Greenwich

19th of July 2019

Today we are taking Krystyna to Greenwich. This is one of Alex’s favourite places and we have been here at least 10 times, but each time is different and unique.

We took the train to Waterloo and then our usual form of transport, The Clipper, along the river Thames and through the heart of our wonderful city , London, and into historic Greenwich.

1ce5b5d6-d599-4e5c-b568-e94bb78a7e2f
At Waterloo Station on our way to Greenwich
On the Clipper
Alex an Krystyna on the Clipper with the Shard and Tower Bridge in the background
Not the best of days, but you don’t need good weather to have fun
Here Krystyna, want to share

So after arriving at Greenwich by Clipper, we were welcomed by a downpour of rain. The nearest attraction to us was the Cutty Sark. So we entered and were under cover. I changed my Royal Museum membership to family , as this allowed us to take Krystyna in and was cheaper than all the days activities.

The first attraction was the Cutty Sark, as fantastic ship and living museum, with history of voyages across the globe. We couldn’t stay long as we had planetarium shows to attend. We walked through The Naval schools, past the Maritime museum and up the steep hill to the Royal Observatory. The observatory has been here since 1675. It was built with the purpose of rectify the tables of motions of the heavens. It is steeped with history and this is where the Harrison Clocks are displayed. These enabled exact time keeping upon ships and there the resolution of longitude and therefore positioning of locations on the earth. Because of this discovery, the meridian is located here and this is where time begins and ends.

img_4085.jpg
Alex on the meridian, with me to the east and Krystyna to the west. The beginning and end of time
The great Equatorial Telescope

The planetarium shows were amazing and there is much to do and a day is nowhere near enough to see everything. We will undoubtedly return.

As a member I had reserved three free tickets to the opening of the new moon exhibition, celebrating 50 years since man first landed on the moon. It opened at 6 o’clock and we waited patiently outside to enter. #

A truly fantastic exhibition, full of artefacts  from our first voyages to the moon and all the men and women who made it happen. From map builders to rocket designers. This wasn’t achieved in the one decade that Kennedy committed us to, but over centuries af man and woman kind discovery more and more about our own place in the Universe and contributing to the science that allowed it all to happen. BUT ESPECIALLY TIME and the clocks that Harrison built. A very apt and suitable place to celebrate this vast achievement.

img_4087.jpg
Alex patiently waiting for the exhibition to open
The exhibition
Alex at the exhibition
A Portrait of the number one guy – my hero Neil Armstrong
Buzz Aldrin
Alex, pointing out the one of the first accurate maps of the moon by Hugh Percy Wilkins – amateur astronomer and eventually Director of the Lunar Section of the British Astronomical Association
img_4091.jpg
Alex’s contribution the the exhibition
img_4097.jpg
Krystyna’s contribution

 

Mine and Alex’s finally on display
Finally on the way home on the Clipper after a long and eventful day.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *