DAY 1 - We're safely here after a day full of travelling! We arrived in London earlier today and had a coach tour of the city centre. Everyone was happy to head off to their host families for the evening. We are meeting bright and early for a jam-packed day in the city including a theatre workshop at the Globe on Macbeth and the Tate Modern. Depending on the weather, we'll fit in a few more areas to visit too...

DAY 2 - After an interesting trip around the City, with necks craned to see the Gherkin, the Walkie-Talkie and the Cheese-Grater(!), we went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It was a highlight of the day - our guide was passionate about Shakespeare and tried to convince us that the experience was going to change our lives!

Our afternoon was spent in the Tate Modern and Covent Garden.

We are now experienced commuters, taking the tube in rush hour. The teachers may have a few more grey hairs by the time we get back...

DAY 3 - We saw the changing of the guard this morning in the sunshine which was a bonus as it was forecast rain! Some pupils even thought they may have seen the Queen as a mysterious horse-drawn carriage drove past...

Lunch was in St James' park followed by a rather exhilarating experience in London dungeon:
catching the bubonic plague, being a part of the gunpowder plot, and all of us being sentenced to ancient punishments!

We were then turned away from Harrods much to our chagrin. We found refuge in Waterstones where comfy chairs and wifi were a consolation to some, and a store full of books in English was to others!

We've come out victorious so far in our public transport adventures, even in rush hour! The busy schedule means we are all pretty exhausted though and we are perfecting our sleeping whist standing techniques for the journeys.

DAY 4- Day 4 involved a visit to the Olympic Park in rather nippy weather. The playground was possibly a highlight and light relief from all the cultural visits and the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

We took refuge in the adjacent Westfield centre for lunch and headed back into town. On the journey a few may have fallen fast asleep.... All of this walking and fresh air could be to blame!

A Harry Potter walking tour took us around some different areas of the city and we revisited some spots only to find that Harry Potter films were shot all over London. The tour took us through Borough market and tempted us back for the end of the afternoon.

We finished off by taking a walk back over Tower Bridge before heading back to the host families' for the night.

Our final day is tomorrow and we will be at the British Museum, followed by the Eurostar and TGV home!