Day 1- Well after spending some extra time at KCI we were off on the first leg of our adventure- the nice thing about our delay is that once we made it to Atlanta all we had to do was find the gate and board (no more long layover)- The overnight flight experience went well for most as many of the students found time to sleep- (I know that I did) We meet Kirsten (our tour director) after we went through passports and customs. That process went well- not a single bag was missing. We then had a nice drive to our hotel and our first tube experience in the heart of rush hour. Good news- we all followed the rules for our tube system. Bad news- we have to be more aggressive getting on and off the tube. The students were amazing considering they were working on poor or no sleep and there were 41 of us- Parents-- you will be happy to know that we made it through day one without losing anyone ;) The students just got a glimpse of London as we walked the streets near Piccadilly Circus- We saw the famous Lyric and Apollo theaters from a distance. We then had dinner in the Soho district. It was a tasty Mediterranean style meal. Great news everyone ate their meals. We then took the tube back to the hotel and are now settling in for the night- Some kids are taking walks, playing cards, working on their journals and some are even already sleeping. Part of the reason the underground was so busy and the downtown was so congested is because the black taxi cabs were on strike. They are protesting the online app for an underground private taxi cab market- Uber.
Day 2- Some of us discovered jet lag and the power of circadian rhythms this morning- I thought I was doing well by getting downstairs at 5:30 am to do a little reading and I was greeted by a lobby full of the guys that had been up since three and four unable to sleep due to changing time zones. I do not think that we will have that problem tonight. We had a long and productive day.
We started with an overview bus tour of the city making lots of stops and learning lots about the city and the culture. Highlights included viewing the massive park system- including Hyde Park that is just around the corner from the hotel. We were able to walk about the area that overviews the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. In fact- one of our group pictures is in front of the Tower Bridge- the bus driver even drove us across the bridge. We saw the new modern London Bridge- pretty basic bridge but complete with really cool concrete spikes. These spikes represent the spikes from ancient times that use to hold the heads of those who faced capital punishment and were meant to warn those coming into the city that London did not mess around with criminals or strangers. We learned lots about the royals and the slang of the British.
We saw the sight where London used to hold public executions (they could hang up to 24 people at a time) It was very interesting that the last public execution was in 1880's. They did not stop the executions due to moral outrage --they stopped the executions due to the fact that the neighborhood was sick of the crowds and the noise. The executions drew crowds of 200,000 people. The neighborhood were sick of people camping in their yards and walking through their gardens ruining their cabbage.
Another interesting stop for us was the park outside of the bell tower that holds Big Ben. We saw the famous statue of Winston Churchill placed in Parliament Square and located on the spot that he said would one day hold his statue. (guess he was humble in some respects though as his grave is at his family’s plot- he asked not be buried in Westminster Abbey although there was a desire by many in the country to have that him buried there). One problem with the location of the statue is that it would attract pigeons that might relieve themselves on his head (insert joke here) ——so when the statue was placed in the square it was equipped with an electric wire which was lodged in his head to keep the pigeons from sitting on his head. We also got to see some young horses in training for the queen. They have specialized training prior to being allowed to draw her carriage. One last fun fact- we passed a pub called the Mad Hatter. The building was once used as factory for felt hats. It was common to use chemicals that are considered dangerous today---so it had a huge impact on the workers (mad as a hatter). After all this we caught the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I think the students enjoyed the morning exploration. We then visited Windsor for lunch and after which we visited the Palace. This is an amazing site. After dinner we caught the London Eye and walked the south bank of the river for a while. I could certainly go on but I need to go to bed. Talk to you later
David R. Platt
Day 3- A couple of weeks ago I reminded students that we would need to be ready to walk- well today was that day. We started off taking the tube to the British Museum- The students then had a couple of hours to explore the place (today's group picture comes from the steps in front of the museum)- While we were venturing inside Conrad was off to the visit family friends (Kirsten our TD got him off to the train station while we explored)- The students had a chance to see all kinds of stuff including the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles which were part of the Parthenon from Athens (long story of how they got there and how the Greeks want them back)- mummies of people and animals (cats, falcons, calves and even a baboon), and so much more- Many of the students enjoyed the room of Enlightenment. There are so many galleries and so much stuff that it is impossible to list it all. Needless to say most kids took advantage of the full two and a half hours- some even toured through their lunch.
After the Museum we headed to the British Library-This again is a huge place (might just be the largest library in the world) They have an interesting way of filing books- They do have themed reading rooms with works from certain topics----but all other books are shelved not in themes but by size because of storage issues- the complex is huge- we got to see the automated checkout system and it is run like luggage at an airport- This library also requires it users to be over 18 -but all of our students got to go in the over 18 reading rooms- The Library also has a number of speciality documents in a special room- our kids saw original letters from the likes of Napoleon, Captain Cook, and Darwin- They saw the journals of Cook, de Vinci and Scott (the explorer that died while trying to return from the South Pole). They saw one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta. They saw an original Gutenberg Bible. They saw notes and rough drafts of the Beatles. Needless to say there was some cool stuff-
After the Library we walked down the road to Kings Cross Station- Here some of the kids took pictures at Platform 9 3/4- For those of you that don't know that is a site from the Harry Potter books- After we took our pictures we then ventured down to Camden Lock via a trail along an old canal route- The walk was pretty and relaxing- Camden Lock is an area of town of markets in an arts / counter culture area- Needless to say our touring today was all over the map in terms of the London that we are seeing-
We took the tube to Saint Paul's to eat at a local pub- Tonights dinner was traditional fish and chips- The students did a great job in trying and eating their meals here- The fish was really good- After dinner started our fright night event- Being “Friday the 13th” the students were introduced to the mystery of Jack the Ripper- We split the group as we had two different guides- They took us around the old sections of town (many of these were destroyed during the bombs of WW2) and discussed the case and explained the history of the times- Many people have theories about what happened but to this
day no one knows for sure what happened- As you can tell we jammed a lot into the day- and by the time we got back to the hotel it was after 11:00- As soon as I finish these notes I am going to go to bed-
Have a great day and weekend!
David R. Platt
Day 4- Reaching New Heights and Lost and Found
Another busy great day- I cannot say enough about how well these students are doing on tour- Today was another great example- We hit the road/tube early today to make it to the Tate Modern by opening- In fact we got there early and went to a tube stop further than we should have so that Kirsten could take then through a new section of town and a nice twenty minute walk that included a walk through a farmers market- For those of you that don't know the Tate Modern is a collection of modern art that was placed in a rebuilt Power Plant in about 1983- It is one of if not the world's largest modern art collections- It also surprised many students in its appeal- Several students mentioned that they wish we could have stayed longer-
Our second stop was St Paul's Cathedral- It was rebuilt in its present form after the great fire of 1666 under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren- It features a huge dome that has over 500 steps to reach the top- (the kids that climbed to the top walked well over 1000 stairs today)- This is the first time I have ever been to the top of the dome- It was well worth the climb- We saw our first bit of rain today while we were on the roof- One of my favorite features of the church is the back chapel which is dedicated to the American service men that gave their lives during WW2- It is a miracle that this church survived the German bombing runs of the second world war- We heard some of the stories about the bombing on the audio tour- amazing-
After the Church we had short time for lunch which was picnic style on the church steps- We then ventured to the Tower of London for a three hour stint- Most visited the crown jewels, the white tower, the torture chambers and checked out the Ravens- The story goes that when the Ravens no longer occupy the Tower that either the Monarchy will fail- I took a Beefeater tour and learned several of the sad stories of the tower - which included the fate of the two young sons of King Edward and a couple of the wives of King Henry VIII-
After the tower we had dinner next door and headed to our play at the Globe- The performance was called the "Fall of Troy" It was fantastic for a couple of reasons- 1- a student had missed a train and figured out how to get back 2- A couple of kids got left in the restroom at the restaurant when we left to the play in a hurry and they made it on their own- Proud moments on both counts and loads of confidence to our student problem solvers- While we were at dinner the kids were nice enough to order a birthday cake and sing happy birthday to guide me into another year-
Thanks again for reading and letting your kids travel with us-
Todays picture is from outside of the Tower of London
David R Platt
Day 5
We have learned lots of new vocal on this trip-
Zebra crossing (pronounced zeb---bra) it is a cross walk- the only place the pedestrian has the right away
Coach v Bus- bus is within a city a coach is from city to city
Tube/Undergound- subway
Boris Bikes- The pay bike stations sponsored by Barclays bank but known by the name of the Mayor of London
much to the banks dismay
Beefeaters- guards at the tower of london/ no one knows where the names comes from
loo- restroom
ramblers- hikers
Fun Facts-
Many of the City's Royal Parks were once Royal Hunting grounds
There are no commercial vehicles allowed outside Buckingham Palace (the royals did not to show favoritism to businesses)
Florence Nightingale helped to revolutionize nursing by requiring them to be sober
To serve as a Beefeater you have to have served 22 years in the military service
There are very few public trash cans due to the terrorism of the 1970s and 1980s with the IRA
Today's notes
Today we work up early for a road trip to Bath- This town is one of the World Heritage Sites as recognized by UNESCO. On our way to the Bath we stopped for the coach driver to take a break- I just happened to run into a friend that I have not seen for about five or six years- A small world moment! We did a brief tour of the city and saw two interesting buildings that are outstanding examples of architecture as the buildings represent the sun and the moon- Our students then had the chance to tour the ancient Roman Baths- This is a huge archeological dig site that uncovered the ruins of the baths from the time period of Roman occupation- We also had lunch in this area- the area is known for its pasties (a handheld chicken potpie)-
After lunch we drove over to Stonehenge- This is where our group photo was taken today- We heard a number of crazy theories
that involved wizards, monsters and more --- and then some of the more sound theories involving ancestor worship, spiritual center, fertility center, astrological clock (for growing seasons/or other stuff) and a health center for the bronze age- When we arrived back to the city we ran around Covent Garden and saw some of the street performers outside of Punch and Judy's. Then we celebrated Ryan's birthday and we learned one more british traditions the “bumps"- This is when the birthday kid is thrown in the air by his friends for each year of his life- They do catch him each time- Of course Ryan's count was 18- Happy Birthday Ryan-
Good Night-
David R. Platt
Day 6- Last Full Day in London
It is hard to believe that this trip is coming to an end- I really need to thank Ms Perkins, Ms Schrag, and Ms Hierl for all of the work they did on tour and in preparation for the tour to make the experience so smooth for all of those involved- Of course our TD- Kirsten Smith was outstanding as well and made this experience for everyone- Also thanks to all the parents and families that were supportive of making this event/journey occur- Before I get started in the day events I just want to point out that we will get photo contest winners to you after we get back- Ms Perkins will be judging tuesday during our return home-
Today we started out with a tour of Westminster Abbey- It was a little confusing at first but once we got moving around inside we had a better feel for the place- It is huge on the inside and packed to the gill with people living and dead- (Kings, Queens, famous scientists such as Darwin and Newton and many more) The most impressive tomb was one given to the unknown warrior- an unidentified solider from World War One. The tomb was front and center in the church surrounded by poppies- The church was also filled with stuff---lots of it- This is the first time I have ever been inside this particular church so it was all a bit overwhelming- after the tour one of the students recreated a photo that her mother had done on her first time to England a few years back when she had been around 13- that was cool- We then took our group photo in front of Big Ben's bell tower- It is not the best photo of the bunch because of the shadows- I will try and fix it when I get home-
Speaking of home we get back on Tuesday--- Unless there is a delay you can pick up your daughter or son at 4:30 in KCI (unless you are related to Nathaniel ---he is staying)
After the Westminster tour we traveled down Whitehall street and took in some of the war memorials as well as taking a peak at #10 Downing street- It is barred off to the public now- I remember the first time I visited London you could walk right by the door and give it a knock- Things have changed with time- We ended up at Trafalgar Square and learned a little bit about Admiral Nelson and some of the stories about the memorial- We also had the chance to visit the National Gallery and checked out some pretty cool stuff including a favorite Van Gogh of mine. Next we had lunch and free time - the students did a number of things and we later meet for dinner at an Indian restaurant call Mela- It was very good- We then caught our second double decker bus of the trip and headed off to catch our West End show "Wicked"- Most of the students really enjoyed this- A few are now packing or watching the USA play in the World Cup- Good Night and see you Tuesday
Thanks
David R. Platt
Day 2- Some of us discovered jet lag and the power of circadian rhythms this morning- I thought I was doing well by getting downstairs at 5:30 am to do a little reading and I was greeted by a lobby full of the guys that had been up since three and four unable to sleep due to changing time zones. I do not think that we will have that problem tonight. We had a long and productive day.
We started with an overview bus tour of the city making lots of stops and learning lots about the city and the culture. Highlights included viewing the massive park system- including Hyde Park that is just around the corner from the hotel. We were able to walk about the area that overviews the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. In fact- one of our group pictures is in front of the Tower Bridge- the bus driver even drove us across the bridge. We saw the new modern London Bridge- pretty basic bridge but complete with really cool concrete spikes. These spikes represent the spikes from ancient times that use to hold the heads of those who faced capital punishment and were meant to warn those coming into the city that London did not mess around with criminals or strangers. We learned lots about the royals and the slang of the British.
We saw the sight where London used to hold public executions (they could hang up to 24 people at a time) It was very interesting that the last public execution was in 1880's. They did not stop the executions due to moral outrage --they stopped the executions due to the fact that the neighborhood was sick of the crowds and the noise. The executions drew crowds of 200,000 people. The neighborhood were sick of people camping in their yards and walking through their gardens ruining their cabbage.
Another interesting stop for us was the park outside of the bell tower that holds Big Ben. We saw the famous statue of Winston Churchill placed in Parliament Square and located on the spot that he said would one day hold his statue. (guess he was humble in some respects though as his grave is at his family’s plot- he asked not be buried in Westminster Abbey although there was a desire by many in the country to have that him buried there). One problem with the location of the statue is that it would attract pigeons that might relieve themselves on his head (insert joke here) ——so when the statue was placed in the square it was equipped with an electric wire which was lodged in his head to keep the pigeons from sitting on his head. We also got to see some young horses in training for the queen. They have specialized training prior to being allowed to draw her carriage. One last fun fact- we passed a pub called the Mad Hatter. The building was once used as factory for felt hats. It was common to use chemicals that are considered dangerous today---so it had a huge impact on the workers (mad as a hatter). After all this we caught the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. I think the students enjoyed the morning exploration. We then visited Windsor for lunch and after which we visited the Palace. This is an amazing site. After dinner we caught the London Eye and walked the south bank of the river for a while. I could certainly go on but I need to go to bed. Talk to you later
David R. Platt
Day 3- A couple of weeks ago I reminded students that we would need to be ready to walk- well today was that day. We started off taking the tube to the British Museum- The students then had a couple of hours to explore the place (today's group picture comes from the steps in front of the museum)- While we were venturing inside Conrad was off to the visit family friends (Kirsten our TD got him off to the train station while we explored)- The students had a chance to see all kinds of stuff including the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles which were part of the Parthenon from Athens (long story of how they got there and how the Greeks want them back)- mummies of people and animals (cats, falcons, calves and even a baboon), and so much more- Many of the students enjoyed the room of Enlightenment. There are so many galleries and so much stuff that it is impossible to list it all. Needless to say most kids took advantage of the full two and a half hours- some even toured through their lunch.
After the Museum we headed to the British Library-This again is a huge place (might just be the largest library in the world) They have an interesting way of filing books- They do have themed reading rooms with works from certain topics----but all other books are shelved not in themes but by size because of storage issues- the complex is huge- we got to see the automated checkout system and it is run like luggage at an airport- This library also requires it users to be over 18 -but all of our students got to go in the over 18 reading rooms- The Library also has a number of speciality documents in a special room- our kids saw original letters from the likes of Napoleon, Captain Cook, and Darwin- They saw the journals of Cook, de Vinci and Scott (the explorer that died while trying to return from the South Pole). They saw one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta. They saw an original Gutenberg Bible. They saw notes and rough drafts of the Beatles. Needless to say there was some cool stuff-
After the Library we walked down the road to Kings Cross Station- Here some of the kids took pictures at Platform 9 3/4- For those of you that don't know that is a site from the Harry Potter books- After we took our pictures we then ventured down to Camden Lock via a trail along an old canal route- The walk was pretty and relaxing- Camden Lock is an area of town of markets in an arts / counter culture area- Needless to say our touring today was all over the map in terms of the London that we are seeing-
We took the tube to Saint Paul's to eat at a local pub- Tonights dinner was traditional fish and chips- The students did a great job in trying and eating their meals here- The fish was really good- After dinner started our fright night event- Being “Friday the 13th” the students were introduced to the mystery of Jack the Ripper- We split the group as we had two different guides- They took us around the old sections of town (many of these were destroyed during the bombs of WW2) and discussed the case and explained the history of the times- Many people have theories about what happened but to this
day no one knows for sure what happened- As you can tell we jammed a lot into the day- and by the time we got back to the hotel it was after 11:00- As soon as I finish these notes I am going to go to bed-
Have a great day and weekend!
David R. Platt
Day 4- Reaching New Heights and Lost and Found
Another busy great day- I cannot say enough about how well these students are doing on tour- Today was another great example- We hit the road/tube early today to make it to the Tate Modern by opening- In fact we got there early and went to a tube stop further than we should have so that Kirsten could take then through a new section of town and a nice twenty minute walk that included a walk through a farmers market- For those of you that don't know the Tate Modern is a collection of modern art that was placed in a rebuilt Power Plant in about 1983- It is one of if not the world's largest modern art collections- It also surprised many students in its appeal- Several students mentioned that they wish we could have stayed longer-
Our second stop was St Paul's Cathedral- It was rebuilt in its present form after the great fire of 1666 under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren- It features a huge dome that has over 500 steps to reach the top- (the kids that climbed to the top walked well over 1000 stairs today)- This is the first time I have ever been to the top of the dome- It was well worth the climb- We saw our first bit of rain today while we were on the roof- One of my favorite features of the church is the back chapel which is dedicated to the American service men that gave their lives during WW2- It is a miracle that this church survived the German bombing runs of the second world war- We heard some of the stories about the bombing on the audio tour- amazing-
After the Church we had short time for lunch which was picnic style on the church steps- We then ventured to the Tower of London for a three hour stint- Most visited the crown jewels, the white tower, the torture chambers and checked out the Ravens- The story goes that when the Ravens no longer occupy the Tower that either the Monarchy will fail- I took a Beefeater tour and learned several of the sad stories of the tower - which included the fate of the two young sons of King Edward and a couple of the wives of King Henry VIII-
After the tower we had dinner next door and headed to our play at the Globe- The performance was called the "Fall of Troy" It was fantastic for a couple of reasons- 1- a student had missed a train and figured out how to get back 2- A couple of kids got left in the restroom at the restaurant when we left to the play in a hurry and they made it on their own- Proud moments on both counts and loads of confidence to our student problem solvers- While we were at dinner the kids were nice enough to order a birthday cake and sing happy birthday to guide me into another year-
Thanks again for reading and letting your kids travel with us-
Todays picture is from outside of the Tower of London
David R Platt
Day 5
We have learned lots of new vocal on this trip-
Zebra crossing (pronounced zeb---bra) it is a cross walk- the only place the pedestrian has the right away
Coach v Bus- bus is within a city a coach is from city to city
Tube/Undergound- subway
Boris Bikes- The pay bike stations sponsored by Barclays bank but known by the name of the Mayor of London
much to the banks dismay
Beefeaters- guards at the tower of london/ no one knows where the names comes from
loo- restroom
ramblers- hikers
Fun Facts-
Many of the City's Royal Parks were once Royal Hunting grounds
There are no commercial vehicles allowed outside Buckingham Palace (the royals did not to show favoritism to businesses)
Florence Nightingale helped to revolutionize nursing by requiring them to be sober
To serve as a Beefeater you have to have served 22 years in the military service
There are very few public trash cans due to the terrorism of the 1970s and 1980s with the IRA
Today's notes
Today we work up early for a road trip to Bath- This town is one of the World Heritage Sites as recognized by UNESCO. On our way to the Bath we stopped for the coach driver to take a break- I just happened to run into a friend that I have not seen for about five or six years- A small world moment! We did a brief tour of the city and saw two interesting buildings that are outstanding examples of architecture as the buildings represent the sun and the moon- Our students then had the chance to tour the ancient Roman Baths- This is a huge archeological dig site that uncovered the ruins of the baths from the time period of Roman occupation- We also had lunch in this area- the area is known for its pasties (a handheld chicken potpie)-
After lunch we drove over to Stonehenge- This is where our group photo was taken today- We heard a number of crazy theories
that involved wizards, monsters and more --- and then some of the more sound theories involving ancestor worship, spiritual center, fertility center, astrological clock (for growing seasons/or other stuff) and a health center for the bronze age- When we arrived back to the city we ran around Covent Garden and saw some of the street performers outside of Punch and Judy's. Then we celebrated Ryan's birthday and we learned one more british traditions the “bumps"- This is when the birthday kid is thrown in the air by his friends for each year of his life- They do catch him each time- Of course Ryan's count was 18- Happy Birthday Ryan-
Good Night-
David R. Platt
Day 6- Last Full Day in London
It is hard to believe that this trip is coming to an end- I really need to thank Ms Perkins, Ms Schrag, and Ms Hierl for all of the work they did on tour and in preparation for the tour to make the experience so smooth for all of those involved- Of course our TD- Kirsten Smith was outstanding as well and made this experience for everyone- Also thanks to all the parents and families that were supportive of making this event/journey occur- Before I get started in the day events I just want to point out that we will get photo contest winners to you after we get back- Ms Perkins will be judging tuesday during our return home-
Today we started out with a tour of Westminster Abbey- It was a little confusing at first but once we got moving around inside we had a better feel for the place- It is huge on the inside and packed to the gill with people living and dead- (Kings, Queens, famous scientists such as Darwin and Newton and many more) The most impressive tomb was one given to the unknown warrior- an unidentified solider from World War One. The tomb was front and center in the church surrounded by poppies- The church was also filled with stuff---lots of it- This is the first time I have ever been inside this particular church so it was all a bit overwhelming- after the tour one of the students recreated a photo that her mother had done on her first time to England a few years back when she had been around 13- that was cool- We then took our group photo in front of Big Ben's bell tower- It is not the best photo of the bunch because of the shadows- I will try and fix it when I get home-
Speaking of home we get back on Tuesday--- Unless there is a delay you can pick up your daughter or son at 4:30 in KCI (unless you are related to Nathaniel ---he is staying)
After the Westminster tour we traveled down Whitehall street and took in some of the war memorials as well as taking a peak at #10 Downing street- It is barred off to the public now- I remember the first time I visited London you could walk right by the door and give it a knock- Things have changed with time- We ended up at Trafalgar Square and learned a little bit about Admiral Nelson and some of the stories about the memorial- We also had the chance to visit the National Gallery and checked out some pretty cool stuff including a favorite Van Gogh of mine. Next we had lunch and free time - the students did a number of things and we later meet for dinner at an Indian restaurant call Mela- It was very good- We then caught our second double decker bus of the trip and headed off to catch our West End show "Wicked"- Most of the students really enjoyed this- A few are now packing or watching the USA play in the World Cup- Good Night and see you Tuesday
Thanks
David R. Platt