Off and walking...

Our trip went smoothly and we enjoyed an entertaining ride into London by the University of East London's friendly driver, Steve.  We encountered just a few minor check-in glitches--one of which is a problem getting internet connections in the students' dorm rooms--so I'm kicking off this blog, and the students will be joining me in sharing their impressions as soon as we can get the access issues "sorted," as they say here.

Meanwhile, we enjoyed an excellent first day out, complete with good weather!  Daytime highs are in the mid 70s, perfect for sightseeing. We began with breakfast in the UEL cafeteria, where to my surprise their continental buffet includes quite genuinely Parisian pain au chocolat.  (Not all the students are convinced that chocolate for breakfast is a good idea, but I'm working on them.)  We then made what will be our typical journey into London--Docklands Light Rail from UEL to Canning Town, Jubilee line on the Underground into the West End. 

Our headquarters is a ways "out there," but we made it to Westminster in less than a half hour.  There we joined a tour offered by London Walks (a great resource for all visitors to know about). The guide, a terrific storyteller, relished in the grisly details of famous executions (William Wallace, Charles I).  From Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, we strolled through Queen Anne's Gate and St. James Park (always gorgeous) to The Mall for an excellent view of the parades held in conjunction with the Changing of the Guard. I hadn't visited this since our first day in London in 1984, and I have to say I rather enjoyed it, despite the crush of the crowds.  Viewing the parades is far easier than trying to peek through the palace gate, where it's hard to get much of a view anyway.  The tour finished with palaces connected with various members of the Royal Family, along with the recently unveiled statue of the Queen Mother that stands in front of her husband George VI (portrayed in The King's Speech). 

The tour ended near Trafalgar Square, where we grabbed lunch and took the weight off our extremely well-used feet. Between jet lag and the rather fast pace of the tour, the students agreed that the planned afternoon Harry Potter walk might be pushing our limits.  So instead we hung out in Trafalgar Square (some of the world's best people-watching) and viewed the art on display in the nearby National Gallery.  Though I've been there before, it's been years and I particularly enjoyed the rooms containing paintings by Van Gogh (Sunflowers and Van Gogh's Chair are among those here), Renoir (The Umbrellas is a favorite), and Monet (a couple of the Water Lilies are housed here).

By 4:00 p.m., everybody was beyond fatigued--probably because by our body clocks, we it was 5:00 a.m. We called it an early evening, took the trek back out to our "home" in The Docklands, and figured out for ourselves what to eat for supper.  We hope to get internet access sorted out in the morning so that you can start hearing from the students and not just me.  I also expect we'll gradually regain our energy and perhaps even be able to enjoy some evening activities within the next few days.