100 Days of Happiness 2020 - Day 29 - More London, baby!

[byslantedlight]

Happy holiday days are always happy, but on this occasion I also got to meet ariss_tenoh and have a lovely wander with her around Greenwich... *g* And if anyone spots the Pros connection in the photos below, I will totally write them a Pros fic all of their own, to their specifications. Go! *g*

I must admit the day was looking like it might be a bit grim when I hit London Eye Pier, but I managed to miss rush hour on the tube, somehow, and had time for breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien at the Southbank Centre, which I have to say was very good. Even the coffee was really nice!

We headed up the river... ...which I love doing at the worst of times. *g* The second pic was our destination!

Greenwich Naval College! Once a palace, then a biscuit factory, then a hospital for seafarers, then a naval college, and finally saved from certain developer doom in 1997 to become the historical site it is today. (If I'm remembering the tour guide correctly... *g*) This is the famous view. Behind me, carelessly without a photo of its own, is the watergate that Ann Boelyn entered after marrying Henry VIII, and left by to go to the Tower... In the distance is Queen Anne's palace, and behind that is the hill leading up (in the rain...) to the Royal Observatory.

But first - the Painted Ceiling! This was once the dining room for the pensioners, but it turned out to be too good for them, so they were relegated elsewhere...!

Fab ceilings... ...surprise weird mermen... *g*

And then on the tour, I spotted a monument to the Franklin Expedition (which is very much Of My Interest, considering the hours I spent pouring over ship's logs and diaries) ...and the entrance to the Chapel, where they were holding auditions so we couldn't take pics inside (such a shame, very gorgeous) and then a vaulted corridor. I do like a good vaulted corridor. *g*

A skittle alley, built to help stop the pensioners from getting too bored!

It used to be a surgery at one point - these marks on the window sill are perhaps where the surgeons sharpened their knives... ...and these "skittles" on the top row are really belaying pins from ships!

For some reason, the Oldest Thing I Will Ever Touch is at Greenwich... ... a meteorite, presumably from far, far away too...

The meridean marker, of course!

And views of London... Amazing to think how impressive the college and palace must once have been - and how dwarved they look now...

Through the museum, full of clocks and equipment and stories of the days before they had such things...

Back past the National Maritime Museum, although sadly no time to go in properly.... ...I loved this drunken lamp post, beside the Cutty Sark...

And then it was time to sail back to the Embankment, and say goodbye...

I found a sight to see near my tube station though - Leake St Graffiti Tunnel, which was rather fab.





I nipped into Foyle's on the way home, and managed to find not one but two books that I'd been waiting to buy, and dinner from M&S, and an easy trip back, and then a lovely night just reading... *g*

Now that was a thoroughly happy day! *g*

Comments

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

First Night and Blackout?!!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Ooh, what made you think of those two?

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

At the beginning of First Night the Israeli Ambassador is kidnapped and taken away on the Thames and the skittles (or whatever they are) is in the pub in Blackout where Bodie has a go with them (I think it's Blackout, the one where the German girl turns up in her underwear in the church).

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh of course!

Actually I'd gone a fiction route - I was thinking of Island Innocents, where the lads have a sort of running joke about Sir Cloudsley Shovell... But actually I didn't say fiction, did I, and your connections are completely valid, so if you'd like to tell me what kind of fic you'd like, I shall do my best this coming apparently-raining weekend...?

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Fiction? It wasn't obvious. I can't find your original mention.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Sorry I forgot to answer your request re fiction. The only story I can think of at the top of my head is Down by the Waterside by Sebastian, because, again, of connection to TheThames.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Fiction? It wasn't obvious.
No - as I said, I should have said it was a fic I was thinking of. My bad. Only excuse is that I was posting just before going to bed!

your request re fiction
I seem to have been talking inside-out in this post. The fic thing was that if anyone guessed the connection, then "I will totally write them a Pros fic all of their own, to their specifications.". Obviously not compulsory!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

No - as I said, I should have said it was a fic I was thinking of

I must admit I hadn't read that bit when I replied.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Blimey, I just can't give Prosfic away these days! Perhaps I'd better go and chance my arm elsewhere...

[akin16sk.livejournal.com]

the ceilings are SO beautiful, breath-taking! And, to reply to your other comment, if I do come around, I will let you know. I towuld be aswesome to have somebody to talk to about Pros :D

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The ceilings were pretty impressive, I have to say - and I thought that about the graffiti tunnel too! *g*

It's so cool to be able to talk about Pros with real live people (not that on lj we're not alive - that would be scary *g* - but you know what I mean!)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the tour of the Observatory. I would have loved to see the monument to the Franklin Expedition (it being something of an interest of mine, too.) We didn't go into the Observatory because of the cost, but the Maritime Museum was interesting, as was the Cutty Sark.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

The monument wasn't at all obvious, and it was only because I happened to be waiting a moment that I turned around and saw it and then realised what it was...

We sadly didn't have time to do the Cutty Sark too - or even the Maritime Museum (although I've been to the museum before - and even done some research there, years ago!) And it was a shame about the rain - but the whole area is just fab anyway... *g* I must go back and have a go at the skittles one day, too!

[macklingirl.livejournal.com]

My first thought was First Night. And maybe Blackout.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

You're the second person who said those two - what made you think of them?

[macklingirl.livejournal.com]

I mean it was in front of the Tate that Asher Biberman was taken hostage, wasn't it?

And I thought about Blackout because of the church. But I might be wrong, because I don't know the churches in London so good.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It was Royal Festival Hall where Bieberman was kidnapped, which is sort of near the London Eye, I guess - and since the Tate isn't in my pictures, I'm guessing that's what you meant! *g*

But there's no church in my pictures either, so I'm still not sure where Blackout comes from! Oh - the chapel in the Old Naval College? I only took that picture of its door though, the rest of that building is the various rooms of the Old Naval College itself.

I was actually thinking of a Pros fic (although actually I didn't say that, did I - bad me...) - Island Innocents, where the lads have a running joke about Sir Cloudsley Shovell, who was shipwrecked there... *g*

[potztausend.livejournal.com]

You took some very interesting/impressing photos. I like the first one so very much, it looks real melancholic and silent to me, perfect atmosphere, so good!
The skittle alley and the Graffiti Tunnel are my favourites, too ;-) The other photos are altogether very fine!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you! London was looking rather moody when I got to the Embankment that morning, and I quite liked how it came out in the picture too - I love that you like that too! *g*

[macklingirl.livejournal.com]

Do you know that the have a fan museum (I mean the hand-fan you use when it is hot) at Greenwich? It is rather small, but beautiful there. Potztausend and I went there when we were in London in 2018.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yes!! We were so going to go there - it was on ariss_tenoh's to-do list - but it turned out to be closed, because it was Monday... How fun that you know it too! I didn't know about it before (well actually I'd heard of it, but I wouldn't have remembered it on my own) but now I'm quite curious and must go and find it some time!

[keli]

Ohhh you are really making me want to go through my pics! Again I can't believe we missed Greenwich Naval College! For one that's were Thor was filmed!! UGH! Looks like I will definitely need to make another trip back there.

[stellar_raven]

Sounds like you had a lovely trip! Love all of your pictures!