Recently, I wrote an article about the many things I love about London. I mentioned how Greater London is so much more than just the City of London, so I thought I would tell you about my day out in one of London’s coolest boroughs: Greenwich.
One particularly rainy day in March, I made my way to Waterloo from Guildford, and from there I took the underground to Canary Wharf, transferred to Heron Quays and took the DLR to Cutty Sark Station.
From Cutty Sark Station, I first made my way to Greenwich Market for lunch. One of my favorite things about this market in particular is the amount of halal food options available! After having a delicious Colombian arepa and a chai, I then made my way to check out Cutty Sark the ship, which was used to speed tea from Asia to Victorian Britain, and was celebrated for being the fastest of its time. You could buy tickets to check out the ship itself and maritime museum as well as climb the rigging, the people going there seemed to really enjoy it. Since I had limited time, I however chose not to spend the majority of it here.
Next on my itinerary was to visit the Old Royal Naval College. I chose to buy tickets to go see the absolutely gorgeous Painted Hall and was pleasantly surprised to also receive a tour around the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College. The Old Royal Naval College is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich. I learned about how it was originally built as a Royal Hospital for Seamen, and then converted into a training establishment for the Royal Navy. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the grounds despite the awfully rainy and gloomy weather on the day I went. The highlight for sure though was the Painted Hall, which is a magnificent Baroque gallery that is decorated with a series of paintings depicting the history of the Royal Navy. I loved lying on the seat, observing the ceiling as the guide told us about the different features of the Painted Hall. I truly felt as if I could lie there for hours and hours.
However, I only had a day to explore Greenwich, so I then made my way to check out Queen’s House, a 16th century mansion and also the first Classical building in the UK. The highlight here for me was the iconic Tulip Stairs, which was the first unsupported spiral staircase in Britain. The stairs being a beauty to look at was also an added bonus.
Next up was the Greenwich Park, I climbed a steep slope to catch one of the allegedly best views in London. Unfortunately, the weather that day did not give me the best view, but I still enjoyed walking around the sprawling gardens. I had initially planned to visit the Royal Observatory as well, which is atop the Greenwich Park. Unfortunately, I reached after 5pm and the observatory was closed. I however did manage to catch a glimpse of the historic meridian line from outside the gates of the observatory. The concept of time zones have always confused me so I don’t pretend to understand much about its importance, however it was still a cool sight to see.
I feel like it would be a disservice to end my article about Greenwich without mentioning the local restaurant at which we had dinner. I had a chicken biriyani at The Bell Cafe & Multi Cuisine Restaurant, and it was so good that I sometimes still dream of it. I’m not even exaggerating when I say this was the best Indian food I’ve had in the UK so far. So, I highly recommend you guys to check it out if you ever find yourselves in Greenwich.
I took the same route back home as the one I took going to Greenwich, taking some tight at Canary Wharf to admire the area at night. The skyscrapers in the area were lit up, creating a stunning visual spectacle, which was such a juxtaposition from the historical buildings I toured in the daytime. I had a peaceful and relaxing walk around and admired the views of River Thames, before heading back to Guildford.
