Greenwich - 51° 28" 54" N 00° 00' 00" E? or W?

On our way back to Wales, a visit to the Prime Meridian in Greenwich was a must do considering our current reliance on latitudes and longitudes.  We had an awesome day.  We played the ultimate tourists and straddled the Prime Meridian, a foot in each hemisphere.  We are actually yet to sail across it but will do this summer as we cross the top of Scotland.

The must have photo -
one foot in the Western hemisphere and the other in the Eastern.

And of course, waltzing across the hemispheres!

We ate lunch is a snug pub with a fire place and all the charm of its multi-century history. We passed on the eels but tucked into the warming soup and a sandwich, washed down with a local ale of course.

Eels - yeah, skipped that one!

History upon history upon history...

The Cutty Sark has been fully restored since the last time either of us visited. She is now in a glassed-over dry dock with a magnificent space under its keel.  They have done a fabulous job. You are able to explore all nooks and crannies of the ship and learn her history and how she was used at a time when steam was taking over from sail.  We had the ship mostly to ourselves due to the season - but we did miss out on some of the interpretive guides that roam during the busier times.

Floating in a bubble of glass.  Well done.

The dock is now dry and protected by glass
cleverly placed at the waterline of the ship

Originally, the holds were not fitted out with much so that boxes of tea (similar to what you see represented on the floor) could be loaded in.  The Cutty Sark could carry over a thousand tons of tea.

I find figureheads a bit creepy
but they have been part of the maritime tradition since the early Egyptians 

How do you prevent spilling your drink on the chart laid out on the table?  
By using the handy drink holders swinging from the ceiling.

Yeah, nope, don't fit!  Pity the sailor over 5'2" - no stretching out in bed.

The Cutty Sark initially carried tea from China but with the opening of the Suez Canal,
this was no longer viable using sailing ships.
She was then used on the Australian wool run and was the fastest ship of her time.

What a cheery cap!
The chap who built the Cutty Sark loved to don a white top hat. 
Think we need it in a bigger size for Sean

The Cutty Sark in her glassed dry dock.  

A highlight of this stay in London was catching up with Mitch Stringer.  Another youngster that's happy to hang with us, Mitch is the son Kate's dear school friend, Liz.  Great catching up and hearing all his adventures.  He and his girlfriend Jen, are making the most of living in London and their proximity to Europe with some amazing trips had and planned.  Thanks for taking the time to meet us Mitch, we had a blast of an evening.

Obligatory photo to send to Liz to make Mama envious!

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