How I Spent my Summer Vacation, part 5: Morristown student Nayna Shah appraises the crown jewels, and says cheerio to Jolly old England

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Summer is vacation time, and it’s fun to vacation vicariously through our contributors. In this fifth and final entry from Morristown High School student Nayna Shah,  she says cheerio to the U.K….but not before appraising the crown jewels, and rating British amusement parks. Sounds like Nayna and the bell choir of the Morris Plains Presbyterian Church have brought home a lifetime of memories. Our thanks to Nayna for this thoroughly delightful series. As they say at Cambridge, “bloody brilliant!”  You can read the series here.

Day 13

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

This morning we performed a concert for some of the school children of Hayes.  It was a music class, and all the kids filed into the church wearing their school uniforms.  They may have enjoyed watching us, but I had a better time just watching them.

These kids were all 10- and 11-year-olds, but they sat and clapped as if they were princes and princesses.  They definitely had us fooled, until we heard them crack jokes about how good it was to skip school and how they don’t want to go back.  It made me realize that kids are still kids, regardless of whether or they drink tea or soda.

St. Paul's Cathedral. Photo by Nayna Shah

We sadly got on the train for the final time into London.  We walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral, and although we did not purchase tickets to see the inside, we had plenty of photo shoots on the steps outside.

Besides its gorgeous appearance, St. Paul’s Cathedral is known for its appearance in Mary Poppins. In the movie, an old beggar woman sits on the steps and sells bread crumbs for tuppence (two pence) for people to feed the pigeons around her.

Many of us had tuppence as change we’d received, so for most of the morning we tried desperately to attract pigeons and make the perfect picture.

After our unsuccessful attempts at a Mary Poppins remake, most of us were discouraged and in need of a pick-me-up.  The chaperones decided on Covent Gardens, a block full of shops and stalls.

The racks and racks of I ♥ London paraphernalia cheered us up, some of the funkiest being knee-high socks, fedora hats, and rhinestone-studded, Union Jack boots.  For a couple hours we stocked up on England souvenirs before heading over to the Tower of London.

Face your death at the Tower of London.

The Tower of London is an enormous fortress used as a palace and prison for executions, and now as a museum containing the crown jewels.

The crown jewels were kept in one of the most safely guarded locations in London: An underground exhibit with cameras, heat sensors, and a couple of bobbies, complete with an eight- ton steel door.

Obviously this was all for good reason because the jewels were absolutely phenomenal!  Crowns containing up to 2,000 diamonds were on display, as well as the cloak (spun out of GOLDEN thread and weighing 25 pounds) worn by the queen during her coronation.

The silverware (should be goldware) from the coronation feast, the golden wine tub that could hold 54 bottles of wine, and the silver trumpets from the coronation procession also were on display.

Unfortunately we were not permitted to take pictures, and we were even standing on a conveyor belt while looking at the jewels, so no visitor could stay for too long.  The Tower of London also was the execution site of Anne Boleyn, and although we did not see this exact tower, we saw enough torture devices, weapons, and suits of armor to film another Braveheart!

Probably the loudest place I've ever eaten dinner. Photo by Nayna Shah

We spent our last night in London at the Hard Rock Café, as requested by the Beatles fans of the group.  A couple of them had actually walked to Abbey Road to take a picture walking across the street!  The Hard Rock Café was full of

Never felt closer to the Beatles! Photo by Nayna Shah

outfits and instruments of world famous musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, and of course, The Beatles. There was so much to look at, especially with the football game on between the Netherlands and Uruguay.

Day 14

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Today was the day many of us have been waiting for: Our trip to the amusement park!  The two seniors who were in England four years ago requested that we go again, so we all had high expectations for Thorpe Park.

It was a 90-minute drive (similar to the drive to 6 Flags) and we arrived at around 10.  We were only given a couple of hours to spend at the park because we had to be back in Hayes by 5 pm.

As adrenaline-loving, G-force-seeking American teens, we quickly scouted out the biggest roller coasters in the park.

Waiting in line, we realized that the coasters were no match against rides like Kingda Ka, the 45-story high, 128 mph monstrosity, or El Toro, the biggest, fastest, wooden roller coaster in the world, both at 6 Flags.

All over Thorpe Park were signs reading “Thorpe: The Nation’s Thrill Centre.”  However, we decided collectively that when it comes to amusement parks, America is the queen.  I assume this is because of America’s quest to be the best.  Ah good ol’ greedy America, needing to satisfy the thrill demands of the population by becoming home to the two biggest, fastest roller coasters in the world.  We still enjoyed a couple of looping, spinning, swinging coasters, and slept the entire way home.

My friends and I with one of our hosts, Gordon.

Back in Hayes, our host families threw us a surprise pizza party in one of the halls in the church, to celebrate onour last night in England.  After dinner, we had a dance party, complete with strobe lights, a disco ball and a DJ.  I’d say the English know how to party, too!

Day 15

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Because we returned at midnight from our dance party, it was about two in the morning when my friends and I had all showered and packed our bags.  We had to wake up at five, to meet at the church by six, to drive to the airport.  We decided it would be easier to simply stay up until five instead of go to sleep and have trouble waking up again.  Surprisingly, pulling an “all-nighter” was not as challenging as we had thought, and we were at the airport in no time.

In case I was ever confused about my location, London was there to remind me. Photo by Nayna Shah

By the time we were on the plane, my sleepiness took control.  As I dozed on and off I thought about my crazy 14 days on the eastern hemisphere.  The trip was full of firsts for me:  My first tour with the choir, my first big trip without my parents, my first quiche, my first Scottish friend, my first load of laundry, my first encounter with royalty, and my first caravan.

Staying with host families wasn’t even a luck-of-the-draw ordeal, because every family was so welcoming and considerate.

We did have our share of scares in the haunted house in York, and the haunted hotel in Coventry, but we also had our share of laughs everywhere we went.  It was twice as enjoyable traveling with kids my age, and I think our group did a pretty good job of seeing as many sights as possible.  I know I’ll remember each part of this experience– from the bagpipers and sheep of Scotland to the bobbies and strawberries and cream of England.

Everything aside, it felt good to be back.  It is times like these that make me want to take the advice of Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi.  If you’re born in the USA, who says you can’t go home?  After all, there truly is no place like home.

Bagpipers forever! (And yes, he was real. And yes, he was playing right in my ear!) Photo by Nayna Shah.

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