Campers visit London, England!

One highlight of the trip was being waved at by King Charles III in London, England! Continue reading to learn more…

Day 1:

     The London Travel group landed in England on March 5th, after a shoutout from the Pilot to Camp Courageous over the plane’s intercom! Everyone smoothly made it through customs then we met our Tour Director Kay and hopped on a private bus just for our group. Along the way to the hotel, Kay pointed out London attractions and answered the campers’ many questions.

Upon arrival, everyone headed to their rooms for a little rest. After a refresher, the group met up to visit the popular areas within walking distance of the hotel. For lunch, we ate at a sports bar and then checked out the Broadway shopping center at the Hammersmith Station. Campers loaded up on snacks from Tescos and purchased London memorabilia.

Once done everyone headed back to the hotel to meet up for dinner at Aroma’s. We started dinner with Kay going over the Itinerary and playing a name game. Everyone said their name and what they were excited to see in London or another fun fact.

After a delicious buffet-style meal we called it a day and headed to bed excited for the sightseeing tour tomorrow.

Day 2:

   The second day was exciting for the London Travel Campers, as they saw King Charles III drive by and he even waved at the group! Kay the tour director has been living in London for 20+ years and this was only her second time seeing royalty so it was pretty special.
  The group ate a delicious breakfast at the hotel and then took a bus tour around the city of London and marveled at famous sights. Such as Westminster Abbey, the grand Trafalgar Square, the River Thames, the London Eye, and Buckingham Palace where we witnessed the changing of the guard and waved at King Charles.
 The bus tour ended at Covent Garden where a lot of shops, restaurants, and street performers are located.
After a lesson on how to use the Underground Tube by Kay. The 2, 15 people groups went their separate ways for the rest of the day.
  One group enjoyed fish n’ chips at a pub and taking pictures in a telephone booth while trying to see how many campers could fit in a booth. They also walked along the River Thames and checked out cool souvenir shops. They ended the day by watching the Mamma Mia Musical at Novello Theatre.
  The other group headed to Kings Cross Station through the Underground and checked out platform 9 3/4 which was in the movie Harry Potter. The campers had a blast taking photos and witnessing a little slice of the magical world. They also stopped by a gift shop that featured all things wizardry. The campers took plenty of pictures of cool statues, cars, and artwork.
Everyone is excited for the next couple of free days as the campers choose where they would like to go and what they would like to do.
Day 3:

In the morning, after a delicious breakfast and a cuppa. The groups split up to explore the city of London!

  One group explored different areas of London– Camden Town, Wood Lane, and Green Park. Kelsey and Angela enjoyed walking the trails and seeing the beautiful scenery. Another group visited the Tower of London and the zoo! For lunch, one of the 15 people groups met up and shared stories of their morning journeys while enjoying their fish and chips. After a great meal, campers were ready to shop! We all got on the Underground tube and headed to Woodland. Campers shopped the evening away. The last stop was an Indian restaurant, Campers enjoyed the delicious ethnic flavors of India.

   The other 15-person group decided to stay together to explore the area. The first stop was the huge Albert memorial and after a group photo, we headed over to the dog park next door. The campers loved watching and being able to pet them. Afterward, we visited the Science Museum which aims to make sense of the science that shapes our lives. While there we watched an Antarctica IMAX film in 3D.  We also visited the Victoria and Albert Museum which was full of rich history about many countries. In the evening after taking the Tube, dinner was at a sushi & bento shop. Ashley’s group split off to see the most famous story of love at first sight: Romeo and Juliet the play. The remaining group walked over the London bridge where there was a spectacular view of the Tower Bridge. Afterward, everyone made it safely back to the hotel for the night.

Day 4:

On the last full day in London everyone split up into their groups and explored the city more.
  The group started their day taking the Tube to the iconic Beatles- Abbey Rd. Crosswalk. Where they walked across and posed just like the Beatles. After a great photoshoot, the campers explored the Beatles shop buying many souvenir t-shirts, keychains, sunglasses, and many other items.
  After shopping, everyone loaded a classic double-decker bus and headed to a reservation at the original founding Hard Rock Cafe in London! The cafe had memorabilia from many music icons everyone loved finding them. After lunch, the campers shopped at the Rock Shop and purchased glamorous merch.
  The evening for some was spent exploring the Tower Bridge. Campers walked across and a few adventured all the way up in the tower.  For others, they enjoyed taking a boat over to Westminster Abbey where they took part in a service. Afterwards, they sang along to Frozen the live-action musical! We ended the night having dinner at a pub and enjoyed the brick-style pizza.
Day 5:
The last day in London was spent checking out a mall bigger than the Mall of America for one group and for the other group visiting Kensington Palace, Big Ben, and Ben’s cookies which had delicious cookies!
   In the evening everyone wore a nice outfit for a night out on the town. We took a charter bus over to the London Eye which stands at 135 meters high (about 442 feet). Once we boarded the pods on the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel, the campers were immersed in the breathtaking view. They had fun waving and making silly gestures to the campers in the other pod. After disembarking from the pods, pictures and souvenirs were purchased and then off we went to dinner.
   We had a reservation at a classy restaurant called Brown’s. The food was delicious from the sea bass to the chicken pot pie to the dessert. The last meal in London was spent with laughter in the air and good vibes all around. Once done the group headed back to the hotel where everyone packed and got ready for the journey back to America the following day!
Day 6:
Bright and early the travel group said cheerio to the United Kingdom and our wonderful Tour Director Kay!
   Everyone made it successfully through the 10-hour flight to Denver. Dustin was even given a real Pilots shirt from a Pilot who was sitting next to him.  Once we made it through customs we had some grub and hopped on the flight back home to Iowa! Upon touchdown in Cedar Rapids, the group gave a round of applause.
“You and I have memories/ Longer than the road that stretches out ahead.” -The Beetles “Two of us”