Day 6- 2012 Olympics

On our last day we went on a walking tour and saw where the 2012 Summer Olympics are being held.  It was very interesting to learn about how they build certain buildings just fro specific events.  Some of the buildings are then taken apart and then shipped to other countries, like the basketball arena.  The Wembley arena is the most iconic sporting venues in London. It is the second largest arena, after the Greenwich Arena.  It was very cool to see where the olympics were being held and to learn what had to be done in a specific amount of time.  After the tour we we had some free time and went out and did some shopping, sightseeing, and dining.

Day 5- The British Museum of art and Wicked!

Today we went to the British museum of art.  We learned about the architecture used in roman and egyptian times and the way in which the temples were built.  It was very interesting to learn about the Rosetta stone and all of the writings included on it.  We had some free time after that and later on in the evening we went and saw the play Wicked.  I am not a broadway show person, but I have to say it really blew me away.  I really enjoyed the story behind the good witch and bad witch from the wizard of oz.  

Day 4- The London Tower and Graffiti tour

On the north bank of the Thames river is the London tower.  It was used as a prison and as a royal residence.  Also it is home of the crown jewels.  Few people were executed behind the castles walls.  This is a very historic building and one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions.  In the castle there is also displays of the armor and the weapons warriors used during battle. 

Later that day we went on a walking tour to see graffiti from top street artists. Of them all one who really stuck out with me was one by the name of Banksy.  His graffiti was very unique and different than most of the others.  

Day 3- Stonehenge

Today we traveled almost 3 hours to see Stonehenge.   It is very distinctive and is very popular in british culture.  It is made up of massive stones and lintels in a circular order.  It is a very recognizable monument of Britain.  It is a mystery as to how the stones got to where they are placed being that each one weighs a ton of weight.  

Later that day we went to the Roman Baths.  The hot springs naturally come from the earth.  It was once used as a bathing complex for the romans.  There are over 250,000 gallons of water that pump in there a day.  The public bath was used to eat, relax, and exercise. 

Towards the end of the day we went to Abbey Road, which is the infamous album cover for the Beatles.  

Day 2- The Bus Tour

Today we went on a bus tour all around London! We went to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Windsor Castle and also went on the London eye. The architecture of Westminster Abbey is Gothic and very ornate.  The inside is very intricate and detailed as well.  It was very interesting to see such amazing architecture throughout london as a whole.  

Big Ben isn’t as big as I believed.  Media seems to have portrayed the big ben to be this huge massive tower in the center of London.  Also the tower was not the first thing that was named, Big ben was actually the name of the bell.  Its so cool to see such different buildings and towers etc. as part of London’s history.  Here, in the US we normally are surrounded by suburbs.  It really made you stop and look and take it all in.  

The Windsor Castle, also known as the official home of the Queen, is the largest occupied castle in the world.  It really is like a little town of its own.  The premises are guarded by guards and when you are there it feels like you are almost reliving history.  One fact i thought was very cool was how they hoist a flag up to let the people know when the queen is in her castle.  You would think that they wouldn’t want people to know incase they tried to cause any kind of danger.  

The London Eye was very cool as well.  Breath taking views of the entire city of London once you get up to the top.  The London eye looks like a ferris wheel with average sized glass vestibules around it.  The view of London at night is like looking at a postcard.  

Day 1- The Walking Tour

Our first day in London, we were all exhausted from the plane ride.  We stopped at the hotel to collect ourselves and drop our luggage off, and then began the walking tour of London.  Once we got to the tube we learned about how we would be using this as main transportation for our stay in London.  After a few days, this became rather easy to navigate.  As we reached our destination and as we emerged from underground, the sites were nothing like I’d ever seen!  The people drive on the opposite side of the road.  Instead of looking left to right, we were told to look to the right first.  Even though there were few american cars in London, there were also many other manufacturers that we do not have in America.  Peugot was one big one.  As we walked to streets of London, we came across the infamous red telephone booths.  They aren’t used as telephone booths today, however they are very iconic in London.  Also, the buses were double decker red busses that took people around to each of there destinations.  This too was another main source of transportation while staying in London.  Later that day, we went to the Tate Museum were there was a plethora of modern art.  For dinner we ate authentic Indian cuisine, curry chicken with spicy potatoes and rice.  After, we all went back to the hotel and got ready for bed, since we hadn’t slept in just about two days!  There was so much to take in on our first day in London.