Mini Pancakes= Bae: Greenwich
This is a post long overdue, so let’s get right to it!
Two weekends ago, I finally had another weekend in London to enjoy. No traveling across the continent, just me and this rainy, pub infested city for three days. That’s the joy of having no classes on Friday- You can actually do something!
My friend Kelly and I had been planning on spending the weekend together for our other friends had family visiting or were off traveling so after some discussion, we decided on a plan as we took a walk around Hyde Park on Thursday evening: Friday= Greenwich, Saturday= Oxford, Sunday= Remembering all of the responsibilities you’ve been putting off and actually being an adult. With this plan in mind, Kelly and I headed to south-east London to explore one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in all of the city. Here are some photos from our walk though, because it was absolutely beautiful out!:
Located just across the Thames from the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf, Greenwich is home most notably to the Prime Meridian. Little did I know how stunning the whole neighborhood would be! Right when we got off the train, it was clear that we were in a very different part of London. All of the architecture was quaint and refined, little buildings lining winding streets.
It was about 1:00 pm when we finally arrived and we were starving, so our first stop was lunch! We ended up at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, which I highly recommend. It was a bit on the pricier side of things, I think my burger, chips, and drink (with free refills) ended up being about £15, but absolutely worth it. I had been craving a burger and the drink I got, a homemade spritzer sort of thing with strawberry and elderflower was delicious!
Once we were all fed and happy, we began our walk through Greenwich Park to get to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the home of the Prime Meridian. If you’re not familiar with it, the Prime Meridian is where longitude is defined to be 0°. I’m no captain or great explorer so I can’t say I had deep personal interest in seeing the Prime Meridian, but I thought it would be a cool thing to experience! The park itself was rather beautiful, lots of hills and wide open spaces.
We finally reached the top of the park where the Royal Observatory was located. The views were absolutely stunning! You could see all of the new developments in east London like the Shard and Gherkin- I could have sat there for hours just looking at how beautiful the city was.
Our original plan had been to see the Prime Meridian but upon arrival, we learned that you had to pay to go in and see it. I thought this was a bit disappointing and we didn’t end up paying to go see it. I understand that it does cost money to maintain appearances and run the site, but it really is quite draining to have to pay to see essentially anything in London. Thank God that most museums are free!
After walking around the observatory and gardens a bit, Kelly and I headed back into the main village and stumbled upon the Greenwich Market! This was a very unexpected and welcomed find. Markets are some of the most interesting parts of a city for it really shows the cuisine and culture of the area.
Most of the stalls were dedicated to artisans, but of course I found my way to the food and discovered one of the most amazing things ever: Mini pancakes. At the price of £3 for 8 mini pancakes with a sauce and topping of choice, I was sold and chose to get raspberries and Nutella. Best. Decision. EVER.
LOOK AT THAT. HOW AMAZING DOES THAT LOOK?
I finished the entire thing within minutes and basically was in heaven. Highly recommend it, solid 100000/10, and there are so many combinations you can get from golden syrup to oreos to sprinkles to jam!
Once I was finished #dying over my new discovered love for tiny pancakes, Kelly and I headed to the wharf in order to do one of the other cool things that Greenwich is known for: A tunnel under the Thames. That’s right, you can actually walk under the Thames! After descending a large number of stairs, we reached the tunnel and embarked on the about ten minute walk. It’s rather eerie, knowing that above you is one of the largest and well known rivers in the world, but was also pretty amazing. We made it across, and then took the lift back to land!
The lift took us to the wharf at the Isle of Dogs and once again, another amazing view. This time, it was of Greenwich! It was about 4:30, so the sun was beginning to set and led to some awesome photos:
After sitting for a while and just enjoying the view, we headed back home. Greenwich was a beautiful place and great for a few hours trip, but isn’t a must see if you have limited time in London. The day was nice and relaxed and I definitely enjoyed my time before our trip to Oxford the next day! Make sure to stay tuned for my thoughts on Oxford.
Until next post, see you later!
Regina
