Tower of Fun - A weekend of events in London

James Ballantyne Regional Program Manager

Date

October 8, 2013
Image

The weekend's fun began with a subsidized trip to Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC. Struggling Fulham took on Stoke and a number of our students were able to attend. What better way to get to grips with British culture than by throwing oneself into the atmosphere of a football stadium? The match ended up being a pulsating encounter but we are really only interested in one thing; what was the best chant that our students heard?

We then offered all Arcadia students the chance to visit the Tower of London as their free orientation event. From our sporting culture we carried the students back almost 1000 years into our history?

Situated on the bank of the Thames, the tower was founded in 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. It stands as a witness to historical events that are embedded in British culture. It was a fortress during the War of the Roses; it was a prison for Elizabeth I. It is most famed as a place of torture and death, but such gloominess only makes up a small part of its history.

The Tower of London is still one of the most popular sites in the UK. It is quite remarkable that something so old stands beside so much that is so new.

What were your thoughts on the Tower? How pleased were you that the sun was shining?