When I visited Greenwich Village 20 years ago, I took the train, about a 45 minute ride east of London. So when I asked the Concierge in the hotel how I would get to Greenwich Village, he said to take the bus (or the Tube) down to the harbor at Westminster and get on a boat to ride the River Thames east. So I got on the upper level of bus line #148 and rode down to the river right at the Parliament Building in London. Along the way, I saw many other famous locations, including Big Ben, the Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye! It was very crowded with tourists when I get off the bus, but when I walked down to buy my ticket and get on the boat, there was 1/2 of the space available. However, everyone rode on the top on the outside of the boat, so I rode downstairs where it was very empty!

I have another free day on my own in London. But one thing I wanted to visit again is Greenwich Village or the place where the  concept of dividing the earth into a grid system so every location can be marked was started...this is the latitude and longitude system. I do teach this idea at the beginning of the school year in my "Unit 0". And since this concept started in London, England, the latitude line is 0º and is also called the "prime meridian". This location where the scientists created this concept is in the Greenwich Village part of London that is east of the city just off the River Thames.

But to put it very succinctly, the latitude/longitude system started with the Greeks in B.C.E. 200s. But there were some minor inaccuracies, and the world could not decide where the center or 0º should be, so it did move around during history. At one point (and for those who have read and viewed "The DaVinci Code", at one point in history, the prime meridian ran through Paris, France)! But due to the scientists of the 19th century, the world now agrees that the Prime Meridian or 0º latitude will run through the location where the scientists worked--Greenwich Village in eastern London. I had visited this spot about 20 years ago, and I wanted to see it again.

When I visited 20 years ago, I took the train, so that meant I got off on the north side of the river. I remember walking to the dome building in this photo to the right, walking down and crossing under the river and reaching the south side of the river and exciting through a dome on the othe side. This time, I took the boat and departed the ship on the south side of the river.

What a beautiful, old looking area is Greenwhich Village. I saw several Italian gelaterias...and at first I was able to avoid them...until I saw the artwork created by the new brand called Dark Sugars. So I had to have a small cup!

I walked through the village, stopping for a cold beverage (Mango Dragonfruit at Starbucks) while visiting the university, the National Maritime Museum, the Queens House, and Greenwich University. Then I took the big, steep walk up the hill to visit the Royal Observatory! What a great museum to see that explains about the latitude-longitude system. They have also marked the spot on the pavement where 0º latitude, or the Prime Meridian, runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. This is when one has a chance to be standing both west and east of the Prime Meridian! What a feeling! And what a beautiful view looking down through the university and north towards the River Thames!

It was now 4:30 pm, and I had to catch the boat back to London Proper. Arriving back at London, I once again saw the Parliament building at a different angle. I also saw the flags of English territories around the world. (Remember, the sun never sets on the British Empire!)

Getting off the boat, I found bus line #148, but this time I got off half-way back to the hotel. It was now 6 pm. I wanted to visit the Hard Rock Cafe! (Denise...remember this place from the 1980s?) They were famous for their hamburgers and their rock and roll music. Back then, this was the only place in the world, hence the lines were always long to get inside. But in 1982, the restaurant very slowly started to open around the world. Today, there are 180 restaurants in 75 countries. When that started, I also made it a goal to visit every Hard Rock I could...and I did. But today, I wanted to visit the one place where I started to enjoy in the early 1980s! I could not eat the entire meal...I had only 1/2 of the hamburger, and 1/3 of the french fries. But it did bring back my memories of 40 years ago!

After a great meal, I took the bus back to the hotel. I didn't arrive until 8:30...I had been on the road for 11 hours ! What a fantastic day of the past and the present!