Parliament
I personally used it to see more of the city. One of the things I did during this time was a tour of Parliament. I am a huge government/politics buff, so this was a must for me. On the tour, I was able to go through the entire building, seeing the House of Commons, the House of Lords, as well as the chambers and halls in between. The tour guide discussed the history of the building, the Parliament, and its relationship to the kings/queens of the past few centuries. Overall, it was an amazing experience that I couldn't pass up.
Dublin
Early Saturday morning, seven of us dragged ourselves out of bed in order to make it to the airport in time for a 6:30 flight to Dublin. Needless to say, we were all pretty exhausted, but after dropping our things off at our hostel, we stopped for a traditional Irish breakfast of eggs, sausage, beans, bacon, and toast. After breakfast, we did a lot of other shopping and sightseeing, but the stop I was most excited about was the Guinness Storehouse. The inside of the building is shaped like a giant pint glass, and as we made our way upstairs we learned about the history of Guinness and the brewing process. A couple of us even stopped to learn to pour the perfect pint, which was pretty awesome, before making our way to see the amazing views from the gravity bar at the top of the building. Between all of the sightseeing we tried to squeeze in and our crazy flight times, we were all pretty exhausted, but Dublin was totally worth it!
-Marissa Wynn
Covenant Gardens and other experiences
To read about Nicole McCormick's experiences in London, check out her blog here.
Wimbledon
My favorite part of our trip to London was my visit to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which is the site of the famous Wimbledon tournament. Austin and I had the chance to go on a tour of Centre Court, the No. 1 Court, the press room, and the Millennium Building. It was really neat because we got to see the groundskeepers preparing the courts for the tournament next month. The most interesting part of the tour was the wide variety of countries that the tourists were from. There were visitors from the Unites States, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Argentina. It showed how the game of tennis really is an international sport. As the tour guide spoke of the former winners of Wimbledon, it seemed that each country had their own hero they identified with (although he emphasized the fact that the U.K. is still waiting for their first Wimbledon champion in 75 years). The fact that tennis is such a global sport is one of the reasons why I love the game so much and I’m so thrilled that I had the opportunity to see the game’s ultimate arena first-hand. I can definitely say that when I watch the tournament next month I will not view it the same now that I’ve been on the grounds.
-Lesley Ferkinhoff
Some students also had the opportunity to take salsa and swing dance lessons in the hotel at night. We also had a spa/sauna at our disposal, so that was hit up on a regular basis as well.
Monday night, many students journeyed over to Her Majesty's Theater to see a production of Phantom of the Opera - which was incredible!
Overall, these free days were used to allow students to see and learn about things that pertained to their own interests. Whether it be a brewery, the government, or dancing, every student was able to gain a cultural experience they couldn't experience anywhere else.
Tomorrow brings our London company visits as well as our final day in the city. London has been terrific and tomorrow should be no different.
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