Globetrotting in Greenwich

We crossed the globe today, stopping in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, before briefly leaving the planet. All it cost us was a ticket on the tube and a 15-minute walk through Greenwich to the Royal Observatory. Here we stood astride the Greenwich Meridian, marking the border between East and West. Garry, underwhelmed by the experience, went on to comment that a short jump would also see him briefly depart the planet.

Fun fact. I've subsequently discovered that the meridian isn't where we think it is. In the mid-’80s, the world’s coordinate systems were updated such that the prime meridian passes 102.5 metres to the east of the old meridian at Greenwich. Who knew?

Our Greenwich tour today also included a late lunch of traditional English fish and chips (sheltering from a sudden rain shower), a walk under the River Thames (courtesy of the Greenwich foot tunnel) and a wander through the local markets. Learn more about the foot tunnel here.

Aside from globe-trotting, we took time out to install some shelves this morning. One in our ensuite and one in the home office. However, it seems that our shelf curse is back with vengeance. You'll recall that last month, my failed attempt to cut the shelf board. Today, I managed to drill two holes in the wrong location, while Garry found his wall tile tough going, requiring several drill bit changes before the job was finally done.