London - eine Studienfahrt

The year in which we write the Abitur has finally begun. But before we take on the challenge it is time to go on the last school trip together with 25 fellow students, Mr. Graffmann and Mrs. Baumgarten. Our destination: the capital of Great Britain, London.
Even an evacuation in Paris due to an unclaimed suitcase couldn't stop us from arriving in London and checking in in our hostel. The hostel is located in the center of London from where we could get to any place in the city by tube in less than 30 minutes.
And what else could we have done first after arriving in London than visiting the Museum of London? We could experience a time travel through the past of London from 450000 years before it was founded by the Romans 50 AD to the modern metropolis. We could also watch a detailed film about the Great Plague and how it affected London's citizens.
The next day began with a short walk to the nearby St. Paul's Cathedral which has a long and interesting past. The Cathedral was first built in 604 out of wood and burned down twice, 1087 the Normans rebuilt it and the cathedral became the tallest building of that time. But it got struck by a lightning and lost its spire. After the rest burned down in the Great Fire of London in 1666, the Cathedral which we can see today was finally constructed in 1697. Most amazing was the 68 Meter high dome with its stunning decoration with marble and gold.
Afterwards we dropped by the 0-Meridian in Greenwich and then proceeded with the Thames Cruise to Westminster. Along the way we saw Tower Bridge, London Eye and Big Ben. Sadly, latter was being renovated and we couldn't see it in its full glory. The Westminster Abbey is the second cathedral we visited that day. Traditionally, British monarchs are crowned here and also buried.
The third and most fun day began with the best item of the agenda... at least for some. Well, three hours of standing and hearing other people speak English, dance and sing isn't something everyone can endure. And so was the stage play “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare. The play took place in the famous Globe Theatre where Shakespeare performed his plays... or rather the replica, because the original burnt down after a canon was shot during a play and set the thatched roof on fire. (everything seems to burn down in London...). The play was a great opportunity for one group to go back to the hostel and rest their legs and for the other few students, Mr. Graffmann and Mrs. Baumgarten to get some good laughs and - at some moments - even goosebumps.                                                                                      

After three hours of standing there was nothing more fitting than two hours of walking. The only thing that made us endure it was Johnny our tour guide. He lead us through various places where Jack the Ripper brutally murdered five innocent prostitutes in 1888. He told us about the lives of those women and how they were murdered. The tour was so entertaining that our heavy feet were almost forgotten. In the end he directed us to his favourite Indian restaurant where we finished our tour with Chicken Tikka masala.
What would be a trip to London without a visit to Buckingham Palace? On the way we walked through Hyde Park where greedy animals were begging for food. Buckingham Palace itself wasn't anything special in terms of architecture compared to what we had seen before. In the empty court yard there were only 4 of the Queen's famous Guards and no one else. The place looked rather deserted. Well, at least we saw Buckingham Palace. The next and last item on the agenda for that was a short boat trip to the Camdon Lock Market. If you hadn't got yourself a souvenir by then, now you had plenty of time and a vast offer of items to choose from.
Our excursion ended with a short visit to the British Museum. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive history museums in the world. It counts 95 rooms filled with over 8 million works of art from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, medieval Europe and Asia. And all the time we had was 2 hours. It was definitely not enough to get a look at everything, but you certainly could see many things you normally wouldn't.
On the way to King's Cross Station we took a last glimpse at London while we rode one of the renowned red buses before we boarded the train back home.

Florian Wagner