Day 2 - Greenwich & The Globe

Yesterday was VERY busy. We started out with a boat tour of the Thames. The water is a murky brownish color - not somewhere I would want to swim, although Prof. Qualls said that there are still some people who fish in it. The boat took us to Greenwich where we visited Flamsteed's house and stood on the Prime Meridian. We had to walk up hill that rivals Euclid to get there. I think Laura will appreciate that while I was standing on the Prime Meridian I kept thinking "I'm on one side - I'm on the other side. I'm on the East bank.....I'm on the West bank...."
                                                                                                                                                           

Kaitlin and I standing on the Prime Meridian

I just thought the dolphins were pretty. I don't actually know what the statue is for.

The Prime Meridian and Greenwich mean time (which I am told has an hour difference from London time).

A bunch of us Dickinsonians walking about the Royal Observatory.

After the Royal Observatory, we walked down to the now University of Greenwich, once the home to admiral of the navy, and before that it was the Palace of choice for the kings and queens.

The smaller white building in the background is the "Queen's House" commission by Queen Anne of Denmark (King James I wife). The chapel is on the left and the Painted Hall  is on the right.

The Chapel

Of course all this exploring made us very thirsty - what else could we do but stop at the nearest pub? We spent the remainder of the afternoon eating lunch and familiarizing ourselves with the area. To go back to Arran House we actually got to walk the tunnel that lies underneath the Thames. The tunnel was cold and damp, and in some places we saw water dripping from the ceiling. Around 5, we began to make our way to the Globe to see Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. Holly suggested we walk across the Millennium Bridge to get there.

Millennium Bridge facing St. Paul's Cathedral

You aren't actually allowed to take pictures while the performance is going (although BBC was filming that night) but I can show you what the outside looks like.