Adjusting to GMT in Greenwich

There is one for the bucket list.
While probably not on the list of must see and do for most people coming to London, have a look (granted a quick one) at the Royal Observatory here in London which is where the Prime Meridian runs through was pretty cool for me and us geography geeks.  I did not get that chance to jump back and forth over the imaginary line saying "Western Hemisphere.... Eastern Hemisphere.... Western Hemisphere..." and so forth, but I am still geeked out.

So this post comes at you at around 345am in London...adjusting to the time is a process.  I can do fine...Maria slept great on the plane despite her contention that she did not (I was witness...with much envy I might add .. oh to be 7 and small enough to curl up into an airline seat and sleep comfortably.)
Alyssa however did struggle today.  She was just too amped about our trip and really did not sleep much after leaving Lincoln.  She is like me in that regard...she gets more and more excited about travel just for the simple reason of experiencing something new or appreciating a familiar place once again.  (I still get chills when I walk through the gates of Disneyland even thought I've been there dozens of times).  So fatigue caught up with Alyssa today and she missed out on our only real objective which was to see the Tower of London.

Well, she did see it.  Alyssa made it as far as the square outside of the Tower only to finally give in to exhaustion and beg to go back to the hotel.  So Jule went with her and Maria, mom, dad, and I trooped onward. 

The Tower of London is easily one of the best things to see in London.  This was my third time in three visits.  What intrigues me about the Tower is that it seems like everytime I come here, it is different somehow.  Maybe it is perspective with age (my visits have come spaced roughly 10 years apart each time.  First in 1992, then 2003, now 2015.  Maybe it has to do with my company.  In 1992 I was 18 and traveling alone with just my bud Alan Churchill.  London was a big, scary thing for two lads conquering the world for the first time.  Yet the Tower was contained, easy, fascinating, relatable.  I had no clue it existed prior to my visit in 92 and it became an instant landmark for my trip.  I also remember being preached to by a German Born Again Christian as Al and I ate ice creams outside the Tower.  "Have you been saved?", did not come with the usual  dramatic southern flair I was expecting (think televangelist).  Instead it was in German and that is a harsh sounding language if there ever was one.  Being Saved by Jesus should not sound so threatening.

In 2003 I was visiting with Jule and playing the role of experienced traveler but exploring with Jule in what we expected to be one of many trips abroad.  So there was that sense of exploration but determination that we could handle Europe by immersing ourselves in local habits ...such as mastering the Underground, buses, and ***gasp*** walking places.  The Tower was familiar but changed.  The Crown Jewel exhibit had changed, other things had been added or augmented, there were no German preachers, the waterfront area was more developed.  It seemed flat.  Jule got shat on by a bird (see that post from 2003).

This time the Tower evolved once again.  I had my child and my aged parents with me.  Guilt existed because of how easily Alyssa broke down (had we pushed too hard?)...   The light rail was MUCH farther from the Tower than I recall or there was much more development between the two...or both.  The ground was not flat...where did this big hill come from?.  Hence the name Tower Hill.... must have missed that one.  Did they add buildings to the Tower?  I don't seem to recall these buildings??  It is hard to say how my memory and reality are so different.  But perception and circumstances clearly influence memory.  Those first two trips I was worry free and eager to explore.  This time I noticed different details all related to ease of access and weighing that versus "worth seeing" since this visit was not necessarily for me.  But we had fun.  Dad was captivated by the Beefeater guards and nearly wanted to do nothing more than take pictures with them and gawk.  Mom was asking what was next because she was weighing in how far she could go between rests...except of course when she saw the many gift shops and her energy rebounded quickly.  Maria was one "whoa!!", after another.  When we saw the crown jewels, I was blown away at the reactions.  My dad said they were all a waste of money.  That cracked me up.  My mom was her typical low key "neat".  Maria was of course fascinated, but seeing the jewels was what linked where we were to what it was related to.  "Wait, these are REAL crowns and jewels?" 
"So there is a queen?"    "I knew it...this was a castle!".   She liked the crowns, but LOVED the gold dinnerware.  Gotta admit, that is one giant gold punch bowl.  So I feel bad for the poor chap who marries Maria some day....her expectation for the nice "use it at the holidays" dinnerware just rose dramatically.

We trudged through the Tower and only saw about 20 percent of what really was there, but I think they got the highlights and each saw something they valued be it guards, shops, or giant gold punch bowls.  We took the trek back up TOWER HILL (note to self for future trips, the English naming convention is really not meant to be misleading.. in fact I'd say the English are pretty unimaginative in how they name things).  We found dinner at a pub near our rail stop.  I enjoyed some fish and chips and a tall, much needed, very muchh sought after glass of Strongbow (it always tastes better here in London).  Maria had a burger and learned that chips are not chips, but fries.  (Trivia.. then what are potato chips called?   Queue the Jeopardy music).

From 230am pacific time leaving Lincoln to finally laying down here in London at our hotel in Greenwich at around 8pm local - I had been up (minus the short doses of sleep on the planes) for roughly 32 hours.  While I won't be auditioning to be an Alaskan crab fisherman on the Deadliest Catch, I was pretty proud of the effort just to get here in one piece, safely, with all luggage in tow.  Tuesday will be a great day with all of us rested, Mom has access to a bus all day, and we get to meet Anna Rizzardo our cousin from Italy who lives here now.

London - you've changed again...and by the looks of it with cranes and construction everywhere, you're evolving once more.  My friends, if you have never been to London and could care less about traveling just about anywhere else - do yourselve a favor and come to this grand city.  The city of Kings, Queens, and royals... the city of Dickens, Shakespeare, and others.... of Churchill and Thatcher and Waterloo... the city of Peter Pan and Harry Potter...of Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, QPR. West Ham, Fulham, Wimbeldon, Wimbley, Olympics, and the Lords Cricket ground.  Its all here awaiting your continual evolution of memories.

Cheerio