Two more days in London

Yesterday I visited St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. I must confess, towards the end, I was getting memorial-fatigued. Both locations, but especially Westminster Abbey, are crammed with statues, plaques, memorials, and tombs. Between the two destinations, I preferred St. Paul's. This is mostly due to its magnificent interior and amazing views from the top of the dome. The climb up 500 or so steps was well worth the effort.

Today I hiked from Canary Wharf to Greenwich. Along the way I cut through the Mudchute Park and Farm, which was the only time in London I've been concerned for my safety. You can see from the picture that it's overgrown, has heaps of rubbish, and a few burnt patches. I only saw three people, and they were all shirtless. I thought I might see a bit of the ol' ultraviolence, but I was probably overestimating the risk.

I could have taken a "DLR" (Docklands Light Railway) but the journey is always part of the destination, etc. Along the way I traversed an area south of Canary Wharf called the Isle of Dogs. Similarly to the Embarcadero in San Francisco, the area fell on hard times when containerization rendered the docks obsolete in the 1970's. I also saw an ASDA, which is what the British call Wal-Mart.

Greenwich itself was awesome! It feels similar to Charing Cross Road; except more vintage and less books. The shops were diverse, but in the middle of it all the Greenwich Market was a vibrant hybrid of a farmer's market, antique road show, and all-around bazaar. There were many tourists and plenty of opportunities to buy bric-a-brac, souvenirs, or keepsakes. Every visitor to London should take a day to visit Greenwich.

On the campus of the Royal Observatory, I visited the Prime Meridian. The accompanying museum was very interesting. In particular, it dealt with the solution to the "Longitude Problem".