Day 32 - It Was a Nautical Day

We departed early for our one hour ride on the local bus up to Greenwich.  It was so much fun driving through the neighborhoods watching folks getting ready for their Saturday.  Small shops were just opening and local markets were putting fresh fruits and veggies out on the street.

 We arrived at the Royal Observatory and enjoyed this view of Greenwich and London in the far distance.  We were about 15 miles north of central London on the banks of the Thames River.  The observatory dates back to the 1700's and is the location of the Prime Meridian longitude.  This is where the mystery of establishing longitudes and clocks to measaure time while at sea where developed.  The site if full of really cool stuff for folks who enjoy time mysteries and navigation.

 This is the original "official time" for the world and the clock still runs within a minute fraction of error.  Note the standards of measurement below.

 We toured the facility and enjoyed reading all of the placards.

 Looks like this might have been where Nelix got the idea for his outfit.

 The Octagon Room was the first official astro-observatory in the world and there were replicas of the original telescopes to play with and study.

 This is the clock that made history.  It was the first pendulum clock able to work properly on a moving ship and established the standards for longitude, making navigation safer and easier.

 To allow anyone in the harbor to know the exact time, a red ball was mounted on a tower above the observatory and would drop at exactly 1:00 PM daily.  Navigators would then synch there clocks before heading out to sea.

 Stunning view of Central London.

 The first major telescopes in the "new" observatory built around 1790.

 The Prime Meridian.

 From the Royal Observatory we hiked down the hill to the Maritime Museum where we spent the better part of two hours roaming the museum, having our picnic lunch on the patio and simply enjoying the bright sunny day.

 This asian style barge was actually a river limo for Charles the IV in 1745.

 A grand collection of figureheads.

 The first fully operational steam paddle.

 Lots of exhibits on the East India Company and historic trade routes.

 Opioid abuse warning way back then as well.

 Come cool uniforms of the day.

 The great lawn in front of the Queen's House showing the observatory high on the hill.

 We ned toured the Queen's House which is now an art gallery.  Built for the Queen in 1745 it was never occupied by her or the current king...or any thereafter.  What a shame.  Lovely home with some pretty impressive celings.  The art collection was fine.

 Delft Pottery.

 Look who we found hanging on the wall.  John Walsh with a Leopard Cap no less.

 From the Queen's House we walked down to the harbor where we toured the REAL Cutty Sark.  So cool to be on this historic ship.  Check pout the shots I got from under the hull.

 I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH!!!!!

 This is a shot of the old naval hospital.  It was not open to the public but was a magnificent building to walk around.  We ended our day with some grocery shopping and a nice bus ride back to our apartment.  Mexican for dinner tonight.  Ole!