Greenwich
The next day we proceeded down the Thames to Greenwich, home of the Royal Observatory. It sits on the Greenwich Meridian, zero degrees longitude, which Molly is straddling here. Inside are the original chronometers designed by John Harrison to allow precise determination of longitude at sea, a story well-told in the book Longitude. There is also a great Maritime Museum, and not least...
the good ship Cutty Sark, the last of the clipper ships that competed to bring the first of the season's tea to the wharves of London. Launched in 1869, she could make China to London in a little over 100 days. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 soon put her tea trade days to an end, and she was sold to ship wool from Australia, and once made the journey from London to Sydney in 72 days. The trip may not have been as profitable as the tea trade, but was still worth the effort -- wool that cost 800 £ to load in Australia and £4000 to ship to England was worth £100 000 at the dock in London. She was rescued from near-oblivion some years back and is now undergoing a major restoration that will include an experimental electrolytic treatment to prevent further deterioration of the iron superstructure.
Here's Jane, Phoebe's mom, below decks checking out the smashing collection of figureheads.
We finished the day at the Tower of London, where political prisoners, not to mention the occasional king or queen, were kept and sometimes tortured or beheaded in the 11th through 17th centuries. It now houses the crown jewels, which are viewed by standing on a slow-moving conveyor belt to avoid congestion. In the White Tower there is a fabulous display of weapons and armor (but indoor photography is not permitted).
Order is maintained by these well-dressed Beefeaters, who have perhaps the cushiest job in any military ever. They live at the Tower in prime downtown London in beautiful apartments, and are essentially tour guides and groundskeepers. Nancy talked to one at great length -- you can only become a Beefeater after decades of service in the regular military. Apparently there is quite some competition to land one of these jobs -- no wonder!