London - Day 2

            After a long day of traveling from Monday into Tuesday, everyone got a good night’s sleep Tuesday night in preparation for our first full day in London. The morning began with breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant before regrouping at 9 A.M. in the lobby. It was a slow morning for us all, considering the 5 hour time change from what we’re used to on the east coast, but the morning air and the excitement of seeing the famous Wembley Stadium quickly woke us all up.
 

 

            We walked a couple blocks to the train station and hopped on the tube, headed for Wembley Park. Once we arrived the view was spectacular, with the newly renovated stadium ahead beneath a stunning arch. I had great expectations entering this first day, but they were exceeded the moment our tour of Wembley began. Not only was the tour guide excellent, but also the pitch itself and the massive stadium surrounding it were out of this world. Wembley has a lot of history behind it, being 90,000 seats and doubling as a concert venue, it has seen it’s fair share of celebrities pass through throughout the years. Fun fact, Wembley Stadium has the most toilets of any venue in the entire world, over 2,000 in total.

            After we wrapped up our tour and got an inside look at the players’ facilities and the interview room, we moved on to lunch at a small sandwich and pizza shop on a side street near Wembley. The food was excellent! Between the great customer service, and it being the first time we had free Wi-Fi all trip, it made for a fantastic meal. Afterwards, we headed back to the Wembley Park tube station in order to continue the rest of our day at the British National Museum, which was breath-taking.
          The museum was spectacular, with large columns in front and Greek gods carved into the side of the building. Professor Ryan did a great job with preparing us for the tour, giving us boatloads of information to digest before we really got going. Throughout the tour, we got a great historical background on everything from Greece and the early Olympics to the time when the Catholics entered and destroyed many of these statues. Overall, it was an excellent first day, and after enjoying Wembley Stadium and the British Museum I am excited to see what the rest of the U.K. has in store for us!