england #5, and a ferry ride to greenwich
After the London Eye, we took advantage of another London Pass Attraction, and rode the City Cruise ferry to Greenwich. Since everything took about a quadrillion times longer than we expected, we ended up having very little time to spend in Greenwich, home of all sorts of interesting stuff, including Greenwich Mean Time, a Royal Park, the former Royal Observatory which is now an astronomy museum, and a great little town center. All we really did was walk around a little bit in the town center, and have dinner in a tiny Thai dive that had the Best.Noodles.EVER. By then we had to catch the return ferry. There’s no tube station, although there are rail stops and buses- the ferry was the most convenient for us, though.
We planned to return to Greenwich on the weekend, when there’s a big market. We didn’t ever return. It’s on my list of Places To Go Back To Next Time.
Waiting for the ferry at London Eye:
The ferry ride was very pleasant, and very interesting. And perhaps best of all, we were on the ferry during one of the shockingly few rainy periods we encountered. Much to our vast surprise, it hardly rained the entire time, and when it did we were always inside. It rained during our ferry ride, it rained the day we drove from the canal boat to Clevedon, and I think it rained one other time when we were doing something inside. During the London week it was mostly sunny, although, oddly, VERY chilly. Unusually chilly. We could see our breath several mornings while walking to the Tube, and there was frost more than once. Even during the days it often didn’t get out of the 40’s. So I spent most of the trip in sweaters with a fleece vest over top, and my winter jacket over that. But the lack of rain was extremely nice, as were all the very sunny days.
But I digress. Here we go, on the ferry:
Actually, the weather was kind of weird on the ferry ride. Rain/Sun/Rain/Sun/Rain/Clouds/Blue Sky/Rain…..
Sadly I didn’t get a whole lot of Greenwich pictures thanks to Bizarro Rain, which would go away and come back and go away and come back ….
There was a great little graveyard, though. That we rushed by!
And creepy angels!
I found this very interesting- when I was a child I was pretty much obsessed with a western called The High Chaparral. Okay, I admit I STILL like the episodes I’ve seen in recent years – it was a very well done show, by the same guy that produced Bonanza. And it’s held up well over the many years. But I digress- how surprising! I was astonished to see this restaurant:
I don’t know if it actually had anything to do with the fairly obscure show from the 60s — we didn’t go in. But it was fun to see.
No pictures on the return ferry, as it was nearly dark and rainy again. But when we got to Waterloo Station, the rain had cleared so I took advantage of the amazing London Lights –
Next stop — Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus!
You have managed to photograph no less than three (3) bright red time travel devices … in a row. Amazing!!
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Firrst note!! You make me want to actually go to London now. You know, you satisfied the first DephoMo prompt of “angel,” too.
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These are all so great!
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Those odd primitive figures above the restaurant sign are pretty interesting. And the angels are creepy. I wonder how old they are. Great ferry shots. I love ferries and I would certainly feel at home in that weather. Ii is exactly what we are having today.The damp makes the cold seem colder.
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Brings back some old, old memories!
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Beautiful! Someday when I grow up I want to go to London.
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i’d have loved to gone thru that cemetery. and to have 3 time travel machines in one photo!!! exciting!! the angels make me think of the weeping angels in an episode of doctor who. take care,
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One of the things that tickles me about your entries, is the places you have visited. I am from CT, so we have a lot of the same names of towns, (Greenwich, in this case). It makes me feel like I’m home, almost!
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Greenwich must have been cool as hell. I would have spent the whole time there just marveling over every single clock in the world being set according to the time marked there. It would have continuously blown my mind. Again, the photos are just amazing. You do have such an eye, both for the big things we all expect to see and the little details that make the trip yours.
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Glad you mostly avoided the rain. (That Wiki article spun my head.) Did you feel, while you were there, like you were in some other world entirely? Even though everyone spoke English in Kenya, it was a surreal experience. I’m wondering whether England was that way for you. Certainly, nothing you’ve shown looks much like the States.
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A photo-diary is such a great way to record a vacation. The last time I did that was when I went to Haifa. Usually I just keep a travel diary and write down what I did each day, but your photos really bring the entire experience to life. And I know what you mean about everything taking quadruple the time you expect. Time runs differently in Europe…Americans expect instant gratification!
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That’s a lot of blue sky for London! Don’t be upset about the chilly weather–people are dying in snow and sub-freezing cold on the Continent!
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so cool. i love the blend of aged and modern everywhere. keep ’em coming!!
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Amazing ferry ride photos.
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ryn: Thank you! I’m glad you like my firehydrant photo. I LOVE your photography – especially your “ruins” and such – so it’s a great compliment to me.
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RYN: Yes, specifically the full-time ones.
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yay, im excited i started back on od in time to hear about your trip. loved the pictures. that tree is way cool.
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Qaundry; do I leave awe stricken supportive notes about the beauty of pictures and the joy of travel, or do I get all jealous and call you a lucky ass bitch? It’s all to beautiful you lucky ass bitch.
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Those are some scary angels!
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Oh Lord, 40’s? Lucky you, that’s jean jacket weather for me! One good thing about MN, living here does make you really appreciate warm weather! The pics are wonderful, even with the rain, and you HAVE to have had rain in England to make the trip authentic after all. You were lucky it sounds like, to be sure, to have it while you were inside.
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