9 August - London Sightseeing and Olympic Hockey
We had a great day again today. We learnt so much about London.
We got up very early and off into the city on the train. We jumped on the open top "hop on hop off" London sightseeing bus that travels around the city via all the famous places.
We saw all the sights we have already seen like the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square plus we went further up into old London town and saw the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Shakespeare Globe Theatre, the Shard, the Swiss Tower (the Gherkin), Marble Arch, St Pauls Cathedral, City Hall, Cleopatra's Needle, the Golden Hind (Francis Drake ship), lots of "Monopoly locations", the various museums and more. We covered the whole of the main part of the city and sights.
We also went on a Thames River cruise past all the important landmarks and under all the bridges along the Thames between Westminster and the Tower Bridge. We learnt so much on the way, like London is about 2000 years old, there were great disasters like the Black Plague (about a 100,000 people died) and great fires of the 1600s, London was bombed continually during the German air blitz of the 2nd world war, Big Ben is actually and a bell inside the tower not the clock .....
The London Bridge has been rebuilt 4 times since the Romans built it about a 1000 years ago. The original bridge sank into the Thames ... that is where the song London Bridge is Falling Down, Failling Down .... comes from.
The Tower Bridge opens and closes for tall ships. We were lucky enough to see it open and close while we were there.
We went through the Tower of London. It was great. There were beefeater and queens guards there that protect the tower and the crown jewels. We saw the crown jewels and displays of weapons and different battle armour and stuff. We saw displays on the monarchs of England which was really interesting. We saw displays and heard talks on the beheadings that used to take place including King Henry's wife Ann Bolyn, Thomas More and others like Guy Faulks.
After that we jumped on the cruise boat back down the Thames and went back on the open top bus for some more sightseeing.
Then dad and Elodie jumped on the tube to Stratford to go to Olympic Park.
Mum and Holly and Erin went to the Natural History museum. It is a beautiful museum. All museums in London are free to get in which was a bit if a treat. They had a great time in the museum. They saw giant dinosaur skeletons including a 26metre long diplodocus skeleton and a stegasaurus. They saw other displays of fossils and prehistoric exhibits.
They also checked out an insect exhibit and other displays including an exhibit called animals inside out which was different animals with their skin stripped off so you saw their organs and muscles. The elephant, giraffe and camel inside out exhibits were really cool. They came home just as it was getting dark and watched Insane Bolt race on TV in the 200m.
Dad and Elodie went to Olympic Park and watched the Mens Hockey semi final between Netherlands and Great Britain. Earlier in the day Australia had lost to Germany in the other semi.
They went to the Riverbank Arena in Olympic Park for the hockey. Olympic Park was packed to bursting. There were events on in various venues everywhere. Athletics, diving, boxing, handball etc. The main olympic stadium was impressive as was the cycling velodrome and the aquatic centre.
They saw the Australian mens hockey team at the hockey arena as they left after their losing match. They didn't look too happy but hopefully they can lift before the bronze medal match. The mens team, even though number one in the world, always seem to fall short in the olympics.
In the match dad and Elodie saw the Netherlands (Holland) ended up giving GB a lesson beating them 9-2. It was an incredible atmosphere inside the hockey arena with the GB fans taking up three quarters of the arena and the Holland dutch fans a quarter, but the dutch fans gave as good as they took, chanting and singing throughout. The GB fans were in real football mode early on with their singing and chanting. The dutch played incredible hockey. They are renowned for their set plays but they also played very open skilful field hockey.
Dad didn't like the GB fans booing anything that happened in the second half - he thinks maybe they have won too many medals and anything that doesn't go their way now they don't appreciate. They even booed some poor dutch player who was on the ground in pain, with a dislocated shoulder we found out later.
Interestingly this is the first major hockey champs where a blue pitch and yellow ball have been used. The whole venue was colourful with the blue pitch with pink surrounds and the spectators all red, white and blue (GB fans) and orange (dutch fans).
Walking back through the olympic park after the match it was very colourful with the stadiums and other structures all lit up.
Dad and Elodie caught the tube home from West Ham station and got home about midnight. They said the hockey was unreal.
Leaving London tomorrow.
Bye for now. The Creber Girls. xxx
We had a great day again today. We learnt so much about London.
We got up very early and off into the city on the train. We jumped on the open top "hop on hop off" London sightseeing bus that travels around the city via all the famous places.
We saw all the sights we have already seen like the London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square plus we went further up into old London town and saw the London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Shakespeare Globe Theatre, the Shard, the Swiss Tower (the Gherkin), Marble Arch, St Pauls Cathedral, City Hall, Cleopatra's Needle, the Golden Hind (Francis Drake ship), lots of "Monopoly locations", the various museums and more. We covered the whole of the main part of the city and sights.
We saw the Millenium Bridge (footbridge) which when it was opened in 2000 it wobbled so much they had to close it and strengthen it before it could be used again.
We also went on a Thames River cruise past all the important landmarks and under all the bridges along the Thames between Westminster and the Tower Bridge. We learnt so much on the way, like London is about 2000 years old, there were great disasters like the Black Plague (about a 100,000 people died) and great fires of the 1600s, London was bombed continually during the German air blitz of the 2nd world war, Big Ben is actually and a bell inside the tower not the clock .....
The London Bridge has been rebuilt 4 times since the Romans built it about a 1000 years ago. The original bridge sank into the Thames ... that is where the song London Bridge is Falling Down, Failling Down .... comes from.
The Tower Bridge opens and closes for tall ships. We were lucky enough to see it open and close while we were there.
We went through the Tower of London. It was great. There were beefeater and queens guards there that protect the tower and the crown jewels. We saw the crown jewels and displays of weapons and different battle armour and stuff. We saw displays on the monarchs of England which was really interesting. We saw displays and heard talks on the beheadings that used to take place including King Henry's wife Ann Bolyn, Thomas More and others like Guy Faulks.
After that we jumped on the cruise boat back down the Thames and went back on the open top bus for some more sightseeing.
Then dad and Elodie jumped on the tube to Stratford to go to Olympic Park.
Mum and Holly and Erin went to the Natural History museum. It is a beautiful museum. All museums in London are free to get in which was a bit if a treat. They had a great time in the museum. They saw giant dinosaur skeletons including a 26metre long diplodocus skeleton and a stegasaurus. They saw other displays of fossils and prehistoric exhibits.
They also checked out an insect exhibit and other displays including an exhibit called animals inside out which was different animals with their skin stripped off so you saw their organs and muscles. The elephant, giraffe and camel inside out exhibits were really cool. They came home just as it was getting dark and watched Insane Bolt race on TV in the 200m.
Dad and Elodie went to Olympic Park and watched the Mens Hockey semi final between Netherlands and Great Britain. Earlier in the day Australia had lost to Germany in the other semi.
They went to the Riverbank Arena in Olympic Park for the hockey. Olympic Park was packed to bursting. There were events on in various venues everywhere. Athletics, diving, boxing, handball etc. The main olympic stadium was impressive as was the cycling velodrome and the aquatic centre.
They saw the Australian mens hockey team at the hockey arena as they left after their losing match. They didn't look too happy but hopefully they can lift before the bronze medal match. The mens team, even though number one in the world, always seem to fall short in the olympics.
In the match dad and Elodie saw the Netherlands (Holland) ended up giving GB a lesson beating them 9-2. It was an incredible atmosphere inside the hockey arena with the GB fans taking up three quarters of the arena and the Holland dutch fans a quarter, but the dutch fans gave as good as they took, chanting and singing throughout. The GB fans were in real football mode early on with their singing and chanting. The dutch played incredible hockey. They are renowned for their set plays but they also played very open skilful field hockey.
Dad didn't like the GB fans booing anything that happened in the second half - he thinks maybe they have won too many medals and anything that doesn't go their way now they don't appreciate. They even booed some poor dutch player who was on the ground in pain, with a dislocated shoulder we found out later.
Interestingly this is the first major hockey champs where a blue pitch and yellow ball have been used. The whole venue was colourful with the blue pitch with pink surrounds and the spectators all red, white and blue (GB fans) and orange (dutch fans).
Walking back through the olympic park after the match it was very colourful with the stadiums and other structures all lit up.
Dad and Elodie caught the tube home from West Ham station and got home about midnight. They said the hockey was unreal.
Leaving London tomorrow.
Bye for now. The Creber Girls. xxx
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteWhere do you go to after Surrey? It all sounds so exciting and very busy!!!
We have not forgot about you at all while you have been away. We have loved looking at your blog and we love you. Every Monday all the children remind Mrs Johns to check Erin's Blog and they will keep doing it until you return.
We got your family photo and it is on our desktop on the interactive whiteboard. We get so excited everytime we see you.
love 1J and Mrs Johns. xxx