P2P Day 18: Turns Out London Was a Thriller! Moonwalking the West End

See Katie? She's auditioning for a zombie movie.
Good acting.

As I write this they are already at Heathrow. People to People has this grueling rule about getting their early (see "I will never again complain about this rule" here).

Anyway, it's 4am and they are there. I suspect it's because the Casper, Wyoming folks need to get an earlier flight to Chicago because the LA gang doesn't leave for like six hours. That's a LONG morning but nearly guarantees sleep on the plane.

They did a ton today - from Parliament to the Tower of London to cruising on the Thames and ending in the West End at Thriller Live! The show gets great reviews and I have to say, it's kind of a brilliant choice because there wasn't much that was going to keep them awake at this point - except maybe some Michael Jackson music.

Of course, Katie doesn't know any of the music.

Well, time to scramble to bed. Big day tomorrow - here's to safe travels for them all! Happy homecoming!

From the People to People Itinerary

One of the privileges of traveling as a Student Ambassador is gaining access to people and places you would otherwise not have the opportunity to on your own. Today you will take part in an exclusive access meeting with a current or former Member of Parliament. This unique opportunity explores the British Constitution and discusses the respective roles of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarch, and England's long standing political relationship with the US - a true honor for Student Ambassadors.

Explore the must-see Tower of London and make sure you visit the Crown Jewels where over 23,000 gems make up the collection. As a prison, it confined such famous prisoners as Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh. You may wish to download the free iPhone and iPod Touch app from the iTunes store called "Escape from the Tower". You can `help four worthy prisoners escape from the Tower by re-enacting their real-life events'. Do you know how many of King Henry VIII's six wives were imprisoned and executed at the Tower of London?

Also during your visit to the Tower of London you may meet the Yeoman Warders, or "Beefeaters'', who guard the tower and are caretakers of the mysterious ravens. Legend has it that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the Kingdom will fall!

Cruise the River Thames taking in many of the city's famous sights. It is here on the River Thames that the beautiful Tower Bridge is located. You may remember during the London Olympics, the Olympic rings hung on this bridge making this iconic beauty even more spectacular. Unfortunately for us the rings no longer hang on the bridge, however the beauty of Tower Bridge remains.

Spend an evening experiencing the glitz and glamour of London's world famous theatre scene, attending a performance of one of the capital's most popular shows.

Day 11: Dog-Tired, Today They Learn Football and Cricket and Visit the Sydney Opera House

Weird face. Casey looks happy!

Got a call from Katie a little after noon - morning her time - and she sounded wiped out! I guess they got sleep last night but the two nights before, not so much.

They toured the aquarium last night and she said, very deadpan, "Great. Fish." Of course that's the one thing we have plenty of around here.

The other thing she said was hard was the food. I guess they have all gained weight (so they think, their clothes aren't fitting all that well) because most of the meals have been fried food and dessert. She didn't complain about it being particularly bad food, just really fattening. I assured her vacation weight comes off pretty easily when she gets back home.

They got to see fireworks last night over the harbor. They look a lot better than the fireworks we saw on July 4th. She mentioned that first thing so it must have been exciting.

Today they are going to do "something sporty" she said with little enthusiasm. Did I mention how tired she sounded? Looks like its some Australian rules football (the ball is super weird - it's not like American football or soccer) and cricket. It says they will be playing with some Aussies. After the "big flirt" with the New Zealand boys, this could be good!

She was excited they end up today at the Opera House. It looks like a dinner cruise too. And then hopefully, another good night's sleep.

I think this is at the airport waiting to go to Sydney.

"Great. Fish."

From the People to People Itinerary:

1. Sport is an important aspect to the Australian culture and lifestyle. Today have the unique opportunity to learn about some of the most popular Australian sports; Aussie rules football and cricket. After learning the basics, you will have the chance to try and play them with some local Aussies!

• Examine and handle exquisite opal, Australia’s national gemstone, during a cutting and polishing demonstration at an opal establishment.
• Get a backstage pass to the world-famous Sydney Opera House. Enter areas that are not accessible to the public during an exclusive guided orientation of this iconic facility, a masterpiece of late-modern architecture.
• Enjoy a dinner cruise on the Harbour, with Sydney’s skyline as your spectacular backdrop.

This is pretty cool. This guy mines opals about five months out of the year. This is his camp. His blog is interesting and tells his story and has some examples of the opals he mines. Do you know what a Dunny is?