useyourenglishinlondon

Josep Xortó "A Hundred Lovers"

2010-06-19T17:45:00.002+02:00

A hundred lovers

A hundred lovers
With the aim of making fun
There's just one wizard
He sells his powers to the crowd

It's getting warmer
A candle is melting and somehow
We are better this way
But at some point we will run out..
We will run out..

It's dark down here.

Caetano Veloso "London, London"

2010-06-19T01:26:00.004+02:00

The mysterious photo

2010-03-01T21:50:00.006+01:00

Hi everybody, I'm María or Mery and in first I want to say sorry for my English^^

This photo was taken from the bus 15. We were going to London Eye (yes?) and Claudia, Paloma and me were talking in the bus, while we were taking photos of ALL. This is one of this, I don't know how's the name of the cathedral but it's really precious. I must return London for find it!

Time to go Home

2010-02-26T01:46:00.008+01:00

And this is the end of our wonderful trip, full of adventures and memories to relish. We had a wonderful time, and just hope the girls had an interesting experience. We both English teachers did.

Thank you girls for encouraging us into this adventure. Thank you Amanda for organizing. Thank you parents and school authorities for trusting us. I just hope you all, and the rest of the students at García Morato Secondary School enjoy this blog, and those who see it now can share our trip too, enjoy it and learn like we did.

Hugs to all,
Paloma.

Chalk Farm Road

2010-02-26T01:38:00.003+01:00

Leaving Camden market stalls and heading towards the Chalk Farm Road has a charming bridge to cross over the cannal. The day was perfect for a drink by the river or a walk by the banks, but we will leave that for another time...

Camden Market

2010-02-26T01:21:00.004+01:00

Our last morning in London we took the group to another open market that is a favourite for youngsters. Camden Market offers curiosities of all sorts. We discovered the old Stables and its antique shops, premonitory of our departure with these old suitcases. The girls learned to bargain in English, and they forced the vendors to take them seriously...A great experience all in all. they wanted to take a little something for everybody, so they run along the long street for a couple of hours or more.

Covent Garden

2010-02-26T01:04:00.003+01:00

It was dark already, but the atmosphere of these beautiful old market place was still open for us. A delicious stroll around the area at least gave the girls the taste of it. They, as usual, were very clever and got very nice bargains. We were all looking for hats and scarves...Street vendors were still waiting for the late tourists of the day, but with a tired gaze and cold hands. Amanda and I had even time to go into Marks and Spencer just before they closed down. Who could ask for more. Well, the Opera House was on works, but next time we may have time...

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Seagulls by the Thames.

2010-02-26T00:53:00.006+01:00

We had lunch at an Asian buffet, but the girls took pictures of that. They sure had some fun with the exotic food. The evening was already here, and we decided to take the underground. There were some lines with interruptions, and it took us a while to get to our next stop. The day had not ended yet, we still got a bit more energy before finishing Sunday. Goodbye, River Thames

LONDON EYE

2010-02-26T00:44:00.005+01:00

Only part of the group wanted to go up high on the London Eye, and they of course needed an adult. So here we took the best aereal pics of London we could...The girls were excited and took close up pictures of themselves and the scenery. Alicia took a panoramic that I hope she uploads here, because it was amazing.

Cleopatra's Needle

2010-02-20T21:10:00.010+01:00

This is one of the two sphinxes at the base of Cleopatra's Needle by the river Thames. The needle is really Egyptian, but not the sphinxes, mythical Egyptian creatures. We can see again on the sphinx chest the cartridge/cartucho incicating the Emperor who ordered to construct them. The obelisk, which we cannot see in the picture, was finally erected on the Victoria Embankment on 12 September 1878.

The Royal Courts of Justice

2010-02-20T20:12:00.010+01:00

Our 15 bus broke down just by the wonderful building of the Royal Courts of Justice,after waiting for another bus and getting a bit cold by the shade of this side of the pavement, we had to walk down towards the river, very near us. It was Sunday, and a friend that happens to be a Londoner, told me about the random functioning of the underground on Sundays.

We walked down to find Temple underground station closed. This gave us the great opportunity of walking along the river. It was cold and the girls were already tired, but it was absolutely worth the effort. Later on in the afternoon we would get a bit lost in the underground intricate connections between lines, which were closed in parts of the way...being sunday is not the best day to take the metro!!!!

Singular Buildings

2010-02-20T19:58:00.005+01:00

We saw wonderful buildings, like this huge one on our way to Knightbridge area. Also
on our way to the hotel, there was this different metalic building that grabbed my attention. When you visit a new city there are wonderful discoveries, and they make you widen your desire to learn more, in this case, about Architectural Curiosities

Sunday mass at St. Paul's, and more...

2010-02-19T16:04:00.009+01:00

St. Paul's Cathedral had a wonderful choir singing in the Sunday mass. No tours were allowed, but we sat to listen to the celestial voices. Once out we headed to the Millennium Bridge to see the bridge itself over the river Thames and the Shakespeare's reconstructed Globe Theatre from a distance. We couldn't make the South River bank walk, nor visit the Tate Modern art museum....but the girls will sure do it in their next visit to London on their own, sooner than we think!!!

The Soho and the Windmill Theatre

2010-02-18T18:59:00.008+01:00

The Soho is the area of the Windmill Theatre and many artists. In the West End district, it is full of foreign restaurants, cafés and cinemas.

Victoria and Albert plus The Natural History Museums

2010-02-18T16:38:00.005+01:00

Saturdays are not the best days to visit The Victoria and Albert Museum or The Natural History one. Lots of people queuing. Next time.

Bukingham Palace, The Changing of the Guard

2010-02-18T15:09:00.016+01:00

All these people and us were walking the Mall heading towards the Changing of the Guard in Buckingham Palace. We all wanted to get there before 11:30 to see everything from the start. It was fun and the girls enjoyed the horses and the taxis going around the Victoria Memorial in the middle of the Square. We also took a picture at The Canada Gate, which gives entrance to the Palace's Green Garden; another picture taken at The Queen Victoria Memorial, the first Queen to live in Buckingham Palace.

The National Gallery

2010-02-18T14:37:00.009+01:00

At the National Gallery we could see Velazquez' "The Rokeby Venus", Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and Van Dyck's "Equestrian Portrait of Charles I", among other magnificent paintings by Picasso "The Child and the Dove", Monet and Seurat...We run into the museum's shop and relished with some traits to take home. Then a stop to see Trafalgar Square, the Lions and Nelson's Column.

Piccadilly Circus and Neon Lights

2010-02-18T13:53:00.006+01:00

Everybody gathers at Piccadilly, under the Eros statue, one of the most famous meeting points in the West End. From here we walked down Haymarket along the Theatres. We wanted to have a quick look at the National Gallery, take a pic at the lions in Trafalgar square and then head to the Admiralty Arch and walk the Mall heading to Buckingham Palace. There was snow and lots of cold but the sun was shining radiant to welcome us all.

Ready girls? Group Picture!

2010-02-18T13:44:00.000+01:00

CLOCKS IN LONDON

2010-02-16T11:51:00.002+01:00

Clocks In London 2010

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WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE !!!

2010-02-10T20:07:00.003+01:00

For the first time in our teaching life we decided to accompany a group of enthusiastic students to visit London and I must tell this has been a wonderful experience. Congratulations girls!!!!

There is nothing more rewarding for a teacher than students who are eager for learning, in my case this is even better, to have the opportunity to show you "my city" as London is my favourite town.

Girls, let me tell you something: Keep your spirit high and I am sure you will get anything you aim at.

Amanda

The Cript, Saint Martin in the Fields

2010-02-07T17:53:00.011+01:00

Getting to Trafalgar Square and tired of the day, we entered this beautiful church to rest and have a repairing cup of tea, and some scones, of course!

Again, it was the first time for many. The girls gathered naturally waiting for us to do the ceremony of the drinking tea. They absolutely baptised the tea with too much milk, making it a funny mixture between cultures.

I don't remember many of them buying tea to take home, but they sure collected a different experience among the graves. And one more thing, it felt so good down there: sacred but public, silent but happy. Don't miss Saint Martin in the Fields!

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Big Ben, London Eye and River Thames

2010-02-07T02:07:00.018+01:00

We got to these sites just in time before the sun went down, so the students could fully admire the Tower of the Big Ben, which impressed everybody. Crossing the river to enjoy the beauty of both the London Eye and the river Thames compensated the intense cold that the night was bringing. We did our best and managed to take nice pictures.

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The Nereidas and the Parthenon Sculptures

2010-02-07T01:56:00.011+01:00

The Assyrians

2010-02-07T01:45:00.004+01:00

The Egyptian "cartridge" (cartucho)

2010-02-07T01:14:00.019+01:00

Amanda told us about the meaning of these sings in the form of a cartridge. It was the signature of the Emperor who ordered to build the statue. Her recent trip to Egypt gave us very interesting clues to understand many things better.

The British Museum

2010-02-07T00:50:00.017+01:00

The British Museum had a lot of treasures that would fascinate our students, and they took pictures of every one of them. They were finally seeing with their own eyes what their Greek and Latin Teachers had told them about to be ready before this trip.

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We start the sightseeing tour

2010-02-07T00:40:00.010+01:00

Suitcases at the hotel, and we are ready for the tour. We do not want to let a minute pass, so off we go along King Cross Road....We will get to Russel Square and the magnificent Russel Hotel, where we will detour to reach the British Museum.

On the way the girls will stop at every landmark they think is worth taking a picture of, that is ALL

along the street!!!!...But the closest telephone booths will suffer the first of many avalanche of students!

A regular school day for everybody

2010-02-06T23:43:00.004+01:00

We were celebrating Santo Tomás de Aquino, San José de Calasanz and San Juan Bosco in Spain. All of them Patron Saints of the Teachers in our country. My colleague Amanda and I couldn't ask for better students to accompany us, and for a better experience to share with them. Who said teachers do not want to motivate their students?
Education is the bridge to cross to wonderful landmarks.

Getting to the City of London

2010-02-06T23:16:00.009+01:00

Well, here we were. Driving on a coach heading to the four days excursion ahead of us. Happy and nervous at the same time. A first time for everybody, though in different senses. The girls didn't go with their families, and us teachers had never assumed such responsibility. But we had had very good vibrations from the start, and they were going to probe right till the end of the trip. Getting to London from Gatwick airport would take us one and a half hours, a good moment to start getting into the atmosphere that the land scape offered us, taking pictures and talking to the travel agency assitant that accompanied us to the hotel premises.