Life in the Big City . . .

Well my friends, again it has been two three days since we last chatted, and I have no excuse:).  But here are our adventures so far.  (In all honesty, I started this last night and was too exhausted to finish- forgive me.)

Day 4- Found a traditional pub in downtown London and watched the Federer/Murray Match.
Here are the things that I learned about watching sports in London, or more specific about watching Tennis in London.  Tennis Matches are very subdued undertakings even in a bar:  no yelling at the TV, no stomping of feet, no wild cheers for victories.  We all sat calmly and ate our lunch while watching some pretty exciting tennis.  Although Murray did not win, he did give Federer a run for his money in the first sets, and this was the first time in 73 years a British male made it to the finals at Wimbledon.  (Yes Murray is technically Scottish, but Scotland is still part of the UK.) 

The group today consisted of my fellow faculty from a well known state institution south of Cincinnati.  We don't speak the name at our house.  We bleed Black and Red, not Blue:)   I found myself once again, counting heads.  It might be compulsive behavior on my part, too many years with young kids, or just a need to make sure no one gets left behind.

After Tennis, we opted to walk London.  So many amazing sites, Westminster Abby, Trafalgar Square, the Wobbly Bridge, (for Harry Potter fans the bridge in the final movie), the London Eye.  After walking for several hours, Megan and I headed to Buckingham Palace, where we got caught in a fabulous London storm.  Yes - the rain slickers she purchased before we left have come in incredibly handy.- Thanks Megan.  The storm turned out to be a fabulous adventure, standing under a tree outside the palace in a beautiful green park.  It stopped almost as quickly as it started, but was a lot of fun.

Off to home, bread and cheese at the market, then another great evening entertaining with friends in our room.  (Some roles don't change, just because of change in geographic location.)

Day 5 - First Day of Classes.  First, thanks to Megan for all her help with AV support.  It is great to travel with your own techy:).  The class went well.  When I ran into students later in the day, they were all talking about how much they enjoyed the class.  They especially enjoyed learning about more than the Sports of the Olympics.  (Today we covered, the Ancient Games, The Modern Revival, and Gender issues surrounding the Olympics.)

After class, a quick lunch in the cafeteria, and an another round of Tech Support by Megan we were off to scope out the field trip for the next day.  The day ended uneventfully in London, with me purchasing a great pair of Welly's and some great Olympic Gear for Us and the Girls.

Stay tuned for the next update- Our first field trip- Megan and I and 20 Students on our own in London- (insert your choice of ominious music).