ketchup: Greenwich - 22/01/2010

Well it's no secret that I need to start out this post by apologizing from the bottom of my deep heart that it is about a trip I took no less than 3 weeks ago. Thanks everyone for sticking around even though I haven't really done much to earn my keep yet! I've really picked up my writing for my own personal journals though so the next step is to transfer that from deep, philosophical groanings (the philosophy is deep, not the groans) into this travel log. My goal is to get you guys all caught up to where I am today (in my bed, sitting on sheets that really should have been washed last round but oh well, they will wait) and then to operate on no more than a 2-day turnaround for future adventures. I don't want to admit to myself that as a result of waiting so long, I've probably let a few thoughts/ideas from this trip slip into the netherregions of my brain, but if I'm going to be honest... All the more reason to keep it up! So let's get this show on the road.

WHERE: Greenwich

WHEN: 22 January 2010

WHAT: Greenwich Palace, The Royal Observatory

After dragging myself out of bed way too early for a Saturday morning (okay, I think it was like 8:30, but back then my sleeping was out of control), I arrived at the place we were supposed to be boarding our riverboat that would take us to Greenwich (it's a borough in south-east London, but takes a while to get to no matter what mode of transportation is used). Because I was going for a class (19th Century English Novel, because Dickens sat in a pub that I never even saw), I had to be a part of the earlier echelon, the one with all the other required-for-a-class kids, the one that had to get there earlier, the one whose boat was broken down and wasn't going to be leaving after all. So we waited for the optional-day-trip group to arrive (45 minutes later, with 45 minutes more worth of sleepy-eye-junk in their eyes - jerks), to share their boat; in the meantime, Big Ben announced the arrival of the 10 o'clock hour. That was pretty neat, and was a good beginning to a day's adventures that went relentlessly back to the concept of time.

After finally boarding the riverboat, latte in hand, I was able to take really quality photographs like the one pictured here. London. Rain. That is all.

Okay, I shouldn't be so rude, I got a few good shots once they had turned on the windshield wipers. Okay, I shouldn't be such a pathological liar, there weren't wipers. But what if there were (all you kids doing InventAustin, hit that up.) All you kids lucky enough to be reading this instead of coming up with stupid inventions like binder organizers for your lockers (©KE), go to Facebook because I am not a good enough writer to segway into these random shots I have.

Unfortunately, in the span of our little riverboat gambling cruise (just kidding, there wasn't gambling), the rain did not manage to scurry away, so it was a very wet and cold afternoon, but quite enjoyable nonetheless. We started in the middle of Greenwich Palace, which is not actually a palace anymore but is instead the University of Greenwich. I have never lamented my lack of campus, as an NYU student, so badly. You will see why. In the meantime it was also a Naval Hospital, thanks to William and Mary who I guess were nice people, but that doesn't matter to the story.

Here, the palace is behind me; this is, of course, the River Thames, with Canary Wharf on the opposite bank.

Then I turn around, this being the left side of the palace grounds. We came back here last week for my British Art class, and I really should be able to tell you which "block" this is - the palace ended up being completed in 4 blocks, read on - but I might have to make something up. I am thinking Anne? Oh my God, called it. Give this girl an A+, since I'ma need it after my atrocious paper I just wrote.

Back to the blocks, King Charles to be specific. (And this is going to be all from memory, just you watch me. Seriously Michael (Douglas-)Scott, A+ right by Edelen, Kelsey). So the whole point of Greenwich Palace was that Chucky wanted to build himself a Versailles, but turns out there wasn't enough money in the bank to make it happen. This one building is as far as he got. (The domed building on the left is the next block, um... William. Yep, I seriously rule.)

I am truly embarassed to tell you that I couldn't tell you who this is, but it might be George II. In any case, it's in the middle of the lawn between the Charles block and the Anne block, and it's pretty. I imagine whoever-he-is to be doing that move where you clasp your hands and shake them over each shoulder, which I have no idea what it's called or where it's from, but you know I just spent 10 minutes Googling/Youtubing trying to find it. Don't tell me I'm not dedicated to this blog. And he's probably so excited because it's kind of a big deal to be here, given that:

I meannn, no big deal, really, when you think about it.

Behind the Anne block is Mary's digs, and here we can find the chapel, where, among other things Four Weddings and a Funeral was filmed. The guide was really proud of this fact and mentioned it multiple times, so I wanted to pass it on. 

Across the yard from Mary is William, and the Painted Hall.

When Greenwich was a naval hospital, this room was used for dining. The fancy-pants would sit up through the archway, while the regular guys sat at long tables in the first part of the room. Those columns are fully painted onto the wall, as is the frame around the ceiling art, and the piece that is up in the fancy-pants zone is also straight on the wall. Not a fan of the concept, but to each their own.

We went into the village and grabbed lunch, which for me consisted of a bowl of minestrone that was probably the farthest thing from minestrone (it was white (minestrone is not) and creamy (minestrone is not) and not delicious (minestrone is)) but at least there was bread - oh wait, except that it was literally just a hamburger bun. But it didn't set me back more than £2 or £3, so it could have been worse. Our next stop was the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian!

The hill was killa, but allowed for great views! 

There is a whole little tour you can do that I'm sure explains the origins of time and ends with a trip through a black hole, but we were wet and cold and just wanted to be in the Eastern hemisphere. I managed to get this picture of part of the telescope that was used to finally determine the Prime Meridian. Okay, so I kind of just made that part up, but at least it is an educated guess using context clues.

Anddd... finally! 

If I'm going to be totally honest, I have to admit that I couldn't fully comprehend - rather, I didn't let myself even attempt to comprehend - the fact that I was on two sides of the world at once. I mean, I know it's all just man-made and any point could be the Prime Meridian (take France, who refused to recognize Greenwich for years after it was established because Heaven forbid an admission that England might be the center of the world), but still, it's pretty crazy, you know? And my fascination with - nay, fear of - timezones is no secret, so I think it would have really sent my head rolling if I had really thought about it too much. But on that note, now I want to go to the Equator; it only seems right.

And one more picture of the view, just because I can.

At this point, we were all pretty soaked through and were ready to go. That evening, I went to shabbat services at the local Chabad, with the group I spent the day with at Greenwich; only about half of us were actually Jewish but they were so welcoming. I had gone to a service at NYU's hillel, and really enjoyed it, and this one was no different! During dinner (absolutely wonderful, might I add), we all went around and introduced ourselves, and NYU was very well-represented; a string of literally 15 of us were "from NYU studying in London" and then near the end a group over on the other side of the room picked it back up - to groans and laughter and sighs. There were also people from all over London, and eastern Europe, and other places scattered in there too. It was incredibly packed, but so comfortable at the same time. I left services with that warm feeling in my heart, walking out of a room full of love with a group full of love, both of which I had not been a part of until that day. Until that long, rainy, exciting, warm, beautiful day.