Days 9 - 11: GO THE COWBOYS! (And London)

Go the Cowboys!!!!

We met for our morning goodbyes to Queen's College and host families, buzzing with excitement and, for some (Mrs Ahern and Miss Kybus), anxiety with the knowledge the Cowboys semi-final kick off was only a couple of hours away. We had found a very kind publican in Salisbury who was willing to not only open his pub early for us, but also to pay the £100 pay TV subscription upgrade so that we were able to watch our boys' game. A big shout out to Danny's Craft Bar and Kitchen for their superb hospitality - lunch was delicious and most importantly, we got to (very loudly) yell and cheer the Cowboys to their victory and place in the grand final. This was a fantastic, and again for some (Mrs Ahern and Miss Kybus), an emotional start to our day and we were all so appreciative we got to watch the game. Very sadly the grand final will be while we are in the plane en route back to Oz, but we are working on talking to the airline about the possibility of airing the game on their live sport channel or at the very least, to get score updates. Where there's a will (and die hard loyalty) there's a way!

London Eye

Olympic Stadium, London

Jubilant from our win, we carried on and arrived in London for a ride on the London Eye so we could see the city and get our bearings. We then had just enough time to check into our hostel and get back onto the bus for our Saturday night plans - to cheer Wales to their victory over England in the World Cup, at a fanzone live site at Olympic Stadium. Here a massive screen was erected in the park, with food stalls and rides to keep us fed and entertained. With such a tightly contested game and our obvious support of Wales, it was a fantastic night and another rare opportunity to be involved with the fever of being local for the World Cup.

Big Ben

We arose early to breakfast and a walk into London. We crossed the impressive London Bridge, circled the Tower of London and found our hop on/off tour bus. We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather - brilliant, blue cloudless sky with warm sunshine and a cool breeze. Not always a common occurrence in London and we made the most of it by sitting on the open top of the bus. We went past iconic Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and walked to Buckingham Palace

My fair lady

 

The boys took the opportunity to practice their line-out at the gates of the palace - their dedication to constantly working on their game play no matter their location or circumstance is admirable.

 

We were then back on the bus to listen to our entertaining guide explain the history and significance of locations as we passed them. Finally, finally we arrived at the place the girls had been anticipating for the entire tour - the shining, glittering, bustling, splendid glory of the shops of Oxford Street. We spent an entire 2.5 hours (a long time on a busy tour like ours) lunching and shopping; the boys following Mr O'Dwyer to the sports warehouses and Rugby World Cup shop before hitting some designer stores, and the girls frantically going EVERYWHERE else.

Big Ben and Parliament

 

All of us now weighed down (some more heavily than others), we were off to Trafalgar Square to wander around, watch the incredible street performers or sit on the steps with the Londonites eating ice cream and drinking coffee. Having luckily secured tickets to a West End show, we took off towards Leicester Square to briefly peruse Covent Garden marketplace before finding the Ambassadors Theatre to watch 'Stomp'. This is a high energy show which uses the body and ordinary objects to create a physical theatre percussion performance. The drumming and physicality of the show was incredible.

We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Leicester Square, narrowly missing the premiere of 'The Intern' with Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway just outside the doors of the restaurant. Dinner was incredible but our day in London wasn't over yet ... With Brian having a rest day we had to navigate the Tube over a couple of stops to get back to the hostel. This was an experience for some students who had never used an underground train system before. Luckily, being a Sunday night it was very quiet and we were able to move as a big group easily.

Absolutely exhausted (but for all the right reasons), the youth hostel was a very welcome sight, as was the news that we would have a slightly slower and later start than usual the following morning. After breakfast in the hostel (with surprisingly almost French-worthy croissants) we reconnected with Brian and our bus, loaded up and were off back across the London Bridge to the Tower of London, where we had some time inside. Here we saw the absurdly extravagant Crown Jewels, and visited highly historic place such as the site where Anne Boleyn was killed and the Torture Towers. Not exactly a light-hearted affair but the grounds and castle are incredible and worth the visit, albeit a quick one.

Having said goodbye to Old London Town, we are now back on the bus and en route to Uppingham to begin our back-to-back school visits. As with all big trips, time has had the peculiar way of absolutely flying yet feeling like we have been away forever, as we have done so much. With four more nights with billets and only one night left as a group, we are determined to make the most of our final week away. Bring on the final two games!

 

 

Posted by K Kybus