Travels Across the UK - Greenwich, London

Once you have gone around London in those tube trains and learnt your way around them, it becomes an adventure to travel to different places through those zones of London and choosing the shortest route from all the railway lines. It is fun to figure out which line would take you there fastest and what combination of lines would work the best. Sometimes some lines are down and that’s the best adventure day. Working your way around broken railway lines and finally reaching your destination through the maze of the London tube is one hell of an experience. On the other hand, when you see professionals rushing past you on those escalators trying to reach the platform before the escalators do, you can’t help but feel that they are missing out on the fun. Daily life on those tube trains in the rush hour of the office goers could be lacklustre.

So Greenwich was on mind this time around. What could be the best way to reach Greenwich from Paddington? Now Greenwich does not come under the London Tube Map but it is under the Dockland Light Railway (DLR). So I had to somehow reach the DLR Line on the east end and take a service on DLR. I think I managed to reach Westminster and continued on the Jubilee line to Canary Wharf where I finally boarded the DLR train to Greenwich, not to mention the dozen mistakes on the way… getting off at Charing Cross to enquire at the intercity train station if there was a train that could take me directly to Greenwich because I had read online that there is a train from Charing Cross which ofcourse did not exist. After about two and half hours of travel I was in Greenwich. The place where time begins; the Prime Meridian!

Well, technically the Prime Meridian passes through many countries including the UK, France, Spain and five African countries before passing into the Atlantic Ocean and further to Antarctica. Yet, the first landmass that it passes through after starting from the North Pole is at Greenwich in the UK. That is the reason why Greenwich is the most revered destination to view the Prime Meridian. Everything in Greenwich has been made tourist friendly. Directions on the road placed right outside the railway station leading all the way to the Royal Observatory help you find your way. Shops have their longitude written on them, for example – The first shop (0 deg 0’ 4”). When you enter the premises of the Royal Observatory you feel a scientific air around you – or may be it was just me – but there is definitely this feel of astrology and science floating around. It is a large area with several buildings hosting planetariums, exhibitions, various measures of time and standard British lengths – foot, yard, inches, etc. – 24 hour clock and the royal observatory through which the prime meridian passes. The Royal Observatory is built on top of a hillock. A route has been etched out to climb to the top of the mound. One doesn’t know while climbing that we are actually crossing the Prime Meridian as we climb! Filled with enthusiasm I climbed my way up faster than most tourists. There it was the Prime Meridian marked on the wall of a small house-like structure with nothing better than a red tape/paint. I was highly disappointed. The line that defines the start of time for the entire world is all but marked with a red tape on the wall of a small house-like structure?! And a two inch broad line carved right under the wall pulled the Prime Meridian down on the stone and concrete floor of the building backyard. Oh why did I climb all the way here to see this?! Even forts built by Indian kings to mark their territory on top of hills that are atleast four times taller than this mound, present more adventure and satisfaction. Nevertheless, the view from the top was breath-taking. One can see the entire city from the top along with the horizon. Some structures and instruments in this area as well as the exhibitions compensate for the disappointment caused by the insignificance of the Prime Meridian and you walk down with a heart content to have visited 0 deg longitude.

As I ambled along the roads of Greenwich I was greeted by an antiques sale that was put up on a small ground covered by a cloth canopy. Here, the citizens of Greenwich set up stands of antique goods that they own, every Wednesday, or so I remember. Old cameras, utensils, jewellery, weaponry and many family possessions of the old British families were some of the many items on display. After treating my eyes to old record players and antique jewellery for a long long time I finally bought an antique pocket watch which is now officially the property of one of my closest friends!

What rendered me speechless in Greenwich was the Cutty Sark, the British clipper on display for the public. Since this ship was one of the fastest in the 19^th century, it has been preserved ever since for the people to see; but the ship is now suspended partially inside a glass structure in that it floats above ground and from the outside it seems as though the ship has been hoisted on the top of the glass structure. It is a visual illusion for those like me who have no idea what we are looking at! I did not go inside because it said it was like a museum and I never fancy museums so much. Now when I have read about it I am thankful I did not go in because all there is inside is the lower half of the ship that you look up at… with probably some cafes to sit around in. It is definitely a grand view from the outside.

Speaking of museums, I hadn’t seen any of the famous museums of London so far simply because I had this aversion for them. But I finally made it one day to the two most famous museums in London – the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (those of you who haven’t yet, please notice that I had made a wrong mention of the museum in my previous blog which now stands corrected). The Natural History Museum presents various specimens of a variety of naturally found elements and creatures right from the beginning of planet earth. Dinosaurs, Reptiles, different forms of rocks, natural processes and their effects are all displayed with the help of fossils and working models. It’s a real treat for school children who only read about the history of the planet. The Victoria and Albert Museum on the other hand, displays artefacts from different parts of the world collected throughout 5000 years. This museum is huge! No, really, it just doesn’t end. The further you go in it, you realise that you are in the infinity corridor! It has six floors and each floor is arranged in such a way that you are bound to get lost in it. In the middle of finding your way, you come across huge life size structures as tall as three floors in the Europe section and a room of Gold where everything is ornamented with gold; the candle holders, the ceiling carvings, the door and the mirrors are all draped in gold. The room doesn’t need any lighting. It shines on its own and in the light of the candles it is breathtakingly beautiful. Every country is represented by the best art and cultural objects that can symbolise it. We had hardly covered the ground floor when it was time for me to leave. Up until now my friend and I were carrying our bag packs with us as we strolled in the beauties of the world but then we discovered there were six floors and we had covered only one floor in 2 hours. My friend suggested we keep our bags in luggage area and run through the rest of the floors for the sake of time. Guess what!? I said yes to that hilarious idea because I didn’t want to miss any of it and we started jogging across the various countries waiting here and there to look at some mind-boggling views; but when we came to the South-East Asia section, we couldn’t have jogged our way out of the Indian artefacts. We had to see each piece in detail and we both stopped. The vastness of the collection does strike you as you admire every object coming from somewhere in your country. I went back in time and imagined my people using those utensils and attires and walking around with those weapons. It’s a different world in there. Alas, by the time we jogged through the first floor, I had to leave and so the rest of the four floors of Victoria and Albert museum remain unseen by one of its greatest admirers!

This was my tryst with London so far and I decided that London is enormous to cover entirely. So I moved my attention to other destinations from then on…