A few months ago, Chris and I walked around Greenwich and took some pictures with full intentions to post them onto the blog so you all could have a nice tour of where we live. However, life happens and you get busy and you just...forget. Thankfully, I remembered recently and have decided to now take you on a tour of our home. Our village within the massive city of London.


Here you see our house. It is a Victorian home that was built some time in the late 1860's or early 1870's. It is an end of terrace home (that's what they call it here) which is really nice because we only have people to the left of us. There are 6 houses in all that are connected. We are one block from the train station which is amazingly convenient and apparently makes it an extremely sought after property. If you notice the red pipes on the chimney - that is very characteristic of the London skyline, however it is special to still have them as they haven't survived everywhere. Think Mary Poppins.




Here you see our local station. I am not sure what it used to look like, but there was a major renovation a couple of years ago where they built a nice courtyard in front of the building. The nice thing about our station is that there are two lines that run through - Southeastern Trains and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). So if I miss one, I can get the other. The train line that runs through Greenwich is considered to be one of London's oldest and the world's first suburban railway. The line opened in 1836 with this wonderful station being built in 1840, making it one of the oldest station buildings in the world.





This is the West Greenwich Library. I have only been in there a couple of times, but it's my plan to start using it more. It's a beautiful building, isn't it? And the best part, it's about a 3 minute walk from our house. At this point, we are walking towards the centre of the village.











This is our closest movie theatre. We LOVE it. They play a good variety and since we are members we sometimes get special previews of movies before they are released. They also have free events every month. For example, they had a Hollywood Musicals series this winter which we could attend for free. The chairs are huge, cushy, and recline backwards. It's my favorite cinema in London.




Here is one of the many pubs in our area called The Mitre. One thing to understand about pubs in England is that they are not like bars in the States. Some serve really good food and have wonderful atmospheres. As you can see, the landscaping around them can be gorgeous with the use of plants and flowers. Behind the pub, you can see the steeple of St. Alfege's. St. Alfege is the parish church of Greenwich and has stood on this spot since 1012 (the current building is the 3rd version). It stands on the exact spot where Alfege was martyred by the Vikings on Easter Day in 1012. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. A ransom had been demanded by his captors but Alfege knowing that his people couldn't afford to pay such a large sum, chose death instead. Small fact: Henry VIII was baptised here.


Now we are in the heart of the village. This is one of the side streets - it has shops and cafes and the place where Chris gets his haircut called The Greenwich Clipper. Get it? Greenwich is known for its maritime history. Clever, huh? I love these buildings. It's very charming around here. If you expand, you can see the black sign which shows the directions to all the sights.





This is the famous Greenwich Market. It's absolutely fantastic and we love it! There has been a market in this area since 1700 and on a Saturday or Sunday you can go there and buy loads of original items made by artists, designers and craftman, fresh cheese, meat, pastries and fruit, second hand clothing and furnishings, and flowers. It's so vibrant and wonderful. I love to wander through there on the weekends. There are also shops surrounding the market that are open all week which are great for browsing and gift buying.





Here are 3 shops that I go to a lot. Waterstone's is our bookstore (think Barnes and Noble), Boots is our Pharmacy (think CVS), and Marks and Spencers is our food store (think nothing - we don't have anything that compares in the US). M & S is the BEST! All of their food is top quality, no preservatives, no colorings, no added sugar, just good food. One thing I love about England is that they are very strict about food quality in order to protect the health of its citizens. Because of this, food won't last as long (lack of preservatives), but it's a small trade off for a healthier lifestyle. Chris says that this kind of food is what he will miss most when we eventually move back to the US.



This is a view of Greenwich Church Street (think Main Street) looking back towards St. Alfege's. As you can see, we have one of the 10 million Starbucks that are in London. Also notice how busy the streets are. That, my friends, is England, and more specifically, London.







Here is the Cutty Sark, the world's last surviving tea clipper, which I am sure most of you all have heard of. For the last few weeks it has been covered up because it was being reconditioned in preparation for the Olympics. Sadly, it almost burned down two days ago. They think it was arson which I just don't understand why someone would so such a thing. It is a beautiful ship and an extremely important historical artifact. Fortunately, all the artifacts, masts, sails, and 60% of the planking had been removed for the work. They think it can be saved, but they aren't completely sure yet. Fingers crossed!
A bit of irony with this ship is that my parents had a detailed model version of the Cutty Sark on our downstairs mantle when I was growing up. I thought it was so cool. And now, I live next to the real one!


This is the view of Canary Wharf from Greenwich Pier. It is London's new financial hub. I did a one day temp job in the tallest tower (triangle shaped top) and while I was waiting at security to be let up, a girl came down to meet a friend. She asked him how he liked Canary Wharf ( he had never been there) and they both ended up chatting about how "American" it is and they didn't mean that in a complimentary way. I just smiled and thought, "Yes it is and I LOVE it!" There is a lot of great shopping there and it only takes us about 10 minutes on the DLR. They also have a Chili's so if I am ever feeling homesick...


This adorable looking domed building is the entrance to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. It's a tunnel that goes under the Thames and comes out on the Isle of Dogs. Don't you just love that name?








This is part of Trinity College of Music which is located in the Old Royal Naval College. It's a good music school which is great because it means we have nice music events all the time.







This is the Old Royal Naval College. It's my favorite thing in Greenwich. Greenwich Palace used to stand on this spot which was the favorite palace of the Tudors. Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I were all born here. Eventually portions were torn down and the Royal Naval College took it's place which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren (the same man who designed St. Paul's Cathedral). It closed in 1998 and became a historical landmark. If you are a fan of the movie Patriot Games you may recognise the stairs in the middle. That is where Harrison Ford was walking at the beginning of the movie when the drive by shooting occured.


This is the inside of the Chapel. It's stunning. For movie buffs, this was where the 2nd wedding in Four Weddings and a Funeral took place - the one where Rowan Atkinson officiated.















This is the Painted Hall, also stunning. I could just lie on the floor of this room and stare at the ceiling.












This is the Millenium Dome as seen from the Old Royal Naval College. It was built for the Millenium and is the largest dome in the world. It is now called the O2 and is re-opening in July as one of London's premiere concert venues. This year we will have Bon Jovi, Scissor Sisters, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Keane, Justin Timberlake, and Barbra Streisand (who I am going to see!). From Greenwich Pier, I can actually take a little boat which will drop me off right at the dome.









This is the Queen's House which is part of Greenwich Park and the National Maritime Museum. It was built for Queen Anne, wife of James I in the 1600s. Interestingly, it served as the model for one of our famous US houses - The White House.





This is the entrance to Greenwich Park which is one of the Royal Parks of London.














This is Chris standing in the big open area that is at the bottom of Greenwich Park. The park is over 180 acres and has flowers gardens, a boating pond, tennis courts, a deer park, a bandstand, cycling lanes and lots of open space. The most famous element of the park is the Royal Observatory which is the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the Prime Meridian. Yes, we literally live where time begins.

So, that is the end of our little tour. I hope you enjoyed it. Hopefully, now you know a bit more about where we live and how we spend our time. So next time you think of us, close your eyes and picture our lovely Greenwich. It's a wonderful place to live.