I’m just checking in today with a really brief post to share a cool experience that we had this morning! Mrs. Young and I (Sarah) were out for a morning run while the students were in class, and had stopped near Charing Cross trying to find the Novello Theatre to pick up tickets for Mamma Mia, which a number of students are attending this evening. As we were looking at the map, a couple ran by us and stopped to ask if we needed directions. After talking to the couple for a few minutes, we both realized how familiar the man looked and Mrs. Young asked him “do I know you?”. The couple turned out to be Phil Keoghan, the host of the Amazing Race, and his wife! This morning we’d both decided to make this our first technology-free run and we’re now kicking ourselves for not having a camera. We came back with play tickets in hand and a great story though! Phil introduced us to his wife, and both seemed genuinely interested in hearing about the program and our time in London. A lovely couple, and a lovely morning run.
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
Celebrity Sighting
Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Monday, 7 July 2014
Watching the Tour de France from the Mall!
Picture of the day – taken at the site of the Tour de France, in front of the Buckingham Palace and Victoria Fountain. Note the spectator “mooning” the riders in the top left corner.
Sorry for missing a post yesterday – we spent the whole day on the Big Bus Tour. Students spent the day with friends exploring the city and getting a feel for the different pockets of London.
Today was an extremely exciting and once-in-a-lifetime event, as the Tour de France’s third leg ended in London! After today, they’re crossing to France and culminating their journey in Paris towards the end of the month, but many of us were lucky to watch them come down the Mall towards the finish line. There was a bit of rain while we held our spots at the barricade and waited for the riders, but the clouds cleared as they approached the finish line and some great pictures and videos came out of the experience. Other students explored the National Gallery, went shopping or revisited areas they didn’t have time to fully experience yesterday on the Big Bus Tour.
This evening, many of us attended a performance of 39 Steps in Piccadilly Circus. The show was an adaption of a novel by John Buchan and a subsequent movie by Alfred Hitchcock. The play was more of a comedy, described as a cross between “Monty Python and Alfred Hitchcock”. Many of us enjoyed the various Hitchcockian references, pulling from his movies such as Psycho, Vertigo and The Man Who Knew Too Much.
Tomorrow we have class in the morning and some of the students are visiting the Warner Brothers Studio for a tour of the making of Harry Potter! We have quite a few fans in the group, and it should be a fun day!
Saturday, 5 July 2014
Friday Night and Saturday in London!
binoculars for rent at every seat.
Last night the group all headed to the Globe Theatre and thoroughly enjoyed
watching Julius Caesar. Audience interaction was huge in the show, and many
of the students remarked afterwards how fun it was standing among the actors
that played villagers and supporting roles.
After a full morning of class today (Saturday), the group split up for
various afternoon activities. The teachers and some of the students headed
back across the river near the Globe Theatre to watch Wimbledon's ladies
finals match. Other students chose to revisit Covent Garden, explore the
British Museum, and shop on Oxford Street. About half of the group met up
tonight to watch the English National Ballet School's year end performance,
and were blown away by the talent of the 20 dancers on stage. The show was a
mix of traditional ballet and more contemporary dance, and we were all
amazed by the dancers' versatility and talent. One of the students on our
trip, Shannon Brown, is friends with a girl who attended the school, and
filled us in on the selection process for the prestigious group of 80 at the
school.
Tomorrow is our Big Bus tour, and will have most of the group splitting up
(into their groups of three or more!) to visit the sights and explore as
much of London as possible.
Pictures from the Airport
Friday, 4 July 2014
Thursday, 3 July 2014
A Successful First Day in London!
group arrived in London this morning and is winding down our first day.
After our bus transfer to downtown London, the group checked into our UCL
residence rooms and left for a walking tour. Highlights the groups saw
include: Oxford Street, Leicester Square, the West End Theatre District and
Covent Garden. The 50 of us were entertained with opera singers, buskers,
open-air markets, and trying to capture as many pictures of the sights as
possible. The group has a free evening tonight to continue exploring the
area surrounding the residence and revisit any exciting sights they passed
today. Tomorrow is our first day of classes, followed by an afternoon with
some exploration of the British Museum, followed by a performance of Julius
Caesar at the Globe Theatre. In true Shakespearean spirit, we will be
standing in the "pit", where for a penny the "groundlings" (the nickname
given to those who stood in the pit) would buy access to stand and watch the
performance!
The group has also been excitedly following Wimbledon and were extremely
excited to hear about Eugenie Bouchard (a Canadian only a few years older
than the students) winning her semi-final match this afternoon! London sets
up large screens in parks around the city for public viewing and we are
planning to watch her play in the finals on Saturday. Eugenie is Canada's
first ever women's singles Wimbledon finalist, and the group is excited to
show their Canadian pride and cheer her on!
Attached is a picture of some of our students posing with the iconic red
telephone booth outside Covent Garden.
Until next time!