Saturday, August 6, 2016

Day 6 August 6th

London Calling! The famous tune song by the British punk band The Clash always sets the mood when you visit the historic city. There is nothing like London. The history, the buildings, the people, the sights, the sounds. There isn't another city like it on the planet and today the Seacoast United players were lucky enough to experience it first hand.

The kids were woken up promptly at 7:00 am which was a task in itself since we didn't get back from Fulham until midnight! Everyone was excited to explore London so it didn't take much convincing to get everyone over to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast before we made our way to the buses. Two buses with over 70 kids started the journey to Central London. The drive up to the city was great as we weaved our way through various boroughs. The houses and streets are a far cry from the major metropolitan areas the kids are accustomed to but there is no other city that does such an amazing job of integrating the old with the new. Little cobble stone streets are adorned with skyscrapers towering in the sky.

We were all dropped off just before Oxford Street, the busiest shopping district in London, and we were quickly split into smaller groups. Everyone made their way to Niketown which is located near Oxford Circus. The kids were released on the store and had the next hour to try on top of the line training gear and boots. The parents that made their way over to England surprised some of the players which was a great sight. Once the kids all finished, the groups headed off in different directions to see the famous sights.


The girl soccer players headed out and made their way (slowly) to Piccadilly Circus. Of course we came across a Starbucks so we spent a good hour queuing up whilst everyone got a much needed Frappaccuno. The girls eventually arrived at the famous Piccadilly Circus and hopped on an open top bus for a quick tour around London. We saw all of the favorites, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye and of course Big Ben. Once the tour was finished, we stopped at a souvenir shop for some British gifts and we were back on the bus.



The boys soccer players enjoyed a tour by foot and were able to get up close to some of the landmarks. The weather today was nothing short of superb and could have easily been the nicest day of the year. A handful of clouds dotted the blue sky and the breeze off of the Thames was well received. The field hockey players were treated to a nice surprise as they hopped into the observation pods on the London Eye. The famous Ferris wheel is fixed along the South Embankment and is just opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The players had a great view of the whole city and were able to get plenty of pictures. Back down on the ground, it was a quick scramble to the bus and we made our way back to Lancing College with all of the kids feeling just a little bit more cultured.




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