After a much-needed rest we headed out this morning to tour London. We were not expecting it to be so chilly here! I actually had to stop and buy a jacket before we could go any further. We ventured out on our own through the London Tube to Charing Cross.
We got our first glimpse of Trafalgar Square (at the request of Sydney, Kolin, Tomer, Tung, and Jordan A.) and the National Gallery. We then walked to Buckingham Palace and crossed paths with a band playing their instruments while riding horses. We were able to witness the changing of the guards, with thousands of other tourists. Although nothing really spectacular happened while we there (the Queen did not come out and wave at us, however one of the curtains did move) we can now say we've seen it.
After figuring out how to hop on the Hop-On-and-Off bus we headed toward Big Ben and Parliament. The architecture was amazing!
Our next stop was Westminster Abbey. This had to be the highlight of the day. Thank you Jeffrey, Michael H., Liza, Will F., and Shannon for sending us there. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, but we did get a few of the outside. Again, the architecture was beautiful. Inside we saw the burial sites and memorials of so many influential people: Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer, Lewis Carroll, Jane Austen, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Wordsworth, Mary Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth I.
Then we were off to our Thames River Adventure, thanks to Bria, Reidi, Kayla, and Heidy. We were able to see many different sites while on the boat. Ryan C., Madeline, Ghazi, Harry, Gloria, Jonthan, Riya, Pablo, and Chase wanted us to see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. We were able to snap a picture of it as we passed. We did learn it is the only building in London thatch roof. We crossed under many of London's bridges, including London Bridge (which is actually the 5th version and one of them was actually purchased by an American and it now resides in Arizona). The end of our boat tour gave us a river view of the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
One thing we forgot to mention yesterday is where we are staying while in London. Anyone familiar with the picture below?
Ms. Garcia's cousin lives two blocks from that spot on Abbey Road. Expect our very own re-creation of this shot in the days to come. We will stop traffic. :)
Sounds like a blast girls!! Jacket weather really? =)
ReplyDeleteWhat have you been doing the past 2 days? I hope you have been having a great time. where are all the comments from the other kids? They all too busy playing Wii or call of duty?
ReplyDeleteWhat would you say has been the highlight of the trip so far? Are there any interesting things outside of what the students have asked you to do that they would find intersting?
If you were 13 what are things not on their list that you would want to see?
How do the people there feel about the World Cup Soccer matches and the fact that the US was robbed today of their victory?
Hi Ryan and Sarah! I hope the blog fills you in on what we have been doing the past few days. To answer some of your questions, I think the highligt of the trip for me so far has been Westminster Abbey. Seeing the weekend home of the Queen was also quite neat. They have a dollhouse that has real workint toilets, sinks, bathtubs, and lightbulbs. It was quite amazing!
ReplyDeleteI think a 13 year old would also be interested in some of the plays showing here in London. There is a lot to choose from including The Lion King which I know Ryan has seen. I also think some of the "eerie" stories we heard at the Tower of London would interest a teenager as well.
Finally, I think the English are pretty upset with their last World Cup match. I don't think they care much about the result of the US. Well I hope these answer your questions! : ) I will let you know how Paris goes...and by the way...you and Sarah should be expecting a little note from me in the mail! Love all of you!