Journey to Greenwich

This morning the BU Program treated us to a boat tour down the Thames River, which flows through the center of downtown.  I left my dorm and headed to the Gloucester Tube stop to head to Westminster.  As much as I have loved getting acquainted with Kensington, I was very excited to be heading downtown to see some of the famous sites. The first landmark I could see when I left the station was the London eye which is a huge Ferris wheel tourist attraction that gives some of the best views of the city.  Also near the boat dock were the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.  We boarded the boat and headed westward towards the borough of Greenwich.  During the ride we saw many of the landmarks located directly on the Thames including the Millennium Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and the recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Piece of Tower of London

The boat ride took about 30 minutes and showed how London's current position as a major world city depends on its history as a shipping and docking power center. Our tour ended at Greenwich and we were given the afternoon to set out on our own and explore the area.  I spent the afternoon with Katherine, Nicki, and Stacey.

We first decided to set out for the National Maritime Museum which featured many examples of British naval ships and exhibits based on historic explorers. It was fun to see how ships have changed throughout the years and to see pieces of recovered boats.  I especially enjoyed an exhibit that showcased toy boats and figureheads of Neptune and a one-eyed Greek mythological figure.

Ship figureheads

Next we made a hike up a large hill to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and the Meridian. The view from the top was extraordinary!  You could see all of the beautiful grounds surrounding the Royal Naval College, the Thames River flowing back into central London, and even some of the skyscrapers of eastern downtown. We had fun taking a few pictures standing on the meridian with one foot in either hemisphere. 




View from Royal Observatory


The chilly hike back down the hill left us wanting to have a relaxing lunch.  We headed to The Plume of Feathers, a little quaint pub located just west of the Royal Naval College.  I ordered a burger and chips and enjoyed warming up by the fireplace.

After lunch we visited the Queen's House which housed some fabulous pieces of art.  My favorite piece was a huge painting by Turner that depicted the Battle of Trafalgar. It is hard to believe that Queens and Kings used to live within this building!  It featured beautiful views out over the green yard and hill leading back up to the Observatory.

Finishing off our trip to Greenwich we stopped in at the Painted Hall at the Royal Naval College.  This was an extravagantly painted and absolutely breathtaking space! All of the surfaces in the building were smooth but were intricately decorated to give the impression of being covered with plaster work.  Additionally, the walls and ceiling were filled with gorgeous paintings of cherubs and various individuals to represent local families. It took the artist responsible for the decorations 19 years to finish this masterpiece.

On the way back to BU we chose to take the train to Kings Cross Station to visit platform 9 3/4 made famous in Harry Potter.  Unfortunately, the station was under construction and we were unable to reach the wall located in between platforms 9 and 10. However, the station placed a special little place for Harry Potter loving fans like us to take pictures.


Ready to visit Hogwarts

Tonight I went to a floor dinner at a restaurant called Giraffe located near our dorm.  It featured a wide array of ethnic food with everything from bruschetta to enchiladas.  It was lots of fun to get to know some of the members of my floor better.