Sark's Cargoes from Around the World |
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Hull of the Cutty Sark |
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Hull of the Cutty Sark |
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Collection of Ship Figureheads |
We didn't visit the Peter Harrison Planetarium but I did find the BFG Dream Jar of American astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, and enjoyed my first elderflower beverage on the Gagarin Terrace.
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Peter Harrison Planetarium |
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Buzz Aldrin's BFG Dream Jar: Explore. Dream. Discover. |
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The Weller Astronomy Galleries |
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The Gagarin Terrace |
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Elderflower Beverage |
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Statue of Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the First Human in Space |
After lunch in the garden terrace of The Old Brewery, we boarded a westbound river
bus to Bankside Pier and the Tate Modern art gallery. The Tate has just
completed a major expansion that includes a new tower, the Switch House, with a popular top floor viewing terrace. If you’re claustrophobic, you won’t
enjoy the jam-packed elevator ride but you’ll be rewarded with
panoramic London views.
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Tate Modern Art Gallery |
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View from the Switch House Viewing Terrace |
The vastness of Turbine Hall dwarfed
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s Tree made of dead branches, roots and trunks. I first saw an example of his work, Forever
Bicycles, in Venice.
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Turbine Hall, Tate Modern |
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Tree (2010) by Ai Weiwei
Tate Modern |
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Forever Bicycles by Ai Weiwei, Venice |
From the Tate Modern we boarded another river
bus to Millbank Pier and the Tate Britain but unfortunately the gallery was
about to close. Before returning to our hotel we had fish and chips for dinner at
Seafresh, a restaurant I’d enjoyed on my first visit to London. Then it was back to our
room to pack our bags for our morning departure to Cornwall.
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Tate Britain |
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Seafresh Fish and Chips |
My Tip for the Day:
I thoroughly enjoyed your A - Z postings. Your Destination Fiction photos, comments and suggestions are wonderful. Some of the places I have visited and seen, some are on my list. Great work!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Jerry. I'm very glad you enjoyed them.
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