Trixie Traveler in London 2014: Greenwich by boat

We have a delicious breakfast at the Carluccio's in the Brunswick Center. It is a pleasant morning so we sit outside. We are tired of eggs so Anne and I order the crepes with yogurt and berries which turns out to be very good. Dave enjoys his oatmeal. We take a taxi to Waterloo Beidge where we think the boats to Greenwich leave. We can't find any that go to Greenwich from there so walk to the Westminster Bridge near the Millenium Eye and take a Clipper boat which has no commentary and is faster than the one with commentary. It is a relaxing, pleasant ride. We can't believe how the waterfront has changed since we first came here. Old warehouses and wharves have been turned into a multitude of condo and apartment buildings.

Greenwich is a pretty town with tree lined paths and streets. Dave and I head for the Naval Museum while Anne goes to the market. The Naval Museum is a modern, interesting museum.

We spend most of our time in a special exhibit, "Ships, Clocks & Stars." It is all about the quest to accurately determine longitude when at sea. The Royal Observatory offered a big prize to the person who could come up with a method that could be shown to work. I am glad I have read the book "Longitude" which talks about this quest. I know all about Harrison's time piece which he developed and his struggles to get the money owed him. It was a very good book.

We meet up with Anne and get lunch at a cafe nearby. We head uphill to the observatory and the meridian line. It is quite warm. Anne finds a shady place to wait for us. Dave and I wait in a long line to take a picture of Sylvester the chicken straddling the meridian. We go into the observatory but it is hot and crowded and I don't stay long. We decide we have had enough. We were going to take the train home just for a change but because of the heat and crowds, we decide to take the boat again. A taxi brings us conveniently back to the hotel.

Anne and I have our afternoon drink at the hotel bar. Our cute guy comes over to greet us. We talk about how warm the weather is and warmer tomorrow and he says he is worried because he has a job interview where he has to wear a suit. Because of his slight accent, I ask him where he is from. He says Lithuania. He has been working at our hotel bar for a year now and is ready to move on. He says he is looking for a similar job but at a higher class bar (where he probably would be paid more). He has already given notice. We wish him well since we won't see him again. We also talk briefly about the plane crash over the Ukraine which is just being reported on TV.

Anne is going to have dinner tonight with a woman from her York program. Dave and I have a light meal at the Prezzo's across the street from our hotel and have some time to relax in the evening. We watch a TV program about the CCTV cameras that are all over London and are used in catching crimes in action. People are employed to monitor these cameras with 12 hour shifts. The program follows several of them as they work their shifts. They watch what is going on in the streets and then alert the police when they see something suspicious. All this has a slightly voyeuristic quality to it and is darkly humorous.