cornflakes, blackheath, + GMT [rewind]

while there are so many things yet to describe about my experience here, this one is getting vastly overdue. i would like to share just a bit of my first experience in what i guess i'd call "outer london", that is, those areas still within the Mayor of London's city limits, but outside what most people associate with Central London. I am talking about my stay out in Greenwich, back when i first arrived in town, just after my first 4 day stint at the EasyHotel.

i was very fortunate to book a small one-bedroom apartment for 7 nights in an area of London called Blackheath - this was due to the great generousity of my friend Rachel, her grandfather Bill (whom i have never even met), and his friends Derek + Elizabeth Thorp, who live in Blackheath themselves. These kind people arranged for me to stay in this temporary lodging for an amazing 12pounds/night, and even went so far as to pick me up in their car at the trainstation with my gigantobags!

The Thorpe's were a very sweet couple, who kindly made me eggs and toast for lunch on my first day, and then a very "English" dinner that night of some sort of meatpie and veggies. Each morning they insisted i stop over for breakfast (which was always cornflakes) before i went off for the day. Aw!

like a usual idiot, i forgot to take pictures of the apartment while i was there, but i can describe it quite simply. it was big (huge compared to my last hotel) and consisted of a lounge (living room) with a table and 4 chairs, a complete kitchen with some dishes, a large bathroom with powerhouse-shower-of-the-gods, and a bedroom with two single beds. Huge! It was clean, very clean, and located just a hop away from some bus stops, and across the street from the glorious Royal Standard Pub.

The Pub is where i went with my laptop for endless hours of (free-internet to search daily for my flat options. The locals were kind there and a few talked to me and gave me tips, beers, and cheers. Usually i just ordered tea though, which may sound strange, but the pubs here are often more than just a bar, they have lounge spaces, internet, pool table, everything. (the term "pub" is actually short for "public house" which back in the day were created to serve as sort of a living room for the many many labor and factory workers in the city who lived in dormitories so tight, there was no room for anything other than rows of tight cramped coffin-like beds. eeek.)

as i would go into central London each day to look for a "flat", it was rare for me to return home before 10 or 11pm, thus i was very tired and slept quite well in the little apartment. the trip into central London from Blackheath took about an hour each way, as Blackheath is located geographically south of Greenwich, the village famous for the Royal Observatory and location which the Prime Meridian governs navigational time, i.e. Greenwich Mean Time [GMT]. i tried out a few different options for travelling into the center, from all bus route, bus/tube, bus/DLR/tube, walk/DLR/tube, etc. "DLR" stands for "Docklands Light Rail" and is the over-ground system (and under-river) that is most commonly associated with the new developments of East London: the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf regions (a pretty hideous execution of what can only be described as a typical American city). This famous rapid urban development houses new centers of finance and other large corporations that have grown out of room in the historic center London district, that neighborhood specifically called "the City" (or Bank, if you are familiar). typically, one-way from Greenwich/Blackheath to London took about an hour, and it was most interesting to travel on the DLR because you could see the massiveness of the city out of the windows, but it was a lot of travel each day!

i did, however, manage to take one lovely sunny afternoon to walk to Greenwich Park and also up through the Royal Observatory grounds, and down into Greenwich itself. It was quite pleasant, and the park had more people in it than i'd ever seen use a park. it was also fun to stand on the prime meridian, though a bit cheesy and unclimatic when you are by yourself! i would describe the observatory and all this more to you, but well, you'll just have to come and see for yourself. hopefully this slideshow thing works okay - despite the low-res crappy cameraphoto image quality.

so i will just end with this one image: me standing with one foot on each side of the international date line.

i am a time traveler.