Day Not so sure…Haha

It has been a great experience thus far and the kids are simply more and more about the places that they have been visiting.  This morning we have booked the number #1 tour guide in London and we are learning and stopping every chance we get.  Make sure you ask your kids about the particulars on the city of London such as the size of the city, the population, the history of fires, the history of kings and queens, etc.  They should be able to answer it by now. 

Big Ben Smith

Admiral Nelson-Trafalgar Square

The tour around the city of London was simply amazing, as not only did we stop at the sights you would expect, but the information that we received at each one was impeccable. Having trouble getting all of our sightseeing tour pics posted right now, not sure whether it's computer based or dead tired based, will post more upon return.

Green Park - Buckingham Palace- Canadian Memorial

It has been one of the best experiences that I have ever had in Europe with students…we have had intense and relaxed and a lot of walking throughout the tour.  They have ups and downs but as you will see, we are ending on a high note with an evening of culture and enjoyment……but before we break for that we need to visit the Churchill War Rooms.  Sorry about the break in communication but it was a long day and night of fun and excitement for the kids mixed in with a lot of speed walking for the next Olympics.

The Churchill War rooms were the heartbeat of the British war effort, especially the bunkers during the air raids.  Everything is set the way in which it was 70+ years ago and the adjoining Churchill museum is a wonderful look at probably one of the most beloved Brits of all time.  In fact, JFK said that Churchill was one of the most important figures in human history...wow...The kids also loved learning about the man who’s face is so recognizable in this area of the world.            

What they didn’t know was the very personal side of Churchill and his affinity for painting and his family.  Churchill’s history is one of a noble past but as a child his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, basically ignored him as he was sent away to boarding school at the ripe old age of 7.  From that point on Churchill became very involved in the defense of Britain as a soldier and eventually the defender of the country during its most trying times.  

There really wasn’t much that Churchill didn’t do...he was elected, he was basically fired, he was re-elected and stayed a member of parliament until he was 90 years old.  HE was hated by some, loved by many and respected by all for his efforts to defend his country and the whole of Europe.  What many of the kids enjoyed was hearing about his wit....if you were unaware Churchill was known for his quick wit, dreadful honesty, love of cigars and of course his drinking!!!  He was also the first commoner of Britain ever granted a state funeral...far from a common man.  The last exhibit was a video of the funeral back in 1965 I believe, not long after his 90th birthday and 70 years to the day that his father died.
    But it was his wit that caught most of the kids attention by a number of the quotes that Churchill is given credit for....for example this comment was made in parliament... 

Mrs. Baddock: “'You are drunk Sir Winston, you are disgustingly drunk. 

Churchill: 'Yes, Mrs. Braddock, I am drunk. But you, Mrs. Braddock are ugly, and disgustingly fat. But, tomorrow morning, I, Winston Churchill will be sober.”  

Or another one of my favorites....

 “Lady Nancy Astor:  Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your tea.

Churchill: Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it.”

And of course he also had a serious side as could be heard with such quotes as”

            “Keep Calm and Carry On”

One that we hear quite often today as a part of many other types of slogans, and an even more serious tone with the famous:

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” 

In the end, these kids are learning a great deal in a very short period of time....these are those WOW moments that we all look for in teaching...I like to think that I get these all the time in class, but I just don’t.  It’s not that we get it everyday on tour, but we certainly have more opportunities at times with the exceptional experiences that we have at our disposal.  

The group finishes up their tour and they head to dinner for the traditional fish and chips.  Tonight’s dinner will be a rushed one for them, none for me, as I have rushed back to Wembley to pick up our tickets for the international friendly between England and Chile, along with a bout 65,000 other people.  What else is there to do on a Friday night?

Olympic Square

The dinner is finished and the rush begins!!!  Speed walk and have run will not cut it…. I am waiting for them with the stream of people coming to the game!  After a quick change to warmer clothes we head to the stadium and feel the electricity for our first international football match.  I have been to MLB, NFL and NHL games and this is very similar but with a decidedly European flair with signing and chanting of course the presence of two nationalities that are passionate for their sides.  Trying to use as many European football terms as I can as to not sound ignorant.   This is also Frank Lampard’s 100^th international cap which is a big deal…that means he has played 100 international games in his career and he actually receives a cap for his efforts for England.

After the national anthems, the game is on and the crowd s wild and the stadium of 65,000 is still about 15,000 short of capacity.  The English are probably supposed to be favored but Chile is small and fast, think Speedy Gonzalez fast, because there are a number of Gonzalez’s’ on the team.  After 5 or 6 great chances and awesome saves by the Chilean keeper, Chile’s best player Sanchez, who plays for Barcelona scored to settle the 60,000 English down, but send the 5,000 Chileans into a frenzy.  The end of the first half sees England squander a number of chances so they only have the 2^nd half to equal the score.  SO much for a friendly, they are tackling hard and the Chileans are diving like the entire Montreal Canadien team on a regular Saturday night!!(haha)  The crowd is getting upset with all of the flopping and the booing starts….our kids love that and join right in!  The game sees England fighting to tie the score but in extra time the best Chilean player has basically a breakaway and he cheekily chips the ball over the keeper to lead 2-0.  At that point I feel that Wayne Rooney should just drop the gloves and go with a Chilean, and then I remember where I am and what I am watching, football is much more refined than my beloved hockey.  Regardless of the result the atmosphere was great and the kids had another once and a lifetime experience.

Back at the hotel and the kids are packing and trying to catch some sleep.  The pilgrimage is coming to a close and I am very proud of each one of them.  The morning will allow us to move back into the city one last time and get to a more pop cultural area of London, a little place called Abbey Road.  The Abbey Road studios are still used today and are of course made famous by the Beatles.  The kids take their places and make their way across the cross walk, Dempsey even doing the barefoot walk along with Kinkora’s Michael Lawless to simulate the Paul MacCartney’s role in the Fab 4’s jaunt across the street.  The other neat thing about Abbey Road and the studios is that everyone that comes to visit this site out front of the studio signs the walls, a kind of a legalized graffiti.  IN fact the walls are repainted about every 6 months and that allows more Beatles fans to come along and place their own personal message for the band they love.  In my case it was a quick little message about my very first Beatles tune in music class at Sherwood elementary, Yellow Submarine.

Our Little Brother's from St. John's Private School

From Abbey Road we are taking one last trip to Picadilly for the last of your London souvenirs and then off to the airport for our flight home.   The kids are ready to head home, they are tired and want to get back to their families.  By the time you read this we will be in Toronto after a long flight up and over Greenland because of high winds over the Atlantic so it will delay our flight by about a half hour.  Signing off from a few thousand feet….chat soon!  Back in action and its 5:00 AM on Sunday and we are getting ready to head to Pearson.  I know you all know by now that we are here, but last night there was no WIFI so I couldn't post the blog.  My apologies for basically skipping a day and maybe you will check this morning.  I will actually have one more post that will finish things off...choose to do with it as you wish!!  See you all just before noon....if on time of course!!!
dc