The morning
Happy Birthday to me - such a great place to spend my birthday!
We have arrived!! We are also a bit ahead of schedule (5:45 am)!
The Heathrow International Airport seems eerily empty at this hour for one of the busiest airports in the world, but that is a good thing for us. Customs is a breeze although unfriendly. My only complaint is that they made me as the teacher go first which makes me anxious (what if something goes wrong with one of my students? I would much rather be on that side of the issue instead of trying to shout over the barriers). Added bonus: all our luggage made it!
After all the good luck we have experienced, here comes the slight hiccup: meeting our Tour Manager Peter. I knew that he would meet us at the exit, but I had no idea what he looked like. As we exit, I see a white-haired gentleman with a handwritten sign scrawled with "ACIS." I guess that means it is for us.
"Are you Peter?" I cheerfully ask. "No, I am your driver" is the reply. WHAT? This is not the plan, and my mind starts racing with all the possibilities. Maybe Peter is running late (it is 6 am after all) or there has been a change to our plans. Maybe Peter will meet us at the hotel instead of the airport. This man seems to be legitimate. He has my name and the name of the other group leader on his paper. He knows what hotel to take us to, so I guess it is ok, right? What else am I going to do? He does not know where Peter is; he just knows to pick us up and drop us at the hotel. Should I call the ACIS emergency number? This is not really an emergency since someone is here to meet us...it is just the wrong person. As I do not want to worry the kids out, I decide to be flexible and go with this new and unexpected deviation. a
We have arrived!! We are also a bit ahead of schedule (5:45 am)!
The Heathrow International Airport seems eerily empty at this hour for one of the busiest airports in the world, but that is a good thing for us. Customs is a breeze although unfriendly. My only complaint is that they made me as the teacher go first which makes me anxious (what if something goes wrong with one of my students? I would much rather be on that side of the issue instead of trying to shout over the barriers). Added bonus: all our luggage made it!
After all the good luck we have experienced, here comes the slight hiccup: meeting our Tour Manager Peter. I knew that he would meet us at the exit, but I had no idea what he looked like. As we exit, I see a white-haired gentleman with a handwritten sign scrawled with "ACIS." I guess that means it is for us.
"Are you Peter?" I cheerfully ask. "No, I am your driver" is the reply. WHAT? This is not the plan, and my mind starts racing with all the possibilities. Maybe Peter is running late (it is 6 am after all) or there has been a change to our plans. Maybe Peter will meet us at the hotel instead of the airport. This man seems to be legitimate. He has my name and the name of the other group leader on his paper. He knows what hotel to take us to, so I guess it is ok, right? What else am I going to do? He does not know where Peter is; he just knows to pick us up and drop us at the hotel. Should I call the ACIS emergency number? This is not really an emergency since someone is here to meet us...it is just the wrong person. As I do not want to worry the kids out, I decide to be flexible and go with this new and unexpected deviation. a
Twenty minutes later (and almost no conversation from the driver although I
tried), we arrive at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum. It is very nice hotel, but as it is before 7 am, we must store our luggage and entertain ourselves until the afternoon check in. After the ladies and I clean up in the restroom, we leave our luggage in the store room. The kind receptionist tries to call Peter's room several times. He is not answering. Great, now what do I do? He is supposed to have the plan for the morning until we rendezvous with the Virginia group. Good thing I brought a London map with me and that I marked the hotel's location on it. There are three museums nearby, so we just have to find them.
But first we must eat breakfast. *Mental note about traveling with teenaged boys, they are always hungry...but now that they mention it, so am I. Once we start heading in the right direction (I undoubtedly headed off in the wrong direction), we find a few eateries that are open this early. The boys want food ASAP, so we settle on a Burger King. *Mental note about traveling with teenage girls, they don't want to eat.
Stopping at this Burger King is an interesting experience and ironic good twist of fate. The food is a bit different as my egg and cheese "butty" has ketchup on it (not bad - just different). As any female must do, I ask where the toilet is (common British term). The gentlemen tells me that the regular toilet is closed but I could use the small employee one behind the counter. I think that is quite generous of him until I am in the very small restroom that has NO toilet paper! Luckily, as an experienced traveler and female, I always have travel sized package of Kleenex for just such an emergency. When I inform the cashier of the lack of paper, he is unconcerned. Upon returning to the table, I explain to my ladies that they should always be prepared for a situation such as this. Then Wendy excuses herself to use the toilet assuring me that she would check to see if toilet paper had been replaced. She returns after briefly speaking to the man. He apparently asked her to pay to use the toilet without toilet paper! Thankfully our hotel is only two blocks away! And with that we are off, never to return to that Burger King again!
The best twist of fate from that experience is that we find Peter in the hotel parking lot!! He was frantically trying to find us! He had been at the airport - just not at our gate yet, and the overzealous driver whisked us away without checking with Peter! All is right in the world now! Off we go to tour Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with the ever knowledgeable Peter leading the way...thank goodness!
tried), we arrive at the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum. It is very nice hotel, but as it is before 7 am, we must store our luggage and entertain ourselves until the afternoon check in. After the ladies and I clean up in the restroom, we leave our luggage in the store room. The kind receptionist tries to call Peter's room several times. He is not answering. Great, now what do I do? He is supposed to have the plan for the morning until we rendezvous with the Virginia group. Good thing I brought a London map with me and that I marked the hotel's location on it. There are three museums nearby, so we just have to find them.
But first we must eat breakfast. *Mental note about traveling with teenaged boys, they are always hungry...but now that they mention it, so am I. Once we start heading in the right direction (I undoubtedly headed off in the wrong direction), we find a few eateries that are open this early. The boys want food ASAP, so we settle on a Burger King. *Mental note about traveling with teenage girls, they don't want to eat.
Stopping at this Burger King is an interesting experience and ironic good twist of fate. The food is a bit different as my egg and cheese "butty" has ketchup on it (not bad - just different). As any female must do, I ask where the toilet is (common British term). The gentlemen tells me that the regular toilet is closed but I could use the small employee one behind the counter. I think that is quite generous of him until I am in the very small restroom that has NO toilet paper! Luckily, as an experienced traveler and female, I always have travel sized package of Kleenex for just such an emergency. When I inform the cashier of the lack of paper, he is unconcerned. Upon returning to the table, I explain to my ladies that they should always be prepared for a situation such as this. Then Wendy excuses herself to use the toilet assuring me that she would check to see if toilet paper had been replaced. She returns after briefly speaking to the man. He apparently asked her to pay to use the toilet without toilet paper! Thankfully our hotel is only two blocks away! And with that we are off, never to return to that Burger King again!
The best twist of fate from that experience is that we find Peter in the hotel parking lot!! He was frantically trying to find us! He had been at the airport - just not at our gate yet, and the overzealous driver whisked us away without checking with Peter! All is right in the world now! Off we go to tour Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens with the ever knowledgeable Peter leading the way...thank goodness!
On our stroll, we visit the Prince Albert Statue (across the street from Prince Albert Music Hall), Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, and the Peter Pan Statue. All the while Peter explains their purpose and significance. The Park and Gardens are just beautiful, and we take lots of pictures!
After this outdoor adventure, Peter leaves us at the Natural History Museum to tour and eat lunch while he meets the other group (a middle school group from Virginia). All museums in Britain are free and very interactive. We only have time to hit one part of the NHM with different types of astronomical and geological stones. We eventually enter the natural disasters section and stumble into an earthquake simulator (which I found rather unsettling). Museums also have excellent cafes with a variety of hot and cold meal options, so we have a nice lunch and a little break from walking.
The afternoon
Around 12:30 pm, we arrive back at the hotel to meet the Virginia group, check in to our rooms, and head off on a walking tour of different parts of London that were used in films. This is also our first chance to use the Tube (the underground metro system). The Tube became our dear friend by the end of the trip because it no more walking and we always encountered something interesting.
The movie scene walking tour is an interesting way to see parts of the city and learn a bit about it. For example, there is a London and a City of London (which is only a few square miles and all businesses are closed on weekends - which makes the area perfect for filming movies). We see areas that were used in Pirates of the Caribbean and The DaVinci Code among many others.
The movie scene walking tour is an interesting way to see parts of the city and learn a bit about it. For example, there is a London and a City of London (which is only a few square miles and all businesses are closed on weekends - which makes the area perfect for filming movies). We see areas that were used in Pirates of the Caribbean and The DaVinci Code among many others.
The tour takes us to several areas of London and tells us about many movies that were filmed in part in entirely in London. We also see some interesting sites unrelated to movies on our walk, especially along the banks of the Thames. These men are creating realistic sand sculptures.
Evening
After a yummy dinner at a local restaurant, we take the Tube to Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square to see London after dark. We watch some street performers dance and jam to some awesome music. At Trafalgar Square, the girls are able to climb up and hug the lions.
On the way back to hotel, everyone is tired, and a few even fall asleep on the Tube (I won't mention names, but they know who they are). It was a long but exciting day. We have been up for about 36 hours (unless you count a few naps on the plane), but as I told them - the first day is always the hardest and the longest. I feel pretty good about myself tonight. I am officially another year older but have maintained more energy than most of my students. I think it has more to do with the fact that I have traveled like this before and can more easily adjust to major time shifts, but I still feel good. So all in all, this is one great way to spend my birthday!