I straddled the Prime Meridian

On Sunday we went with school on a bus tour to Greenwich.  The tour itself was about an hour long and made it possible for us to see some great sights such as the London Eye, and Big Ben.

When we got to Greenwich we walked through the tunnel under the Thames River.  On the other side were several tents selling food, clothing, and other various products.  I decided to support the fajita booth AND the crepe booth.  Doesn't this make your mouth water?

We went into the first shop in the world, Nauticalia.  It didn't have anything I wanted to buy but I can say I've been there now.

We walked through Greenwich Park to the top of a hill to the Royal Observatory.  Most museums here are free which is great for poor college students like myself.  Here is the main building with a red ball that ascends at 1PM so ship captains can set their clocks correctly. 

This 28' telescope is held in an onion dome which opens so the telescope can view almost every position in the sky.  The telescope was completed in 1893 to keep the Royal Observatory on the forefront of astronomy.  If you book in advance, you can look through the telescope at night allowing you to see Pluto.

Here we are straddling the Prime Meridian.  Ashley, one of my roommates is the girl to my right in the green.  The other two girls are from Syracuse as well. 

Next stop was the Queen's House which overlooks the Thames River as seen in the bottom picture.  When the Olympics are held in 2012, the equestrian events will be held on the grounds.  Inside, there are several rooms of marine paintings from the 17th to 20th century.  The tour guide on the bus told us the Queen is the largest art collector in the world.