Day 0 and 1: We have arrived in London!

The students of the Salesian Institute in Florence have finally arrived in London! We are excited by the city although a bit tired after our journey. Here's what has happened to us so far:

I. Galileo Galilei Airport, Pisa

We are happy! Delay? What delay?

I

Madness is coming....

But so is a 5 star Hotel....

On Sunday morning we met at 7:30 at the bus stop that took us to Pisa Airport, where we waited for three hours just to discover that our flight had been delayed and was to be rescheduled to the next day.

So we waited for our airline company to find us a place to sleep. After 12 hours of waiting, we went to a five-star hotel in Pisa! It was a wonderful experience and a great adventure!

At the airport, we got a voucher for snacks, we played soccer with a tiny yellow ball, we tried not to go crazy....

We were astonished by the hotel, and we had a delightful dinner there. Unfortunately there was not much time to sleep and to enjoy the hotel, P.S. the swimming pool. 

We had to wake up at 3:30 in the morning to return to the airport, but we got breakfast to take away. 

The rest of our journey was good, except for a little bit of turbulence on the flight at the landing. Some of us slept on the plane. Today was Emanuele's birthday, and the pilot surprised him by announcing a happy birthday to him during the flight in English and in Italian.

II. Arrival at Salesian House, Battersea, London

When we arrived at the Salesian House, while got the keys to our room, Don Francesco chose some of us to go shopping for lunch. After we put our luggage in our rooms, we met downstairs in the dining room. Everyone who did not go to the store started preparing the lunch. We definitely aren't good chefs! But we are good shoppers, and we will learn! Father O' Malley greeted us and wished us a pleasant stay. After we ate, we went upstairs, we changed our clothes, and we went shopping in the center of London.

II. Afternoon in London, Day 1

After lunch we took the bus and we went to South Kensington Station. We crossed Battersea Bridge and saw the Thames! We moved around the city by tube, and the first place we visited was Parliament Square, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben (it was under restoration.) Then, we walked along the River Thames and we saw the London Eye. We had free time at Primark, where we went shopping. For example, Sabrina bought a new scarf because yesterday she lost the same one in our travels. After shopping we went to Starbucks. It was raining and there was a lot of wind. Matteo almost blew away with his umbrella! It was dark, and we returned home by tube and bus to have dinner.

View from the bus going over Battersea Bridge

Big Ben under construction

The double decker bus and the London Eye

Standing Under Winston Churchill in Parliament Square

Walking past Whitehall Gardens

Remember to look right first, then left!

Places for musicians to play in the tube.

Impressive! Orderly conduct on the tube escalator!