Poppy Cascade

We went into London today to see the Tall Ships parade at Greenwich, but on the way stopped off at the Tower of London to see the poppy cascade. I'm sure most people, at least in the UK, will be aware of this as part of the First World War centenary celebrations. A total of 888,246 ceramic poppies are being planted in the moat of the Tower, one to represent every British Military fatality from WW1, with the final poppy being placed on November 11th. I don't know how many are there already but it really brings home to you the scale of the losses.

And the Tall Ships? Well, we didn't see much of them. I think the main parade was probably at the weekend but there were still a few, and the atmosphere around Greenwich was great with all the sideshows and events (including two giant inflatable lobsters; I was a little concerned they had heard what I had eaten on Friday night). We walked up to the Greenwich Observatory and did the obligatory standing astride the 'Zero' meridian, and visited the 'Ships, Clocks and Stars: the quest for Longitude' exhibition at the National Maritime Museum. A trip back to the Embankment on the river bus ended a very enjoyable day.