Listen Intently

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.

I’m going to jinx ourselves with this comment, but we’ve had amazing luck with traffic on this trip — today going into London was no different.  Everyone must be on holiday around here.

Atop St. Paul's Cathedral

Our day started at the Museum of London, with displays on London from 3000 BC until today.  The museum has redecorated the entire post Great Fire (1666) displays, which is nice.  Our crew enjoyed the early times displays (50 AD and earlier).

A short walk later found us at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, which was finished in 1711.  While Canterbury yesterday was stunning, St. Paul’s screams grandeur–rounded ceilings, gold plating, ample light.  We journeyed up the multitude of steps to the top of the tower for the amazing views of London.

In front of Tower Bridge

Our day’s adventures concluded at the Tower of London, near Tower Bridge.  Awed by the Crown Jewels and King Henry VIII’s massive suit of armor, a full day and a nice nap on the coach ride home.

Two weeks down, one to go!  We’re looking forward to an on-campus day tomorrow (so no blog post), and then an awesome last week discovering England.

Palace of Westminster

We happened to be standing next to Westminster Palace (the Houses of Parliament) at 11:00, so we got to hear Big Ben chime 11 times (Big Ben is not the name of tower, as many people think, it’s just the nickname for the bell).  Today was a day full of walking–a guided tour along the Thames from the London Eye, around Westminster Palace, into Westminster Abbey, then to St. James Park for our sack lunch.

With Zain in Churchill's War Rooms

A surprise for the gang, fellow student Zain joined us at the park for the remainder of the afternoon.  We all went into the Churchill War Rooms, where we got to see the underground bunker and working area from World War II.  A great interactive table displays dates and events from throughout history, if you find the right dates, the table reacts (like bombs falling or poppies appearing).

The walking continued up to Trafalgar Square (dedicated in honour of Admiral Nelson), Leicester Square (where many major motion pictures have their London premieres), and into Piccadilly Circus (a smaller Times Square).  Some shopping was enjoyed before we reboarded the coaches to return to Charterhouse.

Tomorrow is an on-campus day and then it’s off to on Thursday to Leeds Castle and Canterbury.

At the Globe

Shakespeare, a dabbling of modern art, and a trip the Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace filled the day on Saturday.  We ventured into the square mile that is the City of London, near St. Paul’s Cathedral, to walk across the Millennium Bridge (you know, the bridge they blew up in the Harry Potter movie) and tour Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.  A nice guided tour and an opportunity to see what the view from the perspective of the groundling as well as from the first and second tier of seats.  We didn’t have to stand through a play this time, thankfully.

The weather has taken a turn for the better, and it was pleasant to sit outside the Tate Modern and have lunch on the grass.  A quick trip into the Tate Modern to see the great entry hall (the building is an old power station, and the enormous turbine room is the grand entrance into the modern art museum) as well as a some modern art.

The entire ISCA group at Hampton Court

Then something new for me, we ventured to King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace, where the students had significant free time to explore such things as the King’s apartment, Queen Mary II’s apartment, the kitchens, and then the glorious gardens, including a maze.  The palace is home to “the vine”–a grape vine planted in 1768.

Today was an on-campus day, where the students learned about cricket, fives and squash, among other things.  Tomorrow it’s off to Bath and Stonehenge.