Greenwich

Hi everyone! Last weekend we had an awesome time at Greenwich that we can't wait to share with you. The first thing we did was tour the Cutty Sark, a massive tea trading ship used about a century and a half ago. The Cutty Sark was built in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line. During it's 85 years of service, the Cutty Sark covered enough distance to travel to the moon and back 2 1/2 times! The Cutty Sark was the fastest Tea Clipper and we can see why.

After that we saw the Old Royal Naval College. The Old Royal Naval College was designed by Christopher Wren, and constructed between 1696 and 1712. The original purpose of the building was to be a hospital for seamen.The hospital closed in 1869 and was reopened in 1873 as the Royal Naval College until 1998. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful buildings we've seen yet on our trip. The building on the left is a chapel, and the right is the painted hall.

The painted hall was incredible! It is recognized as the greatest piece of decorative painting in England, and is sometimes called, "the Sistine Chapel of the UK." It was painted by Sir James Thornhill between 1708 and 1727. It uses symbolism to deliver a strong message on subjects like monarchy, religion, maritime power, navigation, and trade. The Painted Hall is some of the most beautiful painting we have ever seen!

After the Old Royal Naval College, we went to the Maritime Museum. Below is a picture of the jacket Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson was wearing when he died during the Battle of Trafalgar. He died when a piece of shrapnel impaled him and his bones shattered. You can see the hole in the upper right hand corner. The Battle of Trafalgar was one in a series of wars called the Napoleonic Wars, against Napoleon.

After that we went to the Royal Observatory to see the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian stands at the border of the East and Western hemispheres. It was so cool to stand in 2 hemispheres at the same time.

We'd say Greenwich was EXCELLENT!