Random photo - Queen's House, Greenwich

I have 9,719 photos on my phone. Let's pick one randomly:

 

Yes, I used a random number generator, laugh at me. But I'm quietly pleased I did that, because I do actually have quite a bit to say about this photo in particular.

This is a painting in the Queen's House in Greenwich, not too far from Greenwich Park. I went there last year in the hope of getting a blogpost out of it, but somehow didn't. Part of that was writer's block, part of that was me not feeling like it. I've since wanted to go back and write a blogpost for real, and hopefully I'll do that eventually. But for now, enjoy a rather brief post about Greenwich.

The Queen's House was built in the early 17th century, and was commissioned by Queen Anne of Denmark, then wife of King James I. It was the first building to be constructed in the classical architecture style, and it looks wonderful. I took this photo from an awkward angle, sorry for that, but I hope you agree it looks lovely.

Queen's House

Better yet, it's free to enter. You can walk around gorgeous white halls and admire all the artworks that Anne and Queen Henrietta Maria (who succeeded her as queen consort) commissioned and decided to put up on display for themselves. It therefore almost doubled as a gallery, alongside a house for the queen.

      

The one I found the most interesting was obviously the iconic Armada portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, when she helped guide the English navy to a vital victory against the Spanish. There are other portraits, too, like of pirate Sir Francis Drake, and there's even a nice abstract piece called Sea Marks which I really liked, composed of loads of ceramic tiles painted white and blue. Oh, and the painting which is in the photo at the top; I don't know what that one's called, sadly.

   

It was lovely being able to go to the Queen's House, which is only one part of the entire Greenwich UNESCO Heritage Site. There's also the National Maritime Museum, which was lots of fun walking around and looking at old ships. The Royal Naval College looks magnificent from the outside, too, and I can't not mention the Royal Observatory, which is where we get the Prime Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time from. That last place, I couldn't go inside because tickets are particularly expensive, but I did trek up the hill to the Observatory, letting me view the museums which lie at the park's front, not far from the Thames. I even went on to walk to nearby Blackheath soon after, which was alright.

Then again, at the time, I wasn't feeling particularly optimistic at the time. I felt almost lost and anxious at the time, probably because university was coming up soon, and I didn't know if I was ready for it. Self-doubt is never a pleasant feeling, and I had it a bit, and thankfully that time is past me, even if looking back at photos from that time, it's weird imagining that was the case. I could very easily have written a post on Greenwich, not discussed how I was feeling at the time, and no one would have known. Instead, I had writer's block, but have since got over it, and this is the outcome from that time. Not sure if it's the best outcome, but at least it's one.

And sure, I only bring this up as context for the time. It would be strange if I blogged about a photo I took without considering my thoughts and emotions back then, you know. Weird how you can look at an image, and it brings back various memories. You can't really decide what they are, can you, which is both eerie and comforting.  

By the way, have you ever been to Greenwich? Do you sometimes feel something when looking back at old photos? I want to hear your thoughts on my posts, and you can do that by commenting or sending me an email. Thanks!