The weather should be dry today though the temperature is a few degrees colder than yesterday.

City Road bus stop

We went to the bus stop in City Road opposite the clock tower to wait for our bus.

Aboard the 43

We boarded a number 43 bus, destination London Bridge.

Sculptures at Bank

We, however, left the bus at the stop called Bank (because it is beside the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, aka the Bank of England). Opposite, these sculptures on a façade were becomingly illuminated by winter sunshine.

Towards the Docklands Light Railway-

We entered Bank Underground Station and went down three escalators so that it felt ad though we were heading to the centre of the earth.

Aboard the DLR

We boarded a Docklands Light Railway ( DLR) train. In case you do not know these trains, they are driverless, being operated by computer. There is a human staff member on board who controls the opening and closing of the doors, checks tickets and, in an emergency, can unlock the controls and drive the train. Most of the time, though, the computers run the train.

Cutty Sark Station

We left the train at the station rather verbosely called “Cutty Sark (for Maritime Greenwich) DLR Station”. It turned out thst because of works, the escalators were closed and we had to climb 121 steps to the surface.

Coffee and croissants
Photo by Tigger

Arriving puffed at street level, we thought we deserved a treat and went into Ole & Steen for coffee and croissants.

Into the streets of Greenwich

Leaving the cafe, we went out into the streets of Greenwich. In the distance in the above photo, you cam see one of Greenwich’s more famous inhabitants, the tea clipper, Cutty Sark.

Church of St Alfege

We walked through the grounds of St Alfege’s Church and.,.

St Alfege Park

…strolled round what was once the church’s burial ground but is now recast as a public park.

The Picture House

We passed by the Picture House and…

The Town Hall

…photographed the Town Hall with its unusually tall clock tower, though only from a distance on this trip.

Cutty Sark in view

As we walked about the streets, ever and anon the Cutty Sark would come into view. It is as though this famous ship is the symbol of Greenwich.

William IV
Samuel Nixon

We passed through the gate guarded by Samuel Nixon’s William IV and thereby entered the grounds of the Royal Naval College, the Greenwich Hospital for Seamen and the National Maritime Museum.

Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle
Yinka Shonibare

Outside the museum, apparently as a permanent fixture, is Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare. Would Nelson be amused or insulted if he could see this object, I wonder?

Portico

We walked through this portico,…

Greenwich Observatory

…had a distant view of the historic but still relevant Greenwich Observatory and…

The Thames

…came down to the bank of the Thames.

A view of the Cutty Sark

We visited the Cutty Sark though only from the outside this time.

Entrance to the Thames Foot Tunnel

This neat and pleasant building is the Greenwich entry/exit of the historic Thames Foot Tunnel. We did once walk through it but gave it a miss today.

Goddard’s of Greenwich

For lunch, we visited Goddard’s of Greenwich pie and mash shop. They serve vegetarian and vegan options. The place was crowded and the seating rather cramped. As for the food, I prefer not to express an opinion though Tigger seemed to enjoy hers.

Greenwich Market

We took a turn round Greenwich Market which was very busy.

Dress and fabric stall

As well as stalls and lock-up shops selling a variety of goods, there were also food stalls and a pub, so the place was pretty lively.

The train arrives
Photo by Tigger

We thought of returning home by bus but the route would have been long and a little complicated so we took to the DLR once more, traipsing down the 121 steps to the platform. (It’s not so hard going down, of course!)

Aboard the DLR

The train was busier than the one we came on but we found seats without trouble. The DLR carried us swiftly to Bank, where we changed to the Northern Line for the remainder of the journey.

Up the ling escalator

At Angel Station, the long escalator carried us up from the underground tunnels to street level.

Back at the Angel

A short walk through familiar streets brought us home and ended our New Year adventures for this year.

Tomorrow, Tigger returns to work once more and life resumes its normal pattern. If we could be on holiday all the time, would we enjoy it as much? I suspect that we would but we are unlikely ever to be able try it and find out.