London, second visit

[J. A.]

That platform photo made me smile. We pass by that several times each year, and the queues of tourists waiting to be snapped. The guy that holds the scarf must have the easiest job in the city.

That could be right.

 

[J. A.]

The London Eye really gives you an excellent view of the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Thanks for posting your latest photo instalment.

My pleasure.
Not only the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

 

[J. A.]

We visited Greenwich today. We got there by boat, as suggested by Robert. It really was a great experience. Just a few photos:

The London Eye

HMS Belfast

The Mayflower

Tower Bridge

 

[scifan57]

Thanks for some more excellent photos. It's almost like I'm back in London again.

 

[J. A.]

Thanks for some more excellent photos. It's almost like I'm back in London again.

You're welcome.

 

[J. A.]

Greenwich
We saw the Cutty Sark - something I'll have to visit when I'm here again

As visible, it was cloudy. It was raining in the morning, and it started again when we came back to our hotel.
We passed the National Maritime Museum

That's the entrance
And headed towards the Royal Observatory

The remaining part of a telescope built for William Herschel, who discovered Uranus, bids you welcome before you buy your tickets.

The Greenwich meridian is also marked inside the building. Better known by visitors, is this scuplture, located outside the building, exactly on the meridian line:

A small house, Camera Obscura, gives an impression how it was possible to watch the sun:

We were building a kind of camera obscura with our students when we were watching the partial solar eclipse (a Pringles-camera obscura).

There are no doors, but two thick curtains blocking off the light. When you walk in there, you turn to the left immediately, and then your eyes have to get used to the darkness, there's a white table inside, and as soon as you see something, you'll notice a screened picture on the white surface.

 

[giradman]

Thanks Johanna for the new pics - been to and have seen virtually all those sights - great remembrances; of course, the exception is the London Eye - missed its opening by 10 years! Dave

P.S. did you take a ride on the BIG Ferris wheel?

 

[J. A.]

Of course we did. One of the pictures I posted before was taken from the London Eye. I'll add a few more. This is a panoramic photo, taken with my iPhone. We were at the highest point when I took it:

Here's the other side:

And the one I posted before - Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey:

 

[J. A.]

Back to Greenwich:
A few pictures from Flamsteed House:

When you walk inside, the first thing you'll see are paintings of astronomers who worked here. One of them was Edmond Halley, still known because of the comet named after him.
This is the replica of a telescope tube, as seen in the Octagon Room:

And the globe, with Europe visible:

It was dark in a few rooms, so it wasn't possible to take more pictures.

Here's one of the guides at work

And an open cupola

 

[J. A.]

The sight from the observatory

University of Greenwich, Old Royal Naval College

We were looking for the place where Malekith's spaceship met the ground, in Thor - The Dark World.

 

[J. A.]

Tomorrow, we'll have to get up early. We'll visit Stonehenge and Bath.

 

[scifan57]

Great shots of the observatory. The dome was closed when I visited last summer.

 

[scifan57]

Tomorrow, we'll have to get up early. We'll visit Stonehenge and Bath.

That sounds like it's going to be a long day. Do you come back to London afterwards?

 

[giradman]

Tomorrow, we'll have to get up early. We'll visit Stonehenge and Bath.

We did that trip w/ our son on my second visit (included Scotland + London) - yes, it is al ALL day trip but some wonderful sites to see and plenty of interesting history - the Roman baths were pretty amazing for the engineering of the times.

As I recall, we also went to the Salisbury Cathedral - unique in the uniformity of the architecture - built really FAST for the times - quote below from a Wiki article - enjoy and looking forward to your pics. Dave

The foundation stone was laid on 28 April 1220. Much of the freestone for the cathedral came from Teffont Evias quarries. As a result of the high water table in the new location, the cathedral was built on only four feet of foundations, and by 1258 the nave, transepts and choir were complete. The west front was ready by 1265. The cloisters and chapter house were completed around 1280. Because most of the cathedral was built in only 38 years, it has a single consistent architectural style, Early English Gothic.

.

 

[J. A.]

That sounds like it's going to be a long day. Do you come back to London afterwards?

We'll return between 6:00 and 7:30 pm.