Loving Life in London – Where Colin Goes

September – October 2021

I have moved to Greenwich London to peruse a MA in Education at the University of Greenwich.

The campus is stunning! Formally the Old Royal Naval College, it is now a UNESCO world heritage site. The campus was designed by Sir Christoper Wren, who also designed St. Paul’s Cathedral, and is considered one of history’s greatest architects. I certainly think he deserves that recognition; apparently Hollywood does as well. Many movies have filmed here including: Skyfall, Kingsman, Batman, Thor, Sherlock Holmes, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Mummy, Lara Croft, The Crown, and many more.

Inside the building on the right is the Painted Hall by Sir James Thornhill, who also painted St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Students get free access. Sometimes I come in here to study.

Below you can see a self portrait of Sir James asking for payment. He definitely earned it.

Campus is on the River Thames and next to campus is the Cutty Sark. I’m still waiting for the right time to board this museum vessel.

Behind campus is Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory. It is a gorgeous place to run, play tennis, or just hang out while overlooking London.

Simple living in a dorm room, in an ideal location. The four adjacent block are: campus, the library, Greenwich park, and the Royal Maritime Museum.

How it started. How it’s going.

Some thought provoking street art near campus. I think the artist is portraying the UK as blinded by nationalism. While separated from the EU (blue flag) and the world (globe), they remain on the table if the UK unblinds itself.

First day of grad school!

The O2 center is a pretty cool shopping center, movie theatre, and event venue nearby.

You can easily take an Uber boat down the River Thames. I decided to check out Tower Bridge, not to be confused with the nearby London Bridge, which is a very boring bridge but significant because it was the first bridge in London.

Next to Tower Bridge is the Tower of London. The White Tower was first built by the Normans under William the Conqueror in 1078. The Normans were Vikings who settled in Normandy, France, then came across the English Channel and conquered England, as well as many other places. Numerous renovations and expansions have been made here over time. Over its nearly 1,000 year history, the Tower of London has served as an armory, fortresses, menagerie, mint, treasury, political prison and royal residence.

They go to great lengths to protect the Crown Jewels.

As well as the family jewels. In this instance, those of King Henry VIII.

The writing on the scrolls may be this dragon’s most powerful weapon.

London was, and remains, a major city for trade (now mostly foreign currency exchange) and much of this trade was done along the River Thames. During the 18-19th centuries, industrialization was really taking off and increases in manufacturing lead to increases in trade. In 1886 Edward, Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone for the Tower Bridge, which was a steam powered bascule bridge.

The bridge opens many times during the day and the steam engine that was used to lift the bridge, until 1974, burned over 40,000 pounds of coal a week, an early example of industrialization leading to extreme pollution. Coal was a useful and innovative technology over 300 years ago. We now know better and can do better.

A look down from Tower Bridge.

As I travel the world, I like seeing all the different covers Harry Potter books have. Here they are in their hometown.

For the first time in my life, I have joined the Model United Nations. We had our first debate at Kings College London. I was representing Turkey on the economic council and the topic was regulating cryptocurrencies. Our coalition included Turkey, China, Egypt, and Ecuador. I was relieved that our proposal to ban all cryptocurrencies did not pass.

University of Greenwich team, solving all the worlds problems.

Had a lovely time catching up with, Sarah, my beloved former head of campus from the school I used to work at in Stuttgart, Germany.

Back near campus, you can take a tunnel under the River Thames.

And get a nice view of campus from the other side.

There is also a park. I like this contrast of city and nature. That is the financial district in the background.

Met a friendly pig, which reminded me of a quote by Winston Churchill, “A dog looks up to a man, a cat looks down to a man, but a pig will look you in the eye and see his equal.”

In regards to another non sequitur, it is awesome having Indian flatmates. They love sharing their delicious food and it tastes better when you eat it with your hands (more sensory perception). I am not very good at it yet, but enjoy practicing.

I have had a great time checking out many different museums all around London. This is the National Army Museum and well worth a visit.

The Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea. I like this piece. I think it is hopeful, that petrol will be part of the past and plants will continue to flourish.

A Banksy piece at Christie’s. While I do like this piece, I was wondering about what is more absurd. This costing $ millions or some Pokemon cards I recently saw costing $ thousands. Value is so arbitrary.