Listen Intently

I caught the tail end of the sunset tonight, the colors and serenity helped to end an incredibly beautiful day.  But a bittersweet day.

We traveled to Windsor Castle today, one of the residences of the Queen.  The castle’s state apartments are a site to behold.  The castle tour was preceded or followed by (depending on which coach you were on) a calm boat trip on the Thames aboard a 100-year old steam boat.

The evening ended with a barbeque and dance, and we all have early morning wakeup calls so that we can make our flights home.

This is where the bittersweetness comes into play.  We are all ready and anxious to come home–to family, to friends, to our own beds.  But we’ve made some incredible new friends, and have some unforgettable memories.  And I don’t think we want to leave those behind either.  I guess that’s a good sign that this has been a trip worth taking.

Tags: bittersweet

Yesterday was our “independence day” – each school group ventured into London and had their own afternoon and evening before rejoining together to go to the theatre.  It was a delightful day, partly cloudy and warm, a great day to be outside. We were dropped off near Green Park, so we walked across the park to glance a view of Buckingham Palace before walking back up to Piccadilly Circus and then to Covent Garden.  Some serious shopping ensued before we gathered back together to tuck in to some dinner.

Tradition calls for me to take my group to an English pub for a good pub meal, so we found ourselves at a small place near Covent Garden.  Alas, another school group beat me there, so it was full.  Fate, I think.  Because we then went down the street to another place, one that I took my group to several years ago.  After we settled in, coming in just behind us was another group, the students from Woodward Academy.

One of the greatest things about this trip is the people that you get to meet from other schools.  We have truly enjoyed meeting several new friends, and, for me personally, I’ve met some excellent new friends from Woodward.  It was a delightful coincidence to have them join us at dinner.

After dinner, we ventured to the coaches for a short ride to Victoria Palace to see Billy Elliot.  An excellent show, the young man who played Billy was absolutely incredible.  His dancing was amazing, and the rest of the cast did a darn fine job too.

We arrived back at Charterhouse at about midnight, so today we’re sleeping in a bit and relaxing with our last on campus day.  Tomorrow, our last trip–it’s off to Windsor Castle and a boat ride on the River Thames.

Tags: London

British Museum

Back to London today, a special treat awaited us.  The local Member of Parliament (MP), Jeremy Hunt, was able to secure for us an inside tour of the Houses of Parliament.  Our tour started in the Westminster Hall, the oldest remaining part of the Palace.  Dating to the 11th Century, there are plaques on the floor noting the important people who have lied in state in the hall, as well as a few who had been executed in the hall (including William Wallace). We then toured the House of Commons and learned about the procedures and traditions of the British Parliament.  Unfortunately, the Lords were sitting in session so we could not enter the House of Lords.

Then it was off to the British Museum, home of 6,000,000 or so items of history.  From the Elgin Marbles to the Rosetta Stone, to thousands of vases, masks and sculptures from all eras of history.  The Great Hall of the Museum is visually stunning, and the artifacts inspiring.

Get out the credit cards, Covent Garden was our last stop of the day.  Filled with street performers, markets and all the trendy shops, everyone enjoyed seeking out treasures to take home.

The evening ended with the annual student vs. staff soccer game, which the students pulled off the win 5-4 in penalty kicks.  A great time was had by all!

Tomorrow it is back to London, where each group will have it’s own afternoon.  We’ll meet up in the evening to attend the musical Billy Elliot.

Tags: london british museum

Thumbs up for Blenheim Palace

Another long coach ride yesterday, this time towards Blenheim Palace.  A gift of Queen Anne to the first Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace is situated on 2100 acres of land, breathtakingly beautiful and massive.  The birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, the palace’s ceilings are decorated in 24 karat gold leaf and the walls in famous tapestries and paintings.  Incredible grandeur and amazing opulence, nothing was spared in the building of this monster of an estate.

Keble College Dining Hall

Back to Earth, a little, we journeyed a few miles to Oxford, home of the 38 colleges that make up Oxford University.  Our tour guide mixed jokes and one-liners into a fun walking tour that took us inside Keble (pronounced KEE-bul) College–seeing the quadrangle, the dining hall and the chapel.  We ventured to the Bodleian Library and the Radcliffe Camera, then spent some timing shopping for our Oxford sweatshirts.

A fun day, but after two days of 2-hour coach rides and long walking tours, we’re ready for an on-campus day today.  Wednesday and Thursday it’s off to London for the final times.

Shakespeare's Birthplace

Yep.  I shouldn’t have said anything about traffic.  We paid for it today, apparently everyone was coming home from holiday and decided to jam up the M25.  The electronic road signs noted, “M25 Congestion, Junctions 2 though 30.”  Bascially the entire thing.

Anyway, I wish that I could say that today was a thrilling adventure.  It was a good day, the weather beautiful and the sights interesting.  But we spent a long time on the coach, then a short walk through Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon (along with hordes of other people), a little shopping around town, then back on the coach to Warwick Castle. Warwick is a real castle, but it’s been taken over by an entertainment company, and things are now a bit contrived (a bit?  Nah, a lot).  Straight from modern tourism–pay to park, pay to get in, and pay more for the “interesting” exhibits.  No thanks.  I even got asked today, “Why do we come here?”

The show at Warwick Castle

Don’t get the wrong impression, we had a good day–the students enjoyed the touring and the town, but it was a lot of coach ride and waiting in the queue for not a lot of return.

Tags: Castle, Shakespeare, stratford, warwick