Educational Tour to London
Assembly Speech by Dimitra Hiestermann and Linda Mahlangu
On the 15th of June, the last day of school, a group of 30 scholars from grades 10-12 went on one the most amazing and memorable trips they will ever have: The DSJ London Tour. Accompanied by Mrs Thomas, Doctor Oswald and their husbands, we spent 7 days in cloudy London, acting like tourists, taking way too many photos and having the time of our lives.
The flight there was for some their first time ever flying abroad while others new exactly what to expect. After 10 hours of trying unsuccessfully to sleep we landed in London and promptly went on our first visit: Oxford University. Buildings in Oxford demonstrate an example of every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. We visited its most famous college called Christchurch College. For the Harry Potter fans among us this is where part of Hogwarts was filmed, including the Great Hall. After exploring Oxford for most of the day we stopped by to look at Warwick Castle, the oldest castle in England. Everyone was by then quite tired and dirty so we were all very glad to get to our hotel and jump in the shower, for the day was not over yet! After everyone had eaten and refreshed themselves off we went to Stratford-upon-Avon to watch the play “Macbeth” performed by the royal Shakespeare Company. The play was brilliantly done and quite interesting - for those who weren’t too exhausted and didn’t fall asleep as soon as the play started.
Day 2 was just as busy as the first. We woke up at 7, hopped on the bus at 8.30 and drove to Shakespeare’s birthplace which was also in Stratford upon Avon. Here we had the amazing opportunity to visit the house the famous poet lived in and learn a bit of his life. Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway lived a bit outside of the little town in one of Brittan’s most beautiful cottages. We visited her cottage and saw how people lived in those times and how difficult life back then really was. The last place we visited that day was the Roald Dahl Museum which reflected the author’s life and his work.
The next morning we all woke up with the same thought: London City here we come! Finally we were able to really experience this loud, beautiful city and its people. We went into the city on the underground train called the Tube which was great fun. Shown around by a tour guide we saw many sights including Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace. We had the great opportunity to witness the changing of the guards. This was quite an exciting thing to see as the guards looked stunning and very serious. We walked through St James Park to Buckingham Palace and saw another guard change. One of the things that really amazed us was the huge number of tourists that were there. The whole palace was surrounded by people and it took us quite a while to find our whole group. After lunch we were lucky enough to be on a river cruise along the Thames River. Our boat was open at the top. Most of us sat outside to see the city but were then unlucky enough to get caught in a huge rainstorm. We all tried to scramble inside but still managed to get soaking wet. After the soaking cruise our second last stop was the Jewel Tower. This tower is one of only two surviving sections of the medieval royal Palace of Westminster. It is a small three storey building constructed of stone, which stands across the road from the current Palace of Westminster, home of the British Parliament. The crown Jewels are not stored there anymore but have been moved to the Tower of London which we visited later on in the tour. The last thing we did on day 3 and which was probably the most exciting of all was Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.
18 June 2011
For most of us, this was probably the pinnacle of the entire experience in London. Madam Tussauds is a famous wax museum known for its very convincing wax models of current and pre dated celebrities, idols and influential leaders. This was a completely different world which most of us would have loved to stay in. We were granted the opportunity to be under the same roof as: Edward (from twilight), Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Justin Bieber and many others. A lot of the celebrities that have been to this museum were very impressed by these famous works of art, and this museum has now become a “MUST SEE” when visiting the beautiful city. Our experience in Madam Tussauds ended with a 4D Marvel Superheroes short story which was the perfect cherry to put on top of the cake. We were then allowed to enjoy dinner at leisure and head back to our hotel there on after.
19 June 2011
The following day as we took each experience a step at a time we were constantly reminded to MIND THE GAP! We started the day off at Sherlock Holmes Museum. This was a very nice experience which more than anything brought the characters to life. This museum was presented as a house/cottage which gave us a personal insight into Sherlock Holmes’ life, though it was ironic to find that Sherlock Holmes wasn’t home.
We then went to the Tower of London. The experience began even before we entered this vicinity as the views of everything around us were unreal. The Tower of London was completely amazing and its initial purpose on a historical basis was very interesting. This was the place where brutal executions were done publicly as to entertain, devastate and warn British citizens not to do wrong, thus controlling them. Many timeless and priceless pieces of arts that were worn by the Royal British Monarchy were presented in a private room. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside it.
We then took a bus to ST. Pauls Cathedral where we learnt more about British history. On our way to the Globe theatre we walked across the Millennium Bridge which offered more beautiful views of the city. The night ended with a show called Dr Faustus at the Globe Theatre.
20 June 2011
The following day was probably the most anticipated as we were given the day off to go shopping. Our first stop was at the Disney Store. Many of us took this chance to purchase at least one item from this store as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Items carved with all of our favourite Disney characters were at arm’s length. We took this entire day to stuff our bags with as many souvenirs as we could and even walked into one of South Africa’s Proteas at Harrods.
21 June 2011
On the 21st we started the day off early at Princess Diana’s Memorial Fountain. It was a very peaceful sight which lived up to the late Princess’ personality. We then went to the London Dungeons and experienced many fun filled, yet horrifying moments. This was a great strategy of incorporating fun with learning, as we learnt more about the medieval times in Britain.
The London Eye was one of the most beautiful sights ever. With this we were given the chance to view London from a number of angles. We felt like we were on top of the world. The afternoon ended with yet another 4D experience, and it was then time to head off to Her Majesty Theatre to watch Phantom of the Opera. This show was completely phenomenal and it was the perfect way to enjoy our last night in London. Each and every one of us was impressed by the performance and the perfection of the characters’ singing. It was one of the best shows we have ever seen in our entire lives.
22 June 2011
Unfortunately though on the following day, it was time to say goodbye to London, but we had one more stop to make. Directly after we enjoyed tea and cake at Enid Blyton’s House, we headed off to Windsor castle. We were taken back in time to previous centuries when monarchy had autocratic rule over Britain. The experience was priceless and the feeling of being in the same room where ancient Kings and Queens had once lived made us all feel like Royalty. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the castle but the memories will always be kept in our hearts and cherished for as long as we live. I must admit, none of us wanted to go back home so soon but we didn’t have a choice. This trip to London wouldn’t have been as special as it was without the group of students and teachers that went along. I believe that as much as we enjoyed London, we enjoyed each other even more, and we left not only with memories of this city, but with each other, friends that we had made along the way… So as the London team we would like to thank Dr Oswald and Mrs Thomas for making this such a special experience, and for investing their own personal time in our lives. Your efforts are deeply appreciated.
