Parliament and Big Ben

Parliament and Big Ben
Viewed from The London Eye

Friday, July 15, 2011

Students in Spain, Greenwich, Southbank, and new foods

The majority of the students went to Spain this weekend. Laura's cousin lives in Madrid and they are visiting her and then going to the beaches in Valencia. Sounds nice, right?! Two students stayed behind--their travel plans are to Germany and France later this month.

So, Luke and Andy joined my family for a day trip to Greenwich.  We spent some time in the Greenwich museum getting an overview of the area. There were many interactive exhibits including armor to try on. It was heavy and hot and almost impossible to see out.

Trying on armor


Then we made the trek up up up to the Royal Observatory.  Since 1884, time has been measured for the world at the Royal Observatory and we stood on the Prime Meridian! The Royal Observatory sits on top of a hill that overlooks London. The views were amazing since it was such a beautiful day.



We stopped at a cafe attached to a small museum and had "tea." We would call it a late lunch.  Both students tried scones and clotted cream for the first time and loved them.

While at the museum, we discovered that there is a foot path that goes under the Thames River.  So, we ventured down eight flights of stairs into a tunnel that runs under the Thames. It was quite cool and damp when we got to the very bottom of the tunnel. After a brief rest on the other side, we went back through the tunnel.



Instead of taking the DLR (Docklands Light Rail) and the tube back, we opted instead for a ride on a Thames Clipper. We stayed on the boat until we got to the London Eye at Southbank. At that point, Luke headed back to the apartments but Andy stayed with us.

Southbank is very busy and very crowded on a Friday evening. We stopped and watched street performers and saw a break dancing show. We ate dinner at Yo!, a sushi conveyor belt restaurant. Andy didn't eat sushi with us, but he tried edamame and ginger.  It is good to be adventurous with food!

Tomorrow, the forecast is calling for rain, rain, and more rain. So, it was great to have such a bright day for our excursion.

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