This is a video inside The Globe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL2Xkk_a6uc&feature=youtu.be
After the tour of the theatre we went outside to eat our pack lunches. As we sat there eating our pic-nic on the South Bank of the Thames river, a young woman rolled by on a wheelchair. She was wearing the Chilean sports uniform and had two young men accompanying her, also in Chilean gear. Our children started shouting "¡Viva Chile!" and asked her who she was. It turned out that she was a member of the Chilean Paralympic Team, that her name was María Antonieta Ortiz, that they were staying in Stratford-upon-Avon, and that she had been competing in tennis in the Paralympic Games. We asked to have our photo taken with her and she agreed. So the first picture below is with her, outside The Globe Theatre.
Being all of us so far from our beloved Chile, it was a very emotional moment. We thanked her for representing our country; we all felt very proud to be Chilean.
This is her Paralympic Games profile: http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athlete/ortiz-maria-antonieta-5506183/
Tap on the pictures to blow them up.
And here are some pictures of us outside the theatre.
Below is part of the group with Mandeville, the Paralympic Games' mascot. This would prove to be very auspicious as the picture was taken before we met María Antonieta, the Paralympics tennis player.
And then we took off. We walked and walked, and then we walked some more. The South Bank is fascinating; there is so much going on, plus the weather was gorgeous. This meant that Londoners and tourists alike were making the best of the sunshine; they were out in force. Take a look:
Here are two short videos so you can have an idea of how the South Bank was looking at the time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA71Wyn3Qgc&feature=youtu.be
The second one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oY_xOMjE8Q&feature=youtu.be
The Chilean Expeditionary Force with the Thames river and the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in the background:
We then left the South Bank and crossed the river so we could walk by Big Ben. But before crossing, we took this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BunUqHTKw4&feature=youtu.be
And then we came to Big Ben. It's big.
Here's a short video of The Force walking past Big Ben:
And then we tried something that is becoming a tradition of our trip to England:
Eight, yes, you read correctly, EIGHT Redland rugby players can fit into a red phone box. Notice that they were smart and left their rucksacks outside:
For further proof, you should look at the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AJzkEoUL64&feature=youtu.be
We then continued our walk and came by Horse Guards Parade, which is the traditional Queen's mounted guards regiment. They are always on guard so many tourists have their picture taken standing next to them. This might become "dangerous", though. Look at the sign above the heads of our Redland tourists. Tap on the photograph to enlarge.
We carried on walking and arrived at Tafalgar Square so that we could visit The National Gallery, one of Britain's top fine arts museums. This is the video of The Force arriving at Trafalgar. Notice how thick traffic was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKQRXHa7eDw&feature=youtu.be
Once we had crossed the street onto Trafalgar Square we walked up to The National Gallery. The view of the Square from the Gallery was very different from last year. Take a look:
After visiting The National Gallery, we once again took to the streets. This time we headed for Buckingham Palace. Below is the official photograph outside the palace.
The next photo is a personal picture that I asked Daniel Farrach to take of my daughter Fernanda and I. The reason I'm including it on here is because of something quite extraordinary that took place moments before Daniel pressed the shutter. If you blow up this picture and you look towards my left shoulder, you will see a young couple holding each other. He is wearing a green t-shirt, she is dressed in jeans and what seems to be a denim jacket. You will notice that everyone around them is looking at them. What you can't see, but which Fernanda, Daniel and I heard very loudly, was clapping and cheering; a lot of it.
Instants before this photo was taken, the young man had been on his knee and had asked his girl to marry him - on the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. She had said yes, hence the loud clapping and cheering. Total strangers were expressing their good wishes to the happy couple and wishing them the best.
The young man clearly had a sense of style and of the dramatic.
Unforgettable.
And then, it was time to start walking again. Thankfully, this walk was short. We were going for dinner at a nearby pub, The Albert's. In the next few pictures you can see the children at their tables.
After dinner, we walked to the nearest Tube station and took the underground to the theatre. Here's a video recording of that ride. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc0zXTo8618&feature=youtu.be
We got off the train and walked past New Scotland Yard.
Finally, we arrived at the Dominion Theatre to see We Will Rock You, the musical based on Queen songs. First, we had to wait in the lobby while our teachers got our tickets.
And then we went inside.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MElamkNcSek&feature=youtu.be
We crossed the street to get on our coach, which was waiting for us. After an uneventful hour and a half we arrived safely in Bedgebury. It was past midnight of what would be the longest day of our entire trip whilst still in England.
We hope that you have enjoyed gregariously sharing in our adventures. Until tomorrow.
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