Friday, October 12: Greenwich

If Jamie and I ever have an opportunity to return by ourselves I think I would like to stay in Greenwich as the base camp for our London touring. Once again, I could have spent far more time there and covered more ground on my own. C'est la vie!

Greenwich is a quick DLR train ride from where we are and an entirely different pace of life. We managed to orient ourselves and make it to Greenwich Park with no wrong turns. No mean feat considering my map of Greenwich is woefully inadequate. It was a foggy day which meant the views of London from Greenwich weren't spectacular, but the temperature was just perfect. No need for coats which is why I end up carrying the boys' jackets by lunchtime. We really have lucked out with the weather.


Our first stop was at the Royal Observatory with which I was greatly impressed. We skipped the modern planetarium portion but as I'm more of a history buff than a scientist I wasn't terribly disappointed Liam and Colin wanted to press on. We took turnings taking one another's pictures standing astride the prime meridian with our bodies in both the east and west hemispheres. The boys had no trouble comprehending that part, but understanding this is where the calendar day officially starts blew some synapses. Heck if I could explain it to their satisfaction.

We headed down the park to the Queen's House, a 17th century Inigo Jones building. I saw some spectacular Tudor paintings I didn't even realize were housed there. We did not continue into the National Maritime Museum which is also located there, but I was just happy to have wandered through the house, seen the paintings I did see and climb the tulip staircase.

Behavior indicated empty tanks so we went on a pub quest and found one fairly close to the end of the park where I had planned to take the kids next. This one was certainly no chain. The pub owner had to be called and told he had customers and then he left us alone for a bit while he popped over to the store to pick up some things for the kitchen. Cider and fish and chips in a musty old pub on a foggy day in a fishing villiage which is actually a burough of London. Paradise!

After lunch I took the kids to the playground in Greenwich Park while I sat there and listened to more of Thomas Cahill's "Desire of the Everlasting Hills." We left when a school crowd descended upon the playground about twenty minutes later. Even the bobbies commented my peace had been shattered. The boys feigned fatigue and dehydration but I was bound and determined to see the ruins of the Roman-Celtic temple unearthed in the park in 1902. To quote the kids, "You dragged us all the way up here to see a stupid brick?" They had a point. It was a stupid brick surrounded by an iron fence with a plaque explaining the stupid brick. One or two more growing seasons and you may not even be able to see the stupid brick. Oh well, the boys don't know it but this just bought them a trip to the remains of the temple to Mithras in Temple Court some day next week. And they get their own "dinosaur tracks" story to tell their kids. Yes, Marilyn, that one was for you.

We wandered back down to the entrance with Liam moaning for water and Colin entranced by all the fallen chestnuts. I convinced him not to take a bite and wait until we can roast some...maybe at Christmas. Filled the tanks with water and a cafe by the park, where of course they began begging for tea instead of water when they saw the teapots. Sorry boys, not today.

Train back to the flat where we are going to rest a bit before meeting up with daddy. Jamie let his class out early this afternoon and wants to go out to dinner and take the boys to the Tate Modern. Colin really wants to go and Liam is trying to find a way out of going. This ought to be a nice loud row when Jamie gets home. Can't wait.

The blogging is going to slow down for the next few days as we leave for Bilbao in the morning. I imagine it will take me awhile to catch up after the weekend.

Cheers!
(photos will be embedded as soon as I find where the housekeepers tucked the camera download cable)