Elmira College United Kingdom and Ireland 2013: Monday, May 20th: Greenwich

Hello everyone! Today the class had an very nautical day! We started off the day with a quick breakfast, and then went on our merry way! After taking the tube, the class boarded a tour boat and we sailed across the River Thames. On the boat ride, we were able to get close up views of many famous sights such as the London Eye and the Globe Theater. The ride, which lasted about forty five minutes took us to the Royal Naval College, at which we took a tour.

Once we got to the college, we meet our tour guide, who took us through an hour long tour of the college. Originally, the site of the college was home to Greenwich Palace during the time of the Tudors rule in England. It was thought to be the favorite palace of Henry VII, and also is the birthplace of the Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I. The main buildings of the College were built on the orders of Queen Mary II, who wanted a place to train new sailors, as well as rehabilitate sailors that had been hurt in war. The tour took us through the beautiful buildings that were mostly designed by Christopher Wren.

We saw the Painted Hall, inside King William Court, whose high ceilings and archways are painted by James Thornhill. These paintings make up the entirety of the large ceiling, and also many of the walls of the hall. The paintings took 19 years to complete, and displays the British royalty of the time: King William III and Queen Mary II, Queen Anne and her husband Prince George of Denmark, and King George I. These paintings are extremely illustrious, as they show the Royal Family in Heaven, and have many other important figures of history portrayed in them. We also saw the beautiful courtyard between all of the buildings that has been used as the set for many movies, such as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Les Miserables, and Thor 2. Our tour guide even brought us into the cellar of the building, where there was an old bowling alley for the sailors stationed at the College. Some of us had the chance to try and knock over all the pins with old wooden cannon balls, rather than actual bowling balls. The tour was fantastic, as it let us get an insight into more of the fantastic designs done by Christopher Wren. Wren is most famous for designing St. Paul's Cathedral and the Great Fire of London Monument, but his buildings at the Royal Naval College were absolutely breathtaking. Professor Wolfe is quite fond of Wren's work, and after seeing his work at the College, it is extremely evident why.

After a beautiful lunch at the College, we walked up to the Royal Observatory to see the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is the line that divides the world into two hemispheres, and is used as a reference line for astronomers. The Royal Observatory at Greenwich also held a great exhibit on the history of telescopes, and their importance pertaining to the study of time and clocks. The men who worked at the Observatory were famous for trying to discover a way to tell exact time, and how to have it be universal across the world. It was a lovely exhibit, and for all who love science, it was a lovely was to end the day.