London – an unforgettable experience
From 12th April to 18th April, we spent an unforgettable week in London, and this is what we experienced.
Our trip started on Friday morning, when we left Kufstein way too early for our taste. We caught our flight at 10 a.m. and due to the time difference of one hour, we arrived in London at 12 p.m. Our teachers wanted to make the most out of the afternoon, so we spent the rest of the day in London visiting Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus, which already gave us a good first impression of the city. We were blown away by the size and business but managed not to get lost already on the first day. After that exhausting journey and long day, we were happy to finally get to know our guest families and fell straight into bed.
The second day wasn’t less busy than the first one. After the first night with our host families, we had a quick breakfast and hopped on the train to London. I think that we all will never forget the slogan we heard in all the trains every day: “See it, say it, sorted.” Honestly, it got a little annoying after a few days…
After arriving at Charing Cross, we walked to Westminster Abbey. On the way we also said Hello to the horse guards, even though they sadly couldn’t talk back. Westminster Abbey is a huge church with impressive architecture and beautiful paintings on the walls and ceiling. Each of us got a headset with all the information we needed for a self-guided tour. The next stop on our list was St. James’s Park, where we were happy to relax for a while. A walk through the city and some rides on the underground took us then to a boat tour on the Thames, where we already got a sneak peak on some of the monuments we would visit in the next few days. The second day ended with sunburns and a yummy dinner at home.
The third day was definitely the most exhausting of the whole week. It started with Camden Market, where we got to spend three hours shopping and eating. There was so much going on and the people selling food overwhelmed you with offering bits and pieces from all over the world. Afterwards we didn’t need any lunch anymore, so we went to our two-hour street art tour. While waiting for our guides, the boys wanted to show some of their soccer skills and decided to talk to strangers that were playing there. It was an exciting match, Austria vs. UK, but of course, our boys managed to win. Doing the street art tour we got to see many impressive graffities. In the evening our phones said: 20.000 steps.
Our lucky streak with the weather ended on Monday and we arrived soaking wet at the British Museum. However, we didn´t mind as we were amazed to see all the world-famous exhibits, like the Rosetta Stone, in reality. After a shopping tour on Oxford Street and a short detour to Harrods, we had dinner at Chinatown before we experienced one of our favourite parts of the trip: the Mamma Mia musical. We danced and sang along and had so much fun!
Tuesday, we started with Buckingham Palace to see the legendary guards, then passed through St. James´s Park with hundreds of trusting squirrels and arrived at the next highlight of our trip: London Eye. Our whole class fit in one cabin, so we could enjoy the stunning view together. We continued our sightseeing tour with Tate Modern, went to St. Paul´s Cathedral and ended our day at Covent Garden, where we had some free time again.
We all agreed, the guide of the “Jack-the-Ripper-walk” on Wednesday was great, because even though it was a sunny day, he managed to transmit a creepy atmosphere. The tour finished at Spitalfields Market, where we had a break for shopping or browsing and we used the time remaining to visit the National Gallery, where we found some really famous artworks like Van Gogh´s Sunflowers or Monet´s Water-Lillies.
Already the last day! We had a relaxing end of our trip, which began in Notting Hill, an idyllic neighbourhood. When our teachers asked us what else we wanted to do, our decision was clear: Oxford Street again!
The time in London was absolutely amazing, our teachers found the right mixture of culture, sightseeing, unique events and free time, and so we want to thank Frau Prof. März, Frau Prof. Riethorst and Herrn Prof. Schönherr for the perfect planning and organisation and that they made this trip unforgettable for us! Also, many thanks to the school’s parents‘ association and JUFF Tirol for their financial support.
(Josefine Bensch, Nina Kirchmair 6A)
