Day 1 Everything went smoothly with our flights, and we even arrived in London a bit early due to a tailwind. Peggy Carter seems to have been the only one to get any sleep on the plane! We left our bags at the hotel and went over to a place called "The London Pub" for lunch. Don't be fooled by the name...it's most certainly one of thousands! After tasting some fish and chips and a little ale (for some), we went out for our first adventure on a double-decker bus and the Tube. We made stops at Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Westminster, and...well, more tomorrow! [Photos]

Day 2 started with a half-day guided bus tour to see the London sights. We visited Buckingham Palace, but the Queen wasn't in. We thoroughly enjoyed learning some history and seeing some great landmarks. Londoners are preparing to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, and we watched the military groups practicing. We even convinced a member of the Welsh Guard to endure having his picture taken with us! And, of course, we've been in class studying about all sorts of cultural and sacred spaces. [Photos]

Day 3 started out cloudy, and then the rain started...so out came the "brollies" (umbrellas) and ponchos. After all...we're in London!

On Saturday afternoon, we toured the backstage areas of the Royal National Theatre. From there, we made our way to the Imperial War Museum, which displays and commemorates the events of World War II.

That evening, we returned to the theatre and attended "A Matter of Life and Death" (a WWII story) in the Olivier Theatre, the largest of the three performance areas. Having learned about theatre technology and how the dramatic space is used, we were then awed by the special effects and production creativity.

We came back to the hotel in the rain and began making alternate plans for Sunday. So what did we do? Keep reading! [Photos]

Day 4 in London brought wind and rain, so we voted to scrap the trip to Greenwich. Instead, we explored the Victoria and Albert Museum, attended evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral, spent some time at the National Gallery and then went to the Texas Embassy for dinner. (Yes, there is a story there...visit the Texas Embassy website to learn more!)

Since we're studying Eastern religions, Dan Getz gave us some great insights into the Asian cultures in the V&A, and everyone found something of interest. We needed three days to explore it all, but we had to get to the church on time!

Even though our plans changed because of the rain, we had a great day...and celebrated Rosemarie's birthday at dinner. [Photos]

Day 5 was a wonderful day of contrasting sacred and cultural spaces (the theme of our London experience). In the morning, we rode a charter coach to Neasden (an area about 40 minutes from Bloomsbury) and visited the Hindu Temple - Swaminarayan Mandir. En route Dan turned our bus into a mobile classroom, so by the time we entered the temple, we had a much better understanding of what we would experience. After observing the 15-minute "service," we grabbed some Indian food and hopped on the bus for the return trip to Bloomsbury.

In the afternoon, our Continuing Education group had a wonderful opportunity to share tea and canapés with all of the students and faculty of the London Study Abroad program. Everyone enjoyed great food and conversation followed by a theatre production. That evening, our group attended "Mamma Mia!" ...and everyone was up dancing by the end of the show. What a day! [Photos]

Day 6 Today we traveled by bus, rail, and the Tube - and then walked some more. According to Dick's pedometer, we've walked between 3 and 7 miles each day, and we've loved (well, almost) every minute of it! Day 6 brought us cool temperatures and a few sprinkles, but we had a great day at Hampton Court Palace and Gardens. We thoroughly enjoyed learning more about King Henry VIII, and we admired the beautiful gardens and some of the rooms that were open for viewing.

After we arrived back in the city, our group divided for dinner. While some people chose Asian food, others went out for Indian cuisine. With so many options available, we have enjoyed many opportunities to try some unusual ethnic foods and, of course, a variety of ales at area pubs. Everyone seems to be getting more acquainted with public transportation, but we always feel good about returning to our closest Tube station at Holborn. [Photos]

Day 7 began with a short walk to the British Museum in Bloomsbury, the neighborhood where our hotel is located. After Jim showed us some of his favorite museum items (the Rosetta stone, in particular), we focused our attention on the Asian Gallery and continued learning about Hinduism and Buddhism.

After lunch at the museum, Jon led a group to the Chelsea Physic Garden while others visited the Tower of London and viewed the Crown Jewels. With so much to see, we all wanted to do everything, but we just didn't have enough time!

We finished our evening in Chinatown at a Chinese restaurant where Dan "wowed" everyone with his Chinese language expertise. For some of our travelers, this dinner was the first time they'd attempted to eat with chopsticks, so Dan patiently explained the technique so we could all enjoy learning more about Chinese culture. Everyone had plenty to eat, and we all enjoyed the delicious selection of food. What a great evening! [Photos]

Day 8 took us to the British Library where Nigel Hobbs, who formerly worked at the British Library Reading Room, gave us an overview of library history and a great tour of some special areas and collections. We sat on a rooftop garden for a few minutes and then took a peek at a display on how library items are restored and preserved. While we were at the library, most of us had the chance to see the Magna Carta and other very old (and precious) documents. We also saw original music manuscripts from Mozart, Beethoven, and...the Beatles! After a quick lunch at the library, some people continued to explore the library while Janet led a group to tour Westminster Abbey and to the Churchill Museum and War Rooms. The day was full, but the weather finally started to improve. What a relief after several cold, rainy days!

That evening we held our farewell dinner at Cosmoba Restaurant, which was not far from our hotel. We all enjoyed the delicious Italian cuisine and celebrated our great time in London.

After dinner, most people went back to the hotel to pack for the early morning departure. Some of us, however, walked to King's Crossing train station and took photos at "Platform 9¾," from which the fictional Harry Potter boarded the train to Hogwarts School. If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll know what a hoot that was for us! The station actually has a luggage trolley embedded in the brick so it looks like it's passing through the wall. Of course, we had to take photos!

Early on Friday morning, June 1, we all boarded the bus for the ride back to Heathrow to catch our flight home. We had a very smooth flight and arrived home that evening - tired but very happy. We are planning to have a London Trip Reunion sometime in July, and if you traveled with us, you'll receive an invitation in the mail.

I would like to give special thanks to our Continuing Education webmaster - Carla Montez. She faithfully created and updated our travel journal so you could enjoy our stories and photos during (and after) our trip. We appreciate your visits to our site, and we hope you'll take a few minutes to view a few more selected photos from the trip.

Until next time... Sue. [Photos]

We're home! We have many more London photos for you to enjoy. [Photos]