Visiting Greenwich and Cruising the Thames

Monday Evening, February 18, 2019
From Canterbury our tour bus brought us back to Greenwich, England, the place where the Eastern and Western Hemispheres divide, where time is measured from, and it is also the birthplace of some important monarchs.
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I believe this is part of the University of Greenwich.

 Our tour guide Tom filled us in on much of the history of the village and what makes it so unique.

Below is the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

The Queen's House in Greenwich, built between 1616 and 1635.

Behind the house up on the hill is the Old Royal Observatory which sits on the 0° Longitude line or Prime Meridian. It's where we get the term Greenwich Mean Time. The observatory was founded in the 1670s by King Charles II. 

When they were designing the Royal Naval College, Queen Mary asked the college not block the view of the Thames from the house.

Another View of Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

One of the clocks on the Royal Naval Academy buildings.

This slab reads, "On this site stood the Tudor Palace of Greenwich. Built by King Henry the VII. Birthplace of King Henry VIII in 1491, And his daughters Queen Mary in 1516 and Queen Elizabeth I in 1533.

You can see the marker in the sidewalk as you look at the buildings of the Royal Naval College and on to the Queens Palace and then to the Observatory.

It was only a short walk from the Naval College to the berth of one of the fastest ever clipper ships, the Cutty Sark. 'Cutty Sark' is an archaic Scottish name for a short nightdress. 'Cutty' means short or stumpy, and 'sark' means nightdress or shirt. 

The Cutty Sark is now a museum with it's hull enclosed in a glass structure so you can walk through it. The name comes from the famous poem Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns. It is about a farmer called Tam who is chased by a scantily-clad witch called Nannie, dressed only in a ‘cutty sark’.

This ship is the worlds only surviving extreme clipper. Clipper ships are marked by three design characteristics - a long, narrow hull, a sharp bow which cuts through the waves rather riding atop - and three raking masts. 

She was used to haul tea from China, wool from Australia and in her later years, coal from Ireland.

As the sun started to set we boarded a water taxi and headed up the River Thames. 

A nice view of the Shard and the Tower Bridge.

Above is the Tower Bridge and below is The Tower of London.

What a day this was. We saw so much and learned so very much more. But now it was time to pack up and head back to Manchester then home to the U.S.A. 

Canterbury and The Famous Cathedral

Monday February 18, 2019

From Dover we rode over to one of the great pilgrimage sites of the medieval world, The city of Canterbury and it's magnificent Cathedral.

You can see by the city clock that our tour of the town of Canterbury and the Cathedral started at 1:20 p.m. 

You can tell this city is old by how narrow the streets are. 

Our guide Tom pointing out the Square pillar in the center of town that commemorates those who fought and died in WWI, the Canterbury War Memorial.

I just love the buildings and the look of these old towns.

Entrance to the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral. This is considered one of the most important buildings in all of England and it's Mother Church. 

This Cathedral has been a place of worship for over 1400 years. It took over 4 centuries to complete and now it is in need of some updating, so the roof of the cathedral is undergoing extensive renovations, the first in over 100 yrs. 

Compared to Selby Abby and the York Minster this cathedral is massive! The entire length of the Cathedral is 525 ft. and East Transept is 154 ft.

A look at some of the scaffolding surrounding the north end of the nave.

In front of the entrance to the Cathedral.

So much incredible stone work throughout this beautiful structure.

Shields on the ceiling of the entrance.

Standing at the North end of the nave looking toward the Crossing (Transept) and Quire, just look at how massive the interior of this House of worship is. You can't see the ceiling or the roof due to the scaffolding. 

Darryl standing next to one of the larger columns in the nave.

One of the beautiful stained glass windows. Just wish I could have scene it unobstructed. Oh well, I am grateful that I was blessed to see this much of it.

I never realized how many people are buried in these big churches and Canterbury is no exception.

Below is the beautifully carved and painted pulpit at the north end of the cathedral.

Below the grave of Edward Parry, Archdeacon of Canterbruy in 1869 and Bishop of Dover. 

A monument to honor the men that died in battle in Northern India from 1845-1846.

The grave of William Rows Lyall, Dean of Canterbury in the mid 1800s.

The baptismal font was so pretty.

Looking toward the transept from the North end of the Knave. The space is immense.

The gentleman below died in 1612 at the age of 77.

The Pulpitum Screen leading from the nnave into the the crossing and the Quire.

It was built around 1450 and displays statues of 6 royal figures.

Darryl standing in "The Martyrdom", the place where Thomas Becket was murdered by the Knights of King Henry II of England in 1170. 

It is said that Henry was in an argument with his friend Thomas, the Archbishop of Canterbury and said "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" Four of his knights took his words to heart and rode out immediately and murdered the priest. King Henry was appalled and spent years paying penance for what was done.

Going to the crypt. I have no photos from the crypt but it is a place where they still  have classes and worship.

One of the many chapels inside the Cathedral.

A chapel dedicated to The Buffs, 1572 of the Royal East Kent Regiment.

A replica of the HMS Canterbury and her bell.

The Plaque explaining the Warriors chapel, Pictured below.

The Warriors Chapel replaced a smaller Norman Chapel and was built sometime before 1439 by Lady Margaret Holland, daughter of the Earl of Kent.

The stained glass is stunning. Margaret built this chapel to house the tombs of herself and her two husbands.

Standing in the crossing looking up 236 ft. to the top of the Tower.

I tried to get a closeup of the detail on the ceiling of the tower.

Another breathtaking stained glass window.

Darryl and I in front of the Pulpitum Screen.

In the Crossing looking into the Quire (or Choir). I understand the length of the Quire is 180 ft. and the ceiling is 71 ft. tall.

Standing at the entrance to the Quire looking south toward the Trinity Chapel. The Canterbury Cathedral has an excellent Website which explains much of the history of the building. This is an active church that has a congregation and regular Anglican Church Services.

Looking north through the Rood Screen from the Chancel or Quire into the Knave.

More of the Quire, an Eagle Rostrum and beyond another alter.

An ornately carved stone pulpit on the west side of the Quire. 

More intricate carvings and craftsmanship depicting royalty and saints.

The alter in the quire.Steps lead u to the alter and more steps lead up to another level.

Behind the alter a candle burns in memory of Thomas Beckett whose shrine was destroyed in 1538 by orders of King Henry VIII.

Someone else we learned about in history, Edward Plantagenet or "The Black Prince" tomb is located here.

The windows have so many depictions in them it would be impossible to see and understand them all in just one visit.

Trinity Chapel, located at the very south end of Canterbury Cathedral.

Standing at the Trinity Chapel looking north.

If you can, click on and enlarge the photo below and look at the detail in just this one stained glass window.

The tombs of King Henry the IV 1367 - 1413 and his wife, Joan of Navarre.

After spending a couple of hours inside the cathedral we came out to look around. You can see how tall the tower in the crossing is from this photo.

A superb example of the medieval craftsmanship and true religious dedication it took to build this great place of worship for our God.

Back on the streets of Canterbury, we had about 30 minutes to look about town.

We found a few interesting scenes to share. In the U.S. you might see a wooden Indian or Cowboy, here you see wooden guards.

I found the Shoemaker's shops where the Elves hang out at night.

And we found a new favorite ice cream store. Read the sign,... you'll see why. 

After a long afternoon we are back on the bus and headed toward London.

I'll finish up blogging about our tour tomorrow, after this trip life will never be the same.