May 19- Last Day In London

Hello,

Saturday was our last day "official" day in London. After touring the Olympic Park, Wembley, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London,  meeting with a representative from Hackney Council, and visiting other historic London landmarks, we have seen almost everything there is to see in London.
On Saturday we finished our 5day adventure at the Portobello Road Antiques Market, and Harrods.

Our first stop was the Portobello Market. We were all a little concerned about leaving the hotel at 8:00am to attend a street market, but we decided to follow the expert, professor Ryan, (aka P.Ry-the camera guy).  After a ride on the tube, we finally arrived at portobello street. We were taken a aback by the cute street that was filled with street vendors selling everything from souvenirs to food.  Everyone had an amazing time, and to our surprise,  visiting portobello market was one of the most enjoyable parts of our trip.

After a few of us were separated from the group, we were forced to venture off on our own. Luckily, we were paying attention to the tube directions and were capable of making our way to Harrods.  At Harrods we caught up with the rest of the group and walked around the biggest  and most extravagant shopping center I have ever attended.

Harrods is a combination of Saks Fifth Avenue, Wegmans, Macy's, a museum, and Destiny USA (Carousel Shopping Center), all wrapped up into one big department store.  Every floor of Harrods made you feel like you were shopping at an entirely different store. While none of the students purchased items from Harrods, it is a must see in London. Three students, however, did join Professor Ryan at the ice cream parlor,  for what he calls "the best ice cream ever". He was right!!! The ice cream was delicious, but it did put a dent in our pocks:-/.

Following our trip to Harrods, we returned to the hotel. Many of the students purchased tickets for a Jay-Z and Kanye West concert that was being held later  in the evening.  We took naps, got something to eat, and mapped out our tube route to the O2 center, which was where the concert was being held.  The concert was one of the most memorable events of the trip.  It was amazing to see how popular, American artists are overseas.  It was definitely one of the best concerts that I've ever attended.

We made our way back to the hotel on the tube. We were provided with great British entertainment from other passengers on the train, who sang the entire way back to their stop. Finally, we made it back to the hotel, and everyone prepped for the early morning departure.

London was truly an amazing experience! I learned a lot about the upcoming Olympic Games and the culture in London. I am excited to see what type of impact the 2012 Olympic Games will have on London, and look forward to returning to the city a few years after the games are over.  I'm so glad I'm taking the Olympic Odyssey class and look forward to the rest of the trip.

Au Revoir  from  Paris,

Charma