Woodberry at Oxford 2014: Day 9, Monday, July 14

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