8:30 Greenwich Time:
Greenwich was nice on Sunday. They were having a "Car Free Day," so it was very crowded, but I hung in there (I really can't stand crowds - unless I am distracted by a good band at a crowded show) and I'm glad I did. They have preserved the town to look old and reflect its history. They have a great Maritime Museum and an old ship you can climb aboard and wander through. (I didn't have enough time for either of those attractions, but in case you ever want to go - I've heard they are nice.) There is also a foot tunnel that takes you from one side of the Thames to the other - under the river. My focus was the Observatory and finding the Prime Meridian - So I walked past the Old Royal Navy College that the Queen had built in two parts so that it did not block her view of the River to the Greenwich Park. And, then up a HUGE hill to the Observatory. The view from the top was breath-taking, and all I could think was What was this like in the 1700s? The original house was built in the 1670s and there were Astronomers recording the sky from even that early on, scientists like Halley... It really was something else to be there and know that there is just SO much history. This whole country is full of history, the "before 1492" kind of history that just makes me feel miniscule (in a good way) and remind me that there's so much more to life than just my day-to-day drama... Anyway...

After the Observatory, I found the Market and spent the rest of my day there. They had some really great booths - lots of jewelry, crafts, foods, sculpture, etc. Mostly I bought notecards and things to send in the mail. Speaking of which, if you would like a postcard or something in the mail from England, send me your mailing address and I will gladly post something your way. They just had such nice things at the Market and in the town shops - very unique things. I guess there is a strong artist community there. On my way out of town I stopped for "Fish & Chips," wrapped in the brown paper - it was very nice with vinegar and salt. I think next time I'll skip the chips - the fish was much better...

All-in-all it was a nice day. No such luck on finding the picture in the US textbooks with the Prime Meridian cut into the town sidewalk and street. The part of town I was in is a little west of where the Meridian passes. I did get some nice photos of the millennium Clock at the Observatory, and they had the Meridian drawn there... Of course, if I can make it back to Greenwich this year I'd like to find it. Call me silly, I know...