the trip

the whole trip was awsome I don't have any complaints windsurfing was fun and the frog legs were yummy I remember nora had a hard time eating the snails. and I also liked the squid and snails.
-Michelle- :)

Our First Evening in London

After the Tower of London, we went to take a ride on the London Eye. The London Eye is the most sought out tourist attraction in the world. You can see for 25 miles from the top! Many think it is a ferris wheel, but it's not. There are 3 main differences: 1) it has enclosed carts, where a ferris wheels carts are open-airred. 2) A-framed and 3) Cabins are on the exterior of the structure, where a ferris wheels carts hang in the structure. (I found this interesting..don't make fun of me!) The views from the top were awesome! You could see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parliament, and much more! After the London Eye, there was a 4-D video on it. I had no idea how many movies used the London Eye in particular scenes! It was great!

After our ride, we had dinner and attended a show in the West End of London (like NYC's Broadway)! We saw WICKED! It was a great show!

Now it's off to bed to prepare for a busy day as a London spy! We're so excited!

-Amy W.

Alexa and Michelle on the London Eye
Ben, Nora, me, and Daniel on the London Eye
The London Eye!
House of Parliament and Big Ben!
London Eye!

Our First Day in London - PM

TOWER OF LONDON

After lunch, we went of the Tower of London. This historic building with steep stairs and narrow passageways held many famous prisoners in its thousand-year history. In the infamous Bloody Tower, the murder of the "Little Princes" took place. (There are a few suspects, but the incident is still a mystery!) The Tower of London served as a prison, but also a luxurious royal home. The girls were most excited that the crown jewels are kept at the Tower of London. We saw the Queen's crowns dating back hundreds of years ago. Did you know the Queen's coronation robe weighs over twenty pounds?! We got a change to take a look! At Tower of London, we also saw guards, ancient torture devices, and the Tower ravens. Legend has is that Charles II was told that if the ravens left the Tower, the kingdom would fall. Just in care, the Ravenmaster keeps a close eye on the caged Ravens and the others get their wings clipped so they can't fly away!

Raven cages
Tower of London guard
CT group in front of the Tower of London
Our group!

-Amy W

Our First day in London - AM

London is great! There is so much to see! We crammed as much as we possibly could into one day! We dropped off our bags at the hotel and then headed to Lee Valley Regional Park where the white water rafting games of the 2012 Olympics will be held! We learned about the water quality in the area. Our community service project was to help clear our overgrown shrubbery and grasses in the area outside the rapid center which will be used for ticketing and admission to the Olympics! They informed us that after the Olympics, the area will be converted into grassland and will be carefully preserved by the park staff. Derrek (park manager) didn’t think we would fill his truck, but he sure was wrong! We made steady progress and removed about 3 trucks worth of overgrown materials. It was a productive morning! We left the park after completing our work and had a tradional English lunch of fish and chips at an adorable restaurant called The Minories. Some of the kids were weary because they aren’t too “keen” on fish, but they all loved this meal! Yum! Now, off to the Tower of London and a ride on the London Eye this afternoon!

The Minories
Michelle and Alexa waiting to eat!
Our group at Lee Valley Regional Park, site of the 2012 Olympic games
Miles and Daniel.. hard at work!

-Amy W

Our First Day in London!

We arrived in London a bit sleepy still after the overnight sleeper train ride. On our way to the hotel, Matt pointed out the site of the 2012 Olympic games! The tents/arenas were huge! After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we ventured to Lee Valley Regional Park where we would complete our community service. We were asked to help remove weeds and unwanted shrubbery from the park. They will be clearing it out and use the space for ticketing for the 2012 water reafting events. Following the Olympic games, they plan to preserve the area as a grassland. It was truly inspiring to see all of us come together to help London prepare for the Olympic games!

-Amy Warren

Over Night Train from Glasgow to London

The over night train was such a great experience! Although it was hot at first, once we got moving the AC kicked on! Rooms were tiny but we traveled 343 miles while sleeping! Traveling this way let us have a whole day in London, rather than spending all that time on the bus. It was a bit cramped on the overnight train, but we appreciated the experience!

-Amy W.

Scotland photos continued..

Isle of Cumbrae
Our group!
Caitlyn, Ben, Carileigh, and Alexa
Michelle can windsurf!

-Amy W