Last Day in London

     When planning our trip, we wanted one last day in London at the end of the journey to catch anything we might have missed.  Our first couple of days in London went by like a blur, and we wanted one last day to take it all in and not feel the need to hurry around.  We also needed time for shopping!  So we began Monday morning at Westminster Abbey.  This is the place where monarchs are crowned and many are buried, such as Elizabeth I and her sister Mary, Henry VII, and Edward VI.  Last year, this was the site for the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  The famous Coronation chair (also known as King Edward's Chair) is on display, which has held monarchs since 1308 - even the most recent, Queen Elizabeth II, who just celebrated her Diamond Jubilee this month.  There is an area of the Abbey called the Poet's Corner where famous poets are buried, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, and Lord Alfred Tennyson.  The stained glass windows are huge and incredible, especially since the sun was shining through on our visit.  All of this amazing history and beauty in one place and they request that you not take photos while in the Abbey :(   But they do encourage you to browse their gift shop where pictures can be purchased ;)
     From Westminster Abbey we took our favorite transport, the underground, out to finally see Olympic Park.  With the Olympics just weeks away, there is non-stop construction going on at the complex which prevents people from being able to tour the area.  They have set up an observation level and Olympic souvenir shop on the top floor of a department store about 100-yards away, so people may take photos and purchase items, which we did :)  You are able to see the outside of the stadium, aquatic center, and a large, red sculpture/observation structure which serves as the focal point of the complex.
     After leaving Olympic Park, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the shops along Regent Street and at Picadilly Circus.  We were on hunt for just the right souvenirs for ourselves and our families to remember this amazing adventure!  We felt as if we had walked half of London - we shopped till we dropped!  Hands filled with packages, we headed to our hotel to drop off packages and put our feet up for a short time before heading out again.  This was our last night in London and we wanted to see the skyline at night along the Thames River.  We were not disappointed with the view - clear night with beautiful sights :)
     This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us and one we will never forget.  Fund for Teachers  made this adventure possible for these two teachers from Oklahoma, and we will be able to share this experience with our students.  We are also thrilled to be able to continue our partnership with Bourton Meadow Academy for our students in the future.

Mrs. Jackson outside Westminster Abbey

2012 Olympic Park

Orbit Tower - designed by A. Kapoor and C. Balmond

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II made out of Jelly Bellies

Westminster Abbey

London Eye on the River Thames at night

Big Ben / Parliament in lights

Big Ben all lit up

Window at Westminster

Construction camp at Olympic Park

Weekend in the English countryside

       Saturday morning we loaded up in Lucy's mini cooper and headed off to Bath.  The views along the way were amazing.  Rolling green hills, sheep grazing, and fields of brilliant red poppies separated by stone walls would just pop up without fail.  We were greeted in Bath by Lucy's sister, Emma.  She lives there and volunteered to be our tour guide.  The atmosphere of Bath is very unique.  It is a place where we felt like we had stepped back in time; very historic and unchanged by time.  The first stop took us to the Royal Crescent, a semi circle of connecting homes overlooking a private lawn for residents. Then we wandered down to the center of the city to the Roman Baths.  The Romans discovered the 3 naturally warm springs and constructed the bath houses around them.  These were built around 2000 years ago and parts of the original construction are still standing.  The Abby built next to the baths was an incredible church.  The wood carvings and stained glass windows were a beautiful sight to see.  Lucy and Emma then took us for afternoon tea and a famous roll at Sally Lunns, which is the oldest house in Bath and was built in 1482.  Unfortunately, our afternoon was cut short due to a proper rain fall.  This was the only time it truly rained hard on us during our trip.
       We quickly loaded back in the mini and traveled just a few miles down the road and stayed at the Rudloe Hall Inn.  This was a beautiful old place in the country that had been converted into a lovely bed and breakfast.  Sunday morning we left  Rudloe Hall and ventured past Lacock, another historic little village where parts of Harry Potter, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility were filmed.  Next stop, Stonehenge.  This is still a site that puzzles everyone.  No one can figure out how the stones got there and what exactly their purpose was.  They believe that the construction of the site began around 3000 BC.  Needless to say, we are very thrilled to have been able to see Stonehenge.  We traveled the motorway back to Milton Keynes, packed all our bags into Lucy's mini (she didn't think it was possible, but we proved her wrong) and headed to the train station back London.
     Sunday evening in London was pretty low key.  We decided it would be fun to take a Jack the Ripper walking tour, very fascinating and very creepy.  We saw some parts of London that were off the beaten path.

Royal Crescent in Bath

View off the Royal Crescent

Famous resident of Bath - Jane Austen / setting for a couple of her novels

Bath Abbey

Part of the Roman Baths

Carved stone from the Roman Baths

the Great Bath in the center of the complex (Bath Abbey in the background)

beautiful nave of Bath Abbey

scenic Pulteney Bridge over the river Avon

Oldest house in Bath is a wonderful, quaint tea room

Rudloe Hall (bed and breakfast we stayed at)

Stonehenge

Cloudy skies over Stonehenge

Time in the school then off to Oxford

     It was a very cold and rainy Friday morning.  We went back to the school to to finish up our activities and to be guest judges for "Bourton Meadows Got Talent".  Circus Mayhem performed by several Year 3 boys (2nd grade) won.  It was CRAZY fun.  1 boy started playing the piano and another one started on the Diablo, then another one joined in juggling.  All this was going on when another boy joined them and started doing gymnastics.  As if this wasn't enough to take in, 2 other boys jumped on stage with them and started hula hooping and dancing.  Good stuff!  We sadly said good bye to our Year 6 friends and teachers and caught a bus to Oxford.  Luck smiled on us as one of the Year 6 teachers, Mrs. Chappenden,  had the day off and wanted to give us a tour because she was a alumni of Oxford.  We feel we are so much smarter just because we walked the same cobble stone streets as C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.  The rainy weather did cooperate with us throughout the day, and we only had occasional light showers but a pretty cool temperature. The architecture of the old colleges leaves you with a feeling of awe and wonder.  We finished our afternoon with a lovely cup of tea before heading back to Milton Keynes.  We were so thankful that Mrs. Chappenden was with us because we saw more sights than the average tourist.  We were able to explore little back alleys, side roads, and even got into her college, Corpus Christie.  Tourist aren't normally able to walk through the  different colleges.  We finished up Friday evening at Lucy Howard's place mapping out our trip for the weekend.

Year 3 - Circus Mayhem

More Circus Mayhem

Year 6 building at Bourton Meadow

Lucy Howard busy at work

Boys playing before school

Mrs. Chappenden on the coach to Oxford

Scenic view at Oxford

Famous bridge at Oxford - Bridge of Sighs

Christ's Church at King's College

Famous pub where C.S. Lewis used to lunch often with friends 

Bourton Meadow Academy

     School visit today - lots of question / answer time with children of different grade levels :)

Their students, who are required to wear uniforms, are very jealous of our kids being able to wear their own clothes - within school guidelines, of course.  They have various questions, but the main topic of conversation for the kids with these two Oklahoma teachers is TORNADOS.  They are fascinated with the idea of tornados, what causes them, what damage do they leave behind, and most of all... why do we live in an area where this natural disaster is such a possibility.  

     As teachers, we enjoy watching their inquisitive minds at work.  But we also value the time we get to spend visiting with the other teachers.  We are able to ask our own questions of them and their curriculum, as well as hear their questions for us.  We both agree that sharing ideas and learning from each other is a valuable tool for any educator.  

     Lucy is preparing another traditional English meal tonight, roast chicken with parsnips, potatoes, and carrots.  Smells yummy.  Last night she fixed bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes w/onion gravy).   It is wonderful spending time with her in her home. 

Entrance to schoolyard 

Teacher friends 

Year 6 classroom

Courtyard area with flower beds and vegetable gardens

Beautiful poppy in the courtyard

Year 6 students with us

London Catch-up on Day 2 & 3

Largest photograph on display of the Queen - put up in honor of her Diamond Jubilee

Trying to stop and catch our breath tonight - just arrived a few hours ago to Milton Keynes, where our host teacher, Lucy Howard, lives.   Since we had learned to "master" the underground tube system in just 2 days, we were confident we could handle the train out of London.  SUCCESS!
     Let's begin with yesterday - we started off the day on the hop-on-hop-off tour bus to get us around town.  We found a booth with cheap theater tickets, so we bought tickets to see a very popular London West End show - Wicked!  Something we looked forward to all day :) Then on to the National Portrait Gallery where we viewed a special gallery dedicated to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and then to the National Gallery to see several amazing works by van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and Degas just to name a few.  It was quite crowded at the galleries because several schools were there on field trips.  After leaving these galleries we headed off to Kensington Palace which was the main residence for Queen Victoria, Princess Diana, and soon to be the residence of William and Kate.  The grounds and gardens are beautiful and the inside held exhibits such as Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee from 1897 and an exhibit displaying a few of Princess Diana's dresses.  From Kensington we went to the famous Harrod's Department Store (too expensive for a couple of teachers from Ok),  then RUSHED back to our hotel to change for the show.  Once again we successfully managed to navigating through the underground tube to the theatre with 2 minutes to spare before curtains up :)  Amazing performance by the cast of Wicked!  After the show we finally made time to stop and eat dinner . . . at 10:45.  Back to the hotel by midnight which is the main reason for the delayed post :)

Kensington Palace

Fun London cab

Aboard the London Eye / Parliament across the Thames River

Olympic countdown clock in Trafalgar Square

Part of the gardens at Kensington Palace

At the Tower of London - Thanks Fund for Teachers!

On the Thames River cruise in front of Tower Bridge - this trip is only possible because of FFT!

Westminster Abbey

     Today's adventure took us to the London Eye by way of the Thames River cruise.  The views from the London Eye were spectacular!  It takes 30 minutes to rotate the entire way around with it never stopping, not even to let you off - just slows down for you.  We walked along the river area, then stopped for a nice lunch at a cafe along the south bank.  Weather here has been beautiful for us, but we hear from Ms. Howard that rain is expected for the next few days of our visit.  We'll keep you posted :)

London Town, Day 1

Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square

Piccadilly Circus area

Thames River and London Eye

Buckingham Palace / Flag flying high and 2 guards on duty shows that the Queen is at home

Houses of Parliament / Big Ben on the Thames River

Palace Gates at Buckingham Palace

We arrived safely in London, Monday morning around 9:30.  We managed to maneuver our way through the underground subway system (with luggage in hand) and found our hotel with no problems. Checked in, quick showers and away we went to catch a double-decker tour bus.  London is a beautiful city with lots of activity to take in.  We hopped off the bus at Buckingham Palace for some pics and a quick snack.  Decided to walk around the "block" to hop back on the bus route, and let's just say London blocks are not equivalent to ours.  Finished up with the bus at Piccadilly Circus; lots of people taking in the action there.  Finally, we enjoyed dinner at a fun little cafe and then surprisingly managed to find the correct underground route back to the hotel.  Even though it is still light outside, our bodies are screaming, "You Must Sleep!"  Hopefully we will enjoy a full nights sleep on our little twin beds, and be ready for another full day tomorrow.  Some pics are posted so you can see some of the fabulous things we saw today.