The Heat Wave

To begin my day, I headed to Starbucks to work on some school work. After enjoying a delicious breakfast and a bout of people watching, I headed out. The plan for today was to head to Greenwich for a nice time of relaxation. I was very excited to go to Greenwich and see the status of Olympic Village and enjoy the scenery. I exited the Tube at Canary Wharf to take the scenic route to Greenwich. Before the Millennium, this part of London underwent a massive redevelopment and is now the home to some major financial companies. Walking through the wharf was so pretty and very quite. It was nice to get a little break from the hustle and bustle of the city. This part of London is very open and modern, which is far different from the city. After seeing the large buildings I continued on to a cute piece of art standing in the center of a round about. This art was quite different from any other piece that I had ever seen. At first glance the structure is a bit overwhelming, but eventually I realized that it was fake and only meant to be cute. I have provided an image of this art and as you can see it is a tree made out of stoplights. I was confused at first trying to determine which light the cars would follow, but then I realized that it wasn't real. When I finally arrived in Greenwich, it was time for lunch. I have been wanting to try the famous Pizza Express since I arrived in London and today was the day to make that happen. The pizza I ordered was quite interesting in that the center of the pizza was salad instead of dough. I really enjoyed the pizza because it was the best of both worlds. You can see how unique this pie was from the picture to the right. After lunch I walked through the Greenwich market. This market was different from others in that the items were handmade and there was also a lot of ethnic food being prepared and sold. I wasn't as big of a fan as the Greenwich Market, but I think it was because it was totally different from what I was expecting. Having visited Portobello Market twice, I was thinking it would be similar to that. I made my way to the observatory on the Prime Meridian Line after the market. The climb up to the observatory was quite a challenge, but it was totally worth it. The view at the top of the hill was unbelievable and showcased the beauty of London. While at the top of the hill I stood in two hemispheres at once on the Prime Meridian Line. I can now say I have successfully mastered being in two places at once. :) After leaving the observatory, I walked down toward the River Thames to enjoy the nice breeze. As I made my way down the stairs to what I thought was the river wharf I suddenly found myself in a tunnel that was about 45 degrees. I continued to walk through the long tunnel thinking that I was being led down to the wharf. When I finally reached the other side and took the lift up, I realized that I wasn't exactly at the wharf. The tunnel had led me under the Thames which was why it was so cold. It was really awesome that a tunnel had been built under the river and even more exciting that I found it by accident. Sitting on the other side of the river was nice because it was very peaceful and pretty. I wish I could say that I have had a relaxing evening, but it was quite hot today and I don't have air conditioning in my flat. I am hoping for a cooler day tomorrow. Cheers!

AM