Today was Tube Rally day (a.k.a. scavenger hunt all of London using the Tube). Even though I feel like we easily walked 10 miles today, we were able to see some of the most famous and beautiful sights in London. It was a very long day! We began at 8 a.m., and my group arrived at the finish line at 3:32 p.m. with 28 minutes to spare. We were given a list of places to go, take pictures in front of and answer questions about specific things we saw. AND 1st, 2nd and 3rd place actually win prize money!! I'll let you know what place my group (the ThunderCats YEAH!) takes :)
Places we traveled to:
Harrods: So huge! They have literally everything. Personal favorite, the amazing Confectionary Section!
Piccadilly Circus
Trafalgar Square: 188 days until the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics...that's what the Olympic countdown timer said today. So far this has been the most impressive square by far! It's so grand looking! Not to mention the National Portrait Gallery at one end and a beautiful view of Big Ben on the other.
Buckingham Palace: Classic.
Whitehall: I found out today this is the equivalent of the White House to us. It's where the Prime Minister lives.
Westminster Houses of Parliament: Breathtaking architecture! Standing in front of this massive building was overwhelming.
Jubilee Walkway: lots of street performers
Covent Gardens: used to be called "Convent Gardens" because the monks owned it!
British Museum: as I said before, so gigantic! I am so excited to actually spend time walking through all the galleries.
Royal Court of Justice
St. Paul's Cathedral: this is where the Occupy London protesters are camped out. Witnessed a protester being interviewed by a London television news station. The church is absolutely beautiful, of course.
Here are a few pictures from the day! :)
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| Standing in front of Buckingham Palace, and yes, the Queen was in the house! |
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| Found this little place today. There's a little bit of home everywhere :) |
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| BIG BEN |
While rushing onto the Tube (the beeping noise was going off indicating the doors were about to shut), Diana, a girl in our group, squeezed through in the last minute but her purse got caught in the doors!! Remember, this is very dangerous. Naturally Caleb, another group member, begins to pull and try to free her. The words that came from Diana: "Well, this is awkward." Of course, I'm freaking out, because I know she is stuck, and I can't believe that's what she says! I'm thinking, "No, this is terrifying!" A few seconds later she is free from the doors, perfectly calm, and I'm laughing at her choice to deem the situation awkward. HAHA! I laughed the entire tube ride to our next stop! I'll have to remember that response IF I ever get caught in the tube doors :)
Great day! Ended with a dinner of Fish & Chips.
Sounds so fun!!
ReplyDeleteCourtney,
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for everything that you're going to see while in London. And trust me, I'm as equally jealous. While I'm basking in the fluorescent lights of Early High School 8 hours a day, I will be thinking of you, Anna, and Whitney as you are embarking on a truly life changing experience! Enjoy!
Hey, Courtney!
ReplyDeleteGreat blogging! Glad you are so excited. Here's a bit of trivia. The Texas Embassy restaurant was started by a Brownwood native and Howard Payne University alumnus -- Gene Street '63 -- who also started the Black Eyed Pea, Good Eats, owned Spaghetti Warehouse and numerous other rather famous restaurants. The Texas Embassy, located in a bank building constructed in 1906 on the famous Trafalgar Square, was once touted as the largest Tex-Mex restaurant in Europe. At the time he built the restaurant (circa 1994), he had all the furnishings shipped from Texas. We miss you but so happy you are have a wonderful experience. Louise