West End Girls

      When you go to New York some people say that going to see a show on Broadway is a must. Being in London is kind of the same thing. The section of London with all of the theaters is called the West End. The theaters are packed every night. While I was there I went to the Phoenix Theater. Here I saw the play Blood Brothers. I was not sure what to expect when I went to the theater. Whenever I go to see a play, or an orchestra concert I usually become bored in the beginning. When the play started I was a little surprised that I was thoroughly enjoying the show. If you have not seen Blood Brothers, you should definitely see it. It is about love, loyalty, and betrayal.    
       This play is about two brothers who were separated at birth. One of the brothers stays with their birth mother, who is not very wealthy. The other one goes with a family who is wealthy. They knew each other growing up, but never knew that they were brothers. No matter how many times they separate, fate kept bringing them back together. In the beginning of the play, the mother who adopted one of the brothers made the mother who gave birth to both of them promise they would never tell them they are brothers. The mother who adopted one of the brothers said that if they were told, the brothers would die that day. 
     When they are older, the one who was not so wealthy married someone they both loved. He was in desperate need of money, so he goes along with his other brother's plan to rob a bank. Sadly, they are caught and they go to jail. When he is released from jail, he becomes depressed and does not know what to do with his life. His wife and mother both try to help him, but neither are successful. Unfortunately his wife begins to have an affair with his wealthy brother. The wealthy mother is vindictive and evil. She took the depressed man and exposed him to the affair between his wealthy brother and his wife. He becomes extremely angry with his wealthy brother. He was so angry that he found his brother and brought a gun. This was the last straw, he spiraled out of control. In hopes of saving both of their lives, the poor mother came and told them that they are brothers. Instead, of this saving their lives, the depressed brother shot himself. Police heard the gun shot and shot their gun because they  thought their was danger. This bullet hits the wealthy brother, and they both die. 
      The gun shots sounded so real I thought someone was actually using a gun. Although this play had a very tragic ending, the actors put on an excellent show and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was thrilled that I was able to spend one of my nights in the West End seeing such an amazing play.

Head Over Heels at the Tower

      Before going to England I watched a lot of shows that said the Tower was haunted. Well, I wanted to find this out for myself. To get to the Tower from my hotel, you had to sail on the Thames. While waiting for my boat to pick us up, we were able to admire the Eye and Big Ben again. Finally, it was time to board the boat. London is known for inclement weather, but luckily while we were there the weather was so nice every day! Since it was such a beautiful day, I wanted to sit on the top of the boat. While on the thirty minute boat ride, the tour guide talked about different things we passed. The most important thing I learned on this ride was not about anything we passed, but it was that if anyone asks you if you are American do not raise your hand. At the beginning of the ride, the tour guide said, "Is anyone here American?" Some people raised their hands, including my mom. Then he said, " Okay, I will be sure to speak slowly." It was funny, but a little embarrassing.
       My family and I finally got off the Boat and started walking towards the tower. We walked into the front of the tower and joined a very large tour group. We had a humorous tour guide who told us everything there was to know about the Tour. He told us stories about be-headings that took place in the courtyard exactly where we were standing. There were many stories about Henry VIII having his wives beheaded, but my favorite one was the story of Catherine Howard. After being unfaithful in her relationship with Henry, he ordered to have her beheaded. Her last words were, "I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper." After she said this, everyone looked around for Culpeper. Culpeper did the same, hoping nobody would find out who he was. I thought this story was funny, especially when the tour guide mocked Culpeper looking around.
      While at the Tower, we were also able to walk through some of the towers, which was not as exciting as I thought it would be. After the tour was over, there was a building where you could walk through and see the Crown Jewels. This was a must see for my mom and me because we love jewelry! When we reached the part where you were able to look at all of the Queens' crowns, I was amazed! They were more elaborate than anything I had ever seen before. Sadly, you were not aloud to take any pictures.
      When you are leaving the Tower, you walk out onto a street, and the Tower Bridge is right in front of your face! While watching the Olympics I would always see the Tower Bridge light up with the Olympic rings on it. It was so surreal that it was right in front of me! We walked towards it and we walked up some steps, then we were walking right on the bridge. The sight of the Thames was so beautiful, and I enjoyed the moment thoroughly. Once you were on the bridge, you could go to a little office and get in line to go all the way to the top of the bridge. We took an elevator up, which was a little frightening for me at first because elevators and heights are not my favorite things. Luckily, I got to the top safely, and being up there barely scared me. We walked down this long hallway which is the the very top of the bridge when you are looking at it from the outside. After walking for a little, we took the elevator back down, and walked off of the bridge. This day was unforgettable for me because I felt like I had traveled back in time.

Eye Can See all of London

Something that is on many postcards, or seen in many pictures from London is The London Eye. This was an attraction that I was looking forward to very much. When I watched the Olympics they would always show it all light up at night and it just seemed amazing to think I was going to see it in person! The day we were going to The Eye, we made a few stops along the way. In the morning we went across the street from our hotel to Buckingham Palace. There we saw the changing of the guards. This is just when the Queen's guards are changing, but it is incredible to watch. After we finished admiring the Palace, we started walking towards the Eye. If you are ever taking a trip to London I suggest you wear very comfortable shoes because you walk every day from very early in the morning to late at night. Especially if you are vacationing with my Granddad, all of the walking is done at a very fast pace. When I was going to the Eye from Buckingham Palace, one thing we saw on the way was Big Ben and the House of Parliament. The architecture of the House of Parliament was extraordinary. Big Ben was definitely close to being one of the things for which I was most excited. I could not believe how tall it was, and that I was actually seeing it in real life. We had to keep walking, but I was glad I had the opportunity to see Big Ben. Though the journey was arduous, it was worth it to be standing in front of the biggest Ferris wheel I have ever seen in my life. It is located on the River Thames. After walking all morning I certainly was not looking forward to standing in line. Luckily, we had the fast track pass, so we did not have to wait in line for 2 1/2 hours; just 10 minutes. As we were in the front of the line, I watched as people got off and on. While they were doing that I noticed the car did not completely stop as people got in and out of it. This was not good for me considering I am not that coordinated. Fortunately everyone made it on without any accidents. The car was a lot more spacious than I thought it would be. It fit about 15 to 20 people and there was even a little bench to sit on. Also, it was not as scary because there was glass keeping you inside the car. The ride was very relaxing, and it was wonderful seeing the city of London from 443 feet in the air. Even though I visited Big Ben an hour before, I enjoyed seeing it from the top of the Eye. I was thankful that I was able to ride the London Eye because seeing the city of London from the top of the world is an experience I will never forget.

Westminster Abbey

Even if you do not pay much attention to England, you have most likely heard of Westminster Abbey. According to London for Dumbies this was a must see. While vacationing in London, my whole family was looking forward to visiting it. Ever since William the Conqueror was crowned in 1066, Westminster Abbey has been the nation's Coronation church. In the middle of the 13th century, King Henry III rebuilt it to the Gothic style, which is how it remains today. Before Westminster Abbey was a church, it was a monastery. In August of 1540 Henry VIII shut down over 300 monasteries, but thankfully Westminster Abbey was not one of them. This beautiful church was the place of many royal weddings. The most recent wedding of course was William and Catherine. Also, the famous marriage of Diana and Charles was held here as well. There are many fascinating things to see in "the Abbey," as some British people call it. One of my favorite things that I was able to see was the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I and her sister, Queen Mary. When you are walking through the Abbey there are tiles on the floor with peoples' names on them. What I found out was under the tiles were peoples' tombs! Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, and Charles Darwin were just a few of the people buried here. Also, you can find one of the most extraordinary organs. You had to see it to believe it! This is still an active church, and services are held here everyday. As you are leaving the Abbey, on the left, behind a great deal of glass is the coronation chair. King Edward I ordered this chair to be made in 1300-1301. This chair is where every monarch has been crowned, with a few exceptions. When seeing it on TV, or in a picture, the chair seems so amazing, but to be honest I was a little disappointed. What I pictured was a lot more majestic. Walking through the Abbey was such a great experience. I enjoyed seeing the architecture of the church, and artifacts that have been preserved from a very long time ago. We spent around two hours in the Abbey, but in order to see all of the miraculous things, you could have spent two days! From the tombs to the coronation chair, everything was remarkable. This was just one of the exciting things I did while in England. Before we went, my mom bought the London pass, so stay tuned for more!