7AC Cambridge: Day 6

London Calling

Saturday started off with breakfast for everyone. Afterwards, we set out for the train station where we met with our classmates and teachers. When everyone had arrived we got on a train to London King's Cross, one of the busiest railway stations in the UK. From there we took the tube to Oxford Circus to finally indulge in something we had been looking forward to all week long: shopping on Oxford Street!

After 1 1/2 hours of shopping bliss, we waited in the pouring rain (that English weather finally lived up to its name!) for everyone to arrive and then we went on a sightseeing walking tour around London, visiting all the famous sights like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben and the London Eye. Sadly, we weren't able to witness a Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and unfortunately, Elizabeth Tower (or Big Ben as it is more commonly referred to) was completely scaffolded due to renovations so we couldn't see much of it.

After a short lunch break we met in front of the London Dungeon, a tourist attraction along the south bank of the Thames, next to the London Eye. Everyone was really excited and some were even a bit frightened. The London Dungeon recreates various gory and macabre historical events in different walkthrough theatrical shows, using a mixture of live actors, music, special effects and rides. We were taken on a journey through 1000 years of London's gory history, from experiencing events like the Great Fire of London, the Black Death or the Gunpowder Plot to meeting infamous characters like Jack the Ripper, Sweeney Todd, The Torturer, The Plague Doctor or The Judge. Some of us were even encouraged to participate in the shows by the characters! At the end of the walkthrough, we went on a "drop ride to doom", a free-fall ride staged as a public hanging. Even though the tour was not really what we had expected, we still enjoyed the experience. Some of us even bought pictures of us during the free-fall ride in which we looked really scared.

Next, we went to the City Hall on the south bank of the Thames to get a good view and the best shots of Tower Bridge, which was really huge. We had some time to take a couple of group photos before we headed back to King's Cross to catch our train back to Cambridge. When we finally arrived home, it was already dark and everyone was very hungry. It was a really nice day nonetheless, and we had lots of fun and took many great pictures.

- Corinna Polt, 7C