Day 10 - London (15 June 2019)
Our Hotel has a full English breakfast to select from, and it was great to watch the students love and dislike some of the food. Here’s my breakfast plate this morning:
We were supposed to have a bus pick us up at the hotel, but there were some mechanical problems, so we took the underground instead. Except two lines were closed for maintenance, so it took a little longer on the Tube to get there, but we made it and met up with John, our local guide.
I was so glad we were on a bus for the tour! The local guide was fantastic. He shared both historical and cultural information about nearly every few buildings we passed. He also shared about some of the Harry Potter locations as we passed them too.
I liked getting the lay of the land in the bus too. It was good to see what the guide refers to as the ‘greatest city in the world,’ while hearing the experiences shared.
We made it over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony, and it was impressive. There were thousands of people waiting to watch the shoulders march down the street, and it was worth the effort.
We continued exploring London by bus, and we were not disappointed! It is a fabulous city.
We went to lunch and then waited out the rest of the hour in this darling park!
Once we had collected everyone, we took the Tube to the Tower of London. Since two lines were closed, it took us a minute to walk there, but it was a pleasant one! It is such an impressively historical place. We waited for Solène to get the tickets, and had a majestic view of the walled area.
When you exit the Tower of London, it drops you right in front of the London Bridge!
We met up with everyone a few hours after we entered the Tower of London. It was interesting to hear what parts were their favorites (crowned jewels, various towers, etc.) We walked the same route back to the Underground Bank Station and made our way through Chinatown to dinner.
The ambiance ad dinner was incredible! The food was okay, but the lights and company were phenomenal.
Though we were all pretty tired, we had a few hours of free time before the bus would come to pick us up. So, we walked back over to Covent Garden and did some sight seeing along the way too. Heidi got a henna tatoo, but I didn’t have enough cash, so I watched.
The bus ride took a long time due to road closures, deviation, and traffic, but we eventually made it back to the hotel to pack
We were supposed to have a bus pick us up at the hotel, but there were some mechanical problems, so we took the underground instead. Except two lines were closed for maintenance, so it took a little longer on the Tube to get there, but we made it and met up with John, our local guide.
He tried his best to sell walking through London, but at this point, I knew we wouldn’t be able to make it through the whole day if we walked through the tour. So, we had about 15 minutes to wait for the bus in a really pretty park. It cracked me up that the kids who were had such tired feet, ran to work out on the exercise equipment when they saw it. :)
I was so glad we were on a bus for the tour! The local guide was fantastic. He shared both historical and cultural information about nearly every few buildings we passed. He also shared about some of the Harry Potter locations as we passed them too.
Though there is a glare in the windows, we were able to see a lot more of London. This is one of two dragons mark the boundary of the ancient city.
I liked getting the lay of the land in the bus too. It was good to see what the guide refers to as the ‘greatest city in the world,’ while hearing the experiences shared.
We made it over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony, and it was impressive. There were thousands of people waiting to watch the shoulders march down the street, and it was worth the effort.
We continued exploring London by bus, and we were not disappointed! It is a fabulous city.
We went to lunch and then waited out the rest of the hour in this darling park!
Once we had collected everyone, we took the Tube to the Tower of London. Since two lines were closed, it took us a minute to walk there, but it was a pleasant one! It is such an impressively historical place. We waited for Solène to get the tickets, and had a majestic view of the walled area.
It feels almost like you can squeeze the stones of the walls and stories will drip from them like wringing out a sponge of water.
We knew we wanted to see the crowned jewels, so we walked over to wait in the queue first thing. I told Heidi to go sit across from the entrance so she wouldn’t have to stand with us the whole time.
Not surprisingly, you’re not allowed to take pictures of the Crown Jewels, but they are impressive! I didn’t remember the swords, Maces, and other incredible ornate things that were in the collection.
When it came to the jewels, they have a moving walkway to stand on to keep people moving along. I had us loop around so we could see both sides of the jewels. They were incredibly beautiful, as was the wueen’s crown for the Queen’s Jubilee! (You’re not allowed to take a picture of that either, but it’s impressive-look it up!)
Toward the end of visiting the crowned jewels, we somehow were split up. However, Heidi thought there was a problem with her flight, and I needed to ice my knee, so we sat on a bench and took care of the things we needed to, while the others went exploring.
When you exit the Tower of London, it drops you right in front of the London Bridge!
We met up with everyone a few hours after we entered the Tower of London. It was interesting to hear what parts were their favorites (crowned jewels, various towers, etc.) We walked the same route back to the Underground Bank Station and made our way through Chinatown to dinner.
The ambiance ad dinner was incredible! The food was okay, but the lights and company were phenomenal.
Though we were all pretty tired, we had a few hours of free time before the bus would come to pick us up. So, we walked back over to Covent Garden and did some sight seeing along the way too. Heidi got a henna tatoo, but I didn’t have enough cash, so I watched.
We walked through the West End to find the bus that would drive us back to the hotel. We went right by the theatre that has Harry Potter and the Cursed Child!
The bus was parked next to the theatre where I saw Les Misérables when I was a teenager! We also saw a few of London’s sites by night.
The bus ride took a long time due to road closures, deviation, and traffic, but we eventually made it back to the hotel to pack
What another great day it was today!
What a wonderful trip you have had! Your students will never forget this.
ReplyDeleteI love the stained glass lights in the Chinese restaurant. I need to get a bunch of those for over the kitchen island at home!