All Over London Town

Today was another glorious London day - crystal clear blue sunshine, warm but not as hot as yesterday, and just right for a day of traipsing around London and discovering what the city has to offer.  After a hearty  breakfast, Our travelers teamed up and visited a number of great locations today - The British War Museum, Harrod's Department Store, Hyde Park, Baker Street, the British Museum, The Natural History Museum and more!

A perfect day along the Thames

Carolyn, Elspeth and Zoe relax in the Bankside Lobby after a long day of  London exploring

We had our first West End Experience tonight, with a trip to the London production of the Tony Award-winning ONCE..  Our journey there was definitely one to test the mettle of our team - after a beautiful walk across the Millenium Bridge we got to the St. Paul's Underground Station and then hit our first big challenge - - all but two of the entrance turnstiles to get to the very crowded station at rush hour were not operating - it was a crowd control procedure initiated due to escalator repairs in the station.  So we ended up splitting our group in two, with one getting through and going on ahead while a second held back and waited for everyone else to get through the turnstiles.  Thanks to the ever-watchful eyes of our chaperones, everyone finished the short journey on the Tube, got out of the station and found the theatre, and had at least a little time to get a bite to eat before  curtain time!

ONCE A Titan, Always a Titan

Lots of spirited discussion about the show and its pros and cons!  It was a big hit with our more singer -songwriter types, and less so with those who want a traditional romantic happy ending.  It was a  a much easier commute back (including a close-up walk by the exquisite St Paul's Cathedral);

Tomorrow we get to sleep in a little (unless the super-early morning sun wakes us up!) and then participate in  a tour and workshop at Shakespeare's Globe - a reconstruction of the original  16th century home of Shakespeare's greatest theatre creations.  Then in the evening it's the London production of WICKED - a favorite of many of our troupe!

So long until next time!  We are glad London is still standing after our invasion!  To check out a kid-centric take on the trip, look at Stina Rexford's blog at http://www.stinabea.blogspot.co.uk/!