Greenwich, the famous British district southeast of London, makes for a breathtaking out-of-city excursion. Speckled with historic buildings, scenic bridges, verdant gardens, museums, galleries and the sparkling river Thames, London’s wholesome sights are a delight to explore. But equally exciting is the fact that the Capital of the Old Blighty is also the gateway to numerous outof-town attractions. On a recent trip I explored one such attraction ~ the maritime town of Greenwich.

However, given the fact that London attracts over 30 million tourists a year, it is highly recommended that one make prior bookings for various sights and tours. This is where “The Discover London” experience by ShangriLa Hotel At the Shard came in very handy. My all-inclusive package included a two-night stay with breakfast, a two day London Pass with fast track access to over 70 attractions, tours and museums in London, a free one day hopon-hop-off bus tour as well as a cruise! To top it off, there was even the gift of a free funky polaroid camera to capture my experiences. Couldn’t have asked for more, really! After an exhilarating hopon-hop-off bus city tour of London on my London Pass, I gravitated towards Tower Pier (a mere 10-minute walk from Shangri-La Hotel) for a fun cruise on River Thames to Greenwich, the famous maritime district south east of London. The cruise liner skimmed the glutinous river Thames while I clicked away happily. Disembarking at Greenwich station, the first thing I saw was the Cutty Sark, its masts and deck silhouetted against a salmon pink evening sky.

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The ship’s fame comes from it being a tea clipper, when tea was a primary commodity world trade. In the 19th century, ships would try to outdo each other to bring into Britain the first crop of fresh tea from China. Victorian Britain fancied the new tea harvest and the annual tea race was a Victorian thrill.

Cutty Sark was one of the fastest ships that made the tea run from China to England. I next visited the Royal Observatory, home of the Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian line that divides the eastern and western hemispheres of the earth. Also known as Longitude zero, this is from where the distance of every place on earth is measured. Needless to say, I stood astride on the line and took a selfie! The resident guide explained that the Observatory is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as the most important historic scientific site in the world.

“It was founded by Charles II in 1675 and is, by international decree, the official starting point for each new day, year and millennium (at the stroke of midnight GMT as measured from the Prime Meridian),” he explained. Exhausted but elated happy after an eventful day out, I came back to the comfort of my hotel room. After a quick swim, I headed for dinner at ShangriLa’s signature restaurant, Ting famous for its breathtaking London views from the 52nd floor. A feast for the palate as well as the eyes!

I soaked in a glittering night view of the city from my window table while tucking into a delicious threecourse meal. What a fabulous finale to a fruitful trip!

(Neeta Lal is a Delhi-based free-lance journalist)