Saturday, May 21, 2016

Perspectives in London

A view from above, the present, the past, and the platform:
  • Borough Market 
  • London Eye
  • Tower of London
  • Theater Performance of The Railway Children 
 Our first stop of the day was Borough Market. The market celebrated it's 1000th birthday in 2014 making it one of the oldest and largest markets in London. Vendors come to the market to sell produce, flowers, pastries, and meats.



 Next, we traveled to the London Eye which is a large ferris wheel located on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is Europe's highest ferris wheel and the highest public viewing point in London. The wheel moves so slowly that passengers can actually get on and off the ride while it is in motion. It stands a 135 meters tall.

The London Eye 

 The Eye from the pier



One of the Eye's capsules



HUM 1915


Westminster Abbey, Buckingham, and Parliament from the Eye

 After we spent a large portion of the day exploring the London Tower. William the Conqueror started construction of the Tower of London in the early 1080s. Throughout history the Tower has had many different uses, during the Tudor reign one of it's functions was a prison. During the historic rivalry between Catholics and Protestants Catholic leaders such as Mary I had key leaders of the Protestant movement imprisoned in the Tower. In the 19th Century the Tower was then geared toward being made into a fortress and created the Waterloo Baracks. During the World Wars many spies were held and executed at the Tower. The site was a target for bombings during this time so the Crown Jewels that were usually (and still are today) were temporarily moved to a location that was a lesser target.

Tower of London from outside the fortress walls

Sadie, Hannah, and Katelyn walking into the medieval part of the Tower

The building that houses the Crown Jewels


Emily W poses with armor from Henry VII's time

A wooden carving of Elizabeth I's head

Allie and Kaurin pose in the face cut outs regarding crime and humiliation in the Tower



In the evening, the class attended a performance of The Railway Children at King's Cross Theatre. This theater used to be a functioning train platform, but we reconstructed into an arena style theater with a track running through the stage so that they could be a real steam engine onto the stage. The show had spectacular special effects, sets, and costumes, as well as showing us the charming life of a British family after the Boer War.

The entrance to the theater

The group poses in a train formation in front of the poster

The "larger than life" book posters



Getting on the Tube after a long day of sightseeing

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