After our 30 some hours of traveling, we finally arrived in London!! After we got settled into our hotel, we went to an Italian restaurant and had our first pizza in two weeks..and it was absolutely delicious. Our first full day in London was filled with sightseeing. We first went to Kensington Park and we were able to see the palace where William and Kate stay at when they visit London. Then we got to the King Albert Statue; it is unique because there are no weapons on the statue, instead it represents peace and accomplishments. There are statues on each corner representing the north, south, east and west areas of the world. It was a painted black to avoid bombing in WWII but has been restored, with rich colors of gold and white.
Then we sped through and saw parliament, Westminister Abbey, London eye, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, and St. Paul's Cathedral. This was a little disappointing because we weren't able to get off the bus and take pictures. However, we were able to tour Wimbledon and it was amazing. We visited Centre court and the now famous court 18, where the longest match in history was played. Considering the winter months, the grass was green and in excellent conditions considering the circumstances. It was amazing to be in the place where champions were made and where they claimed one of the biggest titles in tennis.
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| Center Court - #1 |
After Wimbledon, we were fortunate enough to visit the 2012 Olympic site. All of the Olympic stadiums that will hold events were finished and have been finished since this past summer. Even though the stadiums are finished, there is still construction being done, but it's mostly on the landscaping. On the site, there is an unfinished sculpture where you can get a bird's eye view of all of the Olympic site and its surroundings. The main stadium where they hold the track and field events and the opening and closing ceremonies is smaller than the Bird's Nest in Beijing, considering the budget. "The Crown" as we like to call it, due to its style and architecture, is still a magnificent building in the east of London.
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| Olympic Park |
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| This structure uses the Olympic rings and will be used as an observation platform |
After our long day of sightseeing, we ended it with an amazing meal at a local pub, Bangers and Mash. We had sausage, mashed potatoes, peas, and apple pie. It was awesome to finally eat food that we were familiar with! We had a fantastic day of sightseeing; every building is cute and adorable (some were even pink). The weather was fantastic and it was a great first start to our time in London.
See you in four days!
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| Prince Albert's statue |
Tara McGuigan and Emma All Runner
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