On
Monday, after a restful Sunday, we took our much anticipated, first of three
trips to London. Everyone was up and
ready to go early in the morning. After
breakfast, we quickly made our way to the train station of Oxford only to find
that our train to London had been cancelled due to signal issues down the line.
Luckily, we were able to find another train, which would get us to London via a
different line, but also had multiple stops along the way as well as a very
crowded ride. Eventually, we arrived at Marylebone Station in London somewhere around 11 am, leaving plenty of time to see the city. From the train, we moved to the “zoo” that is the “London Tube”. We were all a bit overwhelmed by the fast pace at which everyone traveled, but we were able to maneuver this
underground system in a timely manner thanks to Mr. Kendall. At Victoria Station we climbed aboard the famous city bus “#11.” This city bus is known for its route, which
travels through the heart of London and past some of the famous attractions.
The bus was a double decker, of course, so we all had great views of Westminster
Abbey, Big Ben and the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral. We then transferred to the Dockland Light
Rail for the trip to Greenwich Observatory and to see the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is the division between the
western and eastern hemispheres. Along with the direct line of the split there
was also an exhibit at the nearby National Maritime Museum called the “The Quest
for Longitude.” This exhibit displayed numerous objects that were used to measure
longitude and latitude back in the day, many of which were very interesting.
From the museum we walked to the ferry. The
ferry took us up the Thames River and along the way we were able to see more of
the sights, such as the London Eye, the Monument to the Great Fire of London
and the Tower of London. After getting
off the boat we walked to the Covent Garden, a district in London which was formally
the main flower and fruit market and now a popular shopping and dining
site. We split into groups and went to local
restaurants around the area to eat; some of us going to TGI Fridays for a
little taste of America and others to places specializing in “fish and chips.”
After dinner we went to a play called Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which was
actually a great production and very funny. After a very long
and fun day we went back to the underground subway, and then returned by train
to Oxford.
Talfourd Wharton
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In the London Tube.
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Chris and William enjoy view on double decker bus. |
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View of Trafalgar Square |
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Picnic lunch at Greenwich Observatory. |
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Blog author enjoys view of London from Greenwich Observatory. |
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William inspects view from early telescope in the Greenwich Observatory.
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Tour boat on River Thames. |
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The Tower of London. |
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Our play at the Savoy Theatre.
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Return to Paddington Station via the Bakerloo Line. |
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