As always, the images and any videos in this posting are best viewed on the web page. View the complete set of blog posts here.
The first image was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom. The second and third are early morning photographs taken as we arrived on the River Thames in Greenwich (right outside of London).
Tour – Royal Greenwich by Foot – Discover Greenwich’s maritime and royal history on foot. You will join your guide for a walk that will take you past the famous Cutty Sark, the world’s only surviving tea clipper and the fastest sailing ship in the world when it was built in 1869, and the Greenwich Market, an eclectic mix of arts and crafts, and street food. Continue on to St. Alfege Church, dedicated to the archbishop of Canterbury who was killed on this spot in 1012, and where Henry VIII was baptized. Then, stop for photos at the Queen’s House, the first classical building built in England. See the National Maritime Museum, housed in a former royal palace and the world’s largest seafaring museum, and the iconic Old Royal Naval College, the architectural centerpiece of Maritime Greenwich.
We had a short but comprehensive tour of Greenwich with a local guide. We walked with Greg and Kara Cornelius today.
Most of our walking today was within an UNESCO World Heritage Site known as Maritime Greenwich. It includes the central district of Old Greenwich, Greenwich Park, The Queen’s House, The Old Royal Naval College, and The Royal Observatory (a lot of royalty in there…).
We had some time before heading out, so Cheryl grabbed a quick coffee.
Sites along the walking tour include the restored Cutty Sark clipper ship, one of the fastest and last built for commercial trade. Every block seemed to have a quaint English pub. Images 3 and 7 show St Alfege Church, a Grade I-listed Historic Anglican church designed by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor and completed in 1714. It is located on the site where Alfege, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by Dutch raiders in 1012 AD. The remaining images show the Greenwich Market, shops, and brick residential buildings along narrow winding streets in the old town area, and goofy photos with Greg and Kara.
The touring Alabamians and one Oregonian (two if you count the photographer).
The tour was completed next to the Cutty Sark Ship. Cheryl and I then walked around the city on our own.
We walked by St. Mary’s Gate, which serves as the primary northern pedestrian entrance into Greenwich Park. From the internet: “The entrance features grand, ornate Victorian wrought-iron gates adorned with distinctive black and gold leaf detailing. The structure is flanked by iconic, historic street lamps mounted directly onto the decorative iron pillars.” The British sure know how to make an entrance. We also saw a couple of pretty flowers on the walk.
We walked through Greenwich Park up the hill to the Royal Observatory, where Longitude 0°, known as the Prime Meridian, is located. It runs directly through the historic Airy Transit Circle telescope and across the courtyard, where it is marked by a stainless steel strip and a laser. The clock, of course, shows GMT 0. From the internet: “Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0:00) is the base reference time zone for the world, located at 0° longitude at the Prime Meridian. Time zones across the globe are calculated as positive or negative offsets from this point.” Image 2 shows the path with the stainless steel marker indicating GMT. We did not tour the observatory as we were running short on time (we should have planned better; how are you short of time at the center of time?) We heard from other cruisers that the museum was great, so we will hopefully return someday.
We walked by The Queen’s House, a former royal residence that is now a public art gallery. It was a beautiful set of buildings. The design was one of the first classically designed buildings in a country setting. The Queen’s House operates today as a free public art gallery and historic royal villa.
The second image is from the internet.
We walked by the Old Royal Naval College. The British Navy stopped using the site in 1998. It is now managed by the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College, to conserve the buildings and grounds and convert them into a cultural destination. Notice the wrought-iron gate usage in the center of the image.
Two great views of The Queen’s House and Navy College in the foreground, with the Isle of Dogs, which serves as one of London’s primary financial and commercial districts, in the background. In the second image, you can see downtown London as well as part of the Isle of Dogs. Both photographs were taken from the Observatory outlook.
We spent some time at the National Maritime Museum and learned more about Britain’s long history of seafaring, from a military perspective as well as exploration and commerce. More quaint buildings housing pubs.
Today was a huge day for us as Nicole and Christine, our two delightful daughters, joined us on the Sky! It was absolutely fantastic to see them after such a long time apart. Of course, we have been in constant communication since we left Portland, but having them with us in person on the ship was terrific. They arrived around 4pm, and we gave them a tour of the Sky. They were duly impressed, although they had already seen pictures of most of the ship (as have faithful blog readers). We had a quick beverage in the Explorers’ Lounge and then headed downstairs for dinner at our favorite spot: Manfredi’s. Our deck neighbors, Don and Peggy, were having dinner and forced us to stop by, chat, and meet the girls. They were a fun couple to be around the entire trip.
The Manfredis’ restaurant manager, Jenni, had us all set up at the best table for four. Carmen and Grace, two of our Viking favorites, took care of us. Jenni is in the middle of the group images with glasses and a red tie. Grace is directly to Jenni’s left and my right. Carmen is next to Grace with her arm on my shoulder. Our three favorite Viking team members, all together. The other staff were folks we regularly interacted with – also quite wonderful people.
Our cruise buddies Kim and Clint Warne, from Eugene, Oregon, stopped by the table specifically to meet the girls and say hi. They were another couple we enjoyed spending time with.
Yes, the photos are pretty similar, but it was the only day we had family on board, OK?
We spent two hours talking, drinking, and eating, and talking, drinking, and eating. The girls enjoyed the experience even though they were jet-lagged. It was a great night.
End of Post.