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| View from the Royal Observatory |
A visit to the UK, without a peek at Greenwich is truly incomplete. I planned my journey in such a way that I could cover a place or two in a single day. A trip to Greenwich would take a full day. The city is a combination of fascinating museums, parklands, mesmerizing architecture, bustling markets, and much more galvanizing experience.
Getting to Greenwich: Greenwich, located at south east London and South bank of London. This city is rated as the UNESCO world heritage site which stands as the symbol of British culture and naval power for 400 years. We started from London and took a cruise over the Thames River till Greenwich Pier. There is accessibility by underground as well as rail and airline cable car.
· From the Tower of London, getting to the Greenwich pier will take 20 minutes.
· From St. Paul’s Cathedral, Greenwich will take hardly 25 minutes.
· From Bond street luxury boutiques, North Greenwich is hardly 20 minutes.
· Starting from the Monument, it will take 30 minutes to reach Greenwich by DLR.
In case you are planning to visit the place, take a closer look at the transport system, get updated via google and chalk out your journeys.
Things to see in Greenwich: Once you land at Greenwich make sure you see the meridian line, the royal observatory, Maritime national museum, Old Royal naval college, Greenwich Park, Greenwich market and the O2 arena. From the pier, we walked all the way through Greenwich Park to reach the Royal Observatory.
The Royal Observatory: This is an observatory overlooking the Thames River and situated over a hill. Having played a great role in navigation and astronomy, this is best known as the prime meridian passes through. It cost us 15£ per adult and 6£ for a child ticket.
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| The Timekeeper, a site near the entrance |
We followed the queue to enter inside. This was founded by King Charles II in 1670, who founded the importance of seeking better navigation for country’s sea trade.
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| Observing the city from the viewpoint of Royal Observatory |
Since 1884, Greenwich stands as the landmark of zero degree meridian. It was great fun to stand amidst the historical line of Meridian with two foot towards each side. It was an elating experience to discover the home of Greenwich mean- time.
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| Camera obscura view |
We saw the great equatorial telescope, which was a 250 years old working observatory in Greenwich. We enjoyed the view of Camera Obscura, which was a dark room with an arrangement to see the views of the Thames River, Royal naval museum, National maritime museum, all through a panoramic view.
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| Standing at the prime meridian |
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| Where the time zone starts |
We saw the timekeeper of John Harisson’s which was used in the 18th century.
The trip was regarded as an experience of a lifetime.
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| National maritime museum, a great attraction |
Maritime national museum: We saw the National maritime museum in Greenwich which was established in the 17th century AD. The historic building is a part of the maritime Greenwich world heritage site. This place is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. The cost of entrance is 10 £. Once you get inside there is a lot of attraction for the visitors. Never miss seeing the Nelson’s Trafalgar coat, Turner’s battle of Trafalgar’s gallery, Ship in a bottle, Caird library and archive, history of four new galleries, and the Jutland 1916 gallery.
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| Greenwich Park, a peaceful abode |
Greenwich Park: We walked past the Greenwich park which is a great walking space where you can spend the day picnicking or lazying around. The park is roughly rectangular in shape with sides measuring 1000 meters by 750 meters. The park has two levels having a number of dips and gullies. You can have an uninterrupted view of the Thames River, Queen’s house and the closet of the museum). If you follow the steep walk uphill, that will reveal a flat area which is an enclosed extension of the plateau of Blackheath.
The old Royal naval college: This is regarded as the architectural centerpiece of Maritime Greenwich. This is regarded as the UNESCO world heritage site. Previously there was a Greenwich hospital which was created for the sole purpose of treating wounded soldiers. Anyways, in 1869 the hospital was closed and the remains of the soldiers were removed. In 1873, after completion of the hospital, the building was converted to training establishment meant for the Royal Navy.
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| Painted hall of Old royal naval college seems familiar? Recollect Harry Potter |
In fact, we were told that various Hollywood movies were filmed here at the Old Royal Naval college including Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Harry Potter.
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| Greenwich market, a busy site |
Greenwich market: This is considered the only market place of London inside a world heritage site. There is no single thing on earth which you won't see here. There are stalls of antiques, jewelry, fashion garments, and accessories.
There is no dearth of places of interest surrounding London. In fact, you should take your time to travel and experience the various flavors of the city. The prehistoric sites will definitely attract you and you will fall in love with the variedly cosmopolitan culture.
