Week 3: Greenwich Mean Time

I'm weirdly obsessed with time. I love all sorts of watches, recently became obsessed with finding a pocket watch, and military time makes me happy. I find it odd when people rely solely on their phones for the time. I also love anything industrial//nautical. This includes compasses, anchors, or really anything brass. When I realized that Greenwich was close to London, the nerd in me became super excited to go visit the Prime Meridian. 

One of my favorite things about this trip was the extraordinary sense of independence that I got. Don't get me wrong: I would have loved to visit England with my family. But since I was here basically by myself, I got to set my own timetable. I didn't have to worry about other people's sensibilities, nor their opinions. Though, of course, that meant that I didn't have anyone to rely on, nor to guide me. I was the master of my own ship, so to speak. It's a wonderful feeling to be presented the opportunity to be self sufficient, and prove it without a doubt. 

So on Saturday morning, I woke up with a plan set in my mind. I had purchased a ticket the night before for the Royal Observatory ( that included access to the Meridian courtyard ) at ten am, so I made sure that I had showered, dressed myself, and got on the tube to travel to Greenwich with more than adequate time. This was my first experience taking the DLR ( the Docklands Light Railway -- fancy name for aboveground tube, basically; it reminded me of the People Mover in Detroit ), so I made sure to give myself ample time to figure that out. I had to wander through the most elaborate Underground station that I'd ever seen ( I realized afterwards that that's because it was a DLR, tube, and train station combination. Go figure ), and I had to walk through a mall that was connected to the rail station, which I thought was really wild. Unfortunately, because of the hour that I was there, nothing was open yet, and it was really eerie walking down the hallway of closed shops, especially because I was the only one there. It definitely had a post zombie apocalypse feel, and I was glad to get to the DLR station part of the building. I found a place to scan my Oyster Card, so I did, but it beeped angrily at me, so I'm not entirely sure that I should have. At any rate, there was no gate or anything to stop me from boarding the platform, soo . . .

Greenwich, like Wimbledon, was an adorable little town. I think that if I ever moved to England, I would want to live in a small town. London was great, but I don't think the city life is for me. Besides that, it's one of the most iconic cities in the world. If I couldn't deal with the tourists while I was a tourist myself, how could I ever deal with them as an actual inhabitant? Greenwich actually reminded me mostly of the quieter side of Boston that I saw before my trip, but that's probably only because it was on water. I managed to find my way to the Royal Observatory, which was actually really obvious, as it was located upon a hill, and boasted a spectacular view of the park below the Observatory, as well as the National Maritime Museum, and even London in the distance.
Another thing that I really loved about London and the surrounding area was the sheer amount of people exercising. No matter what street you were on, a runner was guaranteed to be nearby. And people bike in the street, instead of on the sidewalks there! It puts East Lansing's bike lanes to shame. Hell, I'd run everywhere if where I lived was so scenic, too! On my way to the Observatory, I had to walk through this gorgeous park, and the only people I saw were either obvious tourists ( trust me on that one ), or people biking or running. I felt like I gained so many friends, simply because of the runner bond.
Since I was so early, I was one of the first people in line to stand on the Meridian line. I had to have one of the assistants take my picture with my phone, but it was totally worth it. I can just imagine how congested it would get, later in the day! And actually, probably not that much later: on my way in, I had to squeeze past hordes of large groups, all waiting to gain entry together. I was glad for my comparatively small study abroad group after that.

If one has access to my Facebook gallery of photos from this trip, one will notice that I have a tendency to include my shoes in a multitude of shots. This isn't me taking accidental photos while my camera was pointed down, this is simply my way to establish that yes, these are my photos, and yes, I was there! I know that once I go back, it'll be hard to wrap my head around the fact that I did travel across the Atlantic Ocean, and I did spend six weeks in England. Even typing that seems surreal. 

Besides the Meridian Line, I wandered into the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum, and just generally around Greenwich. Because I'm a lake effect kid, I was drawn back to the Thames, which Greenwich was situated on. I found this really strange looking dome building, and since it reminded me of the Royal Observatory, I went in on a whim. There was a lift, but because of my combination of mild claustrophobia and general disdain for anything that isn't my own two feet, I took the series of winding stairs. England is really, really into small, winding staircases. I don't know why. I was a little apprehensive descending deeper and deeper into the earth, but at least other people were around me this time. I eventually ended up in some sort of tunnel. Curious, I walked the length of it, and encountered another winding staircase at the end. Staircases are definitely more fun going down than going up, but I'd already started, so I may as well finish. To my surprise, when I left the building, I was on the other side of the Thames! I had literally walked under the Thames River! I guess the English just like going underground and popping back up in different places. Maybe they're related to the prairie dog. Regardless, I was proud of myself for seeing the whole venture through. That's what this whole trip was about, really: testing my limits and pushing myself to do new things.