Irn Bruski? And Greenwich Too

(P.S. (pre-script!) I've put the pictures' captions above them this time, not below. Just in case it was confusing)

Hello all. I just got back from Greenwich, and it was very fun, so I'm here to share pictures and regale you with the stories that accompany them. But first...

Last night, I noticed something shocking on the shelf in Sainsbury's...
'Why Joey, that's just a bottle of Iron Brew!' you say, shaking your head. Well, it is Iron Brew.

Pictured: The destruction of my innocence

It is, in fact, vodka Iron Brew. Yeah, it probably is hard to tell from the picture, sorry. But I assure you, it is Iron Brew-flavored vodka. I had no idea this was going on. Was it a vodka first, before a soft drink? Does this happen often? In either case, I drank it and it was disgusting. Truly not a good combination.

Okay, now for Greenwich. The ferry left at 9:45, so that's when the action starts.

We had a good view of the London eye from Westminster Ferry, so I got another pictures. Just in case someone had forgotten what it looked like.

Also, Big Ben was looking so lovely I felt I had to take another shot. The trees make for a nice angle.

Okay, the ferry didn't technically have a guide, but the captain came on to tell us things about what we were passing. He did so with a wonderfully dry British wit that was only made better by the fact that he had clearly told these jokes about a thousand times. His sarcasm was, at times, almost tangible.

This is the Globe Theater, which has been rebuilt since Shakespeare's day but has roughly the same form. I'll be going there Wednesday to see As You Like It. I hope I will.

There is the London Bridge, the first bridge to be built by the Romans around 50 AD (potentially, some say the original was a little further on) and basically the reason London exists. Okay, so this version was built in the 70s, but the spirit lives on, I feel.

There is the other side of the bridge. I just wanted to confirm that it was not, in fact, falling down.

You guys are lucky I'm such a good photographer, or I might not have captured this hand on the left so perfectly. Its overexposure, its placement at the edge of the picture...I'm an artist, truly. Oh, and there's some sort of Tower of London taking up space in the rest of the shot. Sorry about that.

More pictures of the river on the way back. For now, we're in the Greenwich market, which has so many good things to eat I could have spent a lot of money there. Luckily I saved my money for later.

After the market, we (some of my flatmates and I, the program basically got us there and let us do what we wished) went to Greenwich park and found the Royal Observatory, pictured here.

Here's the Observatory from another angle. It was such a nice day.

The Observatory sits on a hill which has a panoramic view of London, so I took some pictures from there. You can see the park below in some.

That's the...Greenwich Dome, or something, which was built around 2000 but was a huge bust for the taxpayers since...I think the builders went bankrupt? I'm not sure; someone correct me. It will supposedly play host to some of the events of the 2012 Olympics, if the residents of Greenwich consent (they may not, apparantly!).

This was a red ball that dropped so that sea captains could use it to set their watch. I'm not sure exactly how that works out, but I thought it was interesting enough to shoot.

And here is the PRIME MERIDIAN OF THE WORLD, where Time was born in the late 18th century. I'm not sure what we did without it.

Sky City Park.

Here is the actual meridian. I would have stood on either side, but I assumed I would be flung into some sort of space-time continuum in which I would have to use a combination of wits and luck to make my way out. I was tired, so I skipped it. Just kidding, I totally stood with one leg on either side. I felt like I was riding the Earth.

Pictureless note: after this we trudged down the hill and got lunch at a place called the King's Arms, which boasted good fish and chips. Having tried the aforementioned fish and ships, I can attest to the lack of veraciousness in that boast. In other words, it sucked. And was expensive.

But then we found the National Maritime Museum.

We weren't allowed to take pictures of many things inside, but I did get one of the figurehead for the HMS Adventure. I assume you italicize that, I'm not sure. I thought she had a very calming expression.

Also, there was an anchor outside the main doors to the museum. As the museum was not floating away, I think it was doing its job.

On the ferry on the way back, I got a picture of Tower Bridge. It was getting colder, windier, and cloudier at this point.

Finally, here's a picture of the Millenium Bridge, rebuilt after it was destroyed by CGI in Half-Blood Prince.

So that was my day so far, and it's been tiring but fun. Also, for those who may or may not be expecting them, I may or may not have gotten postcards that I may or may not be sending out as soon as I figure out British postage. Maybe.

It's Molly's birthday today (she's 20), so we'll be celebrating that tonight. Thus, I have to get a few more things done, so I'll leave you. I don't know when I'll next post; I may go to the British Museum tomorrow (is it open?) and get some pictures there. If not, I may not post unless something of particular interest happens. Next weekend is...a walking tour of Southwark, a visit to the Tower of London, and a tour of Parliament. Yeah, so next weekend will have many more pictures. Until next time...