Elyse's Trip to Europe

June 1-12, 2022

Elyse was privileged to make a trip to Europe, sponsored by Pearl River High School. She was accompanied by her history teacher Melissa Simpher, and by her teacher's mother. They joined a tour group that had students from a number of states - she remembered Mississippi and Missouri. On the first day they flew overnight to London.

On the second day they toured London. One of the places visited was the Tate Gallery, an art museum founded in 1897 by Henry Tate and called the National Gallery of British Art until 1932. From 1932-2000 it was known as the Tate Gallery, and since 2000 is called "Tate Britain". It has multiple ornate costumed figures from the cultures and many historical portraits.

The group got to visit Westminster Abbey, one of the most famous buildings in London. Though the construction of the present church began in 1245 on orders of King Henry III, all coronations of English and British monarchs since William the Conqueror in 1066 have occurred in Westminster Abbey. The Abbey is the burial site of more than 3300 people, usually of prominence in British history. That includes at least 16 monarchs, as well as many prime ministers, poets laureate, and others of note in the British empire.

They got views of the dramatic architecture of the Houses of Parliament and also visit the park that is beside the impressive buildings. Her Grandparents, Brenda and Rod, enjoyed visiting this park in 1966 when we made a Christmas visit to London.

They got to walk across the River Thames that flows through London.

Elyse and her group certainly had great weather to view classic London sights like Big Ben. The tower is named the Elizabeth Tower, and Big Ben is the 13.5 ton bell at the top of the tower which sounds over the city. The massive clock overlooks the Houses of Parliment. Note the large ferris wheel in the background.

The Natural History Museum in London.

On the second day of exploring London, Elyse is out on the street in view of the twin towers that form the end of Westminster Abbey.

Elyse by one of the old traditional red telephone booths of the United Kingdom. When we were there in 1966, they were very important since there was certainly no such thing as a cell telephone and we were 26 years before the internet.

Their exploration of downtown London took them close to the enormous ferris wheel, called "The Eye"! The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3 million visitors annually.

The trio from Pearl River. Elyse with her history teacher and her teacher's mother. The bridge over the Thames and the walkways beside it gave many views of downtown London.

Elyse on the bank of the River Thames in London, with Big Ben and the houses of parliament across the river from her.

Now for a lighter touch as they end the London phase of the trip: a portrait with Susan the Corgi. The corgi was a very popular dog in Britain including Wales as far back as 1966 when we were there. Susan was a Corgi dog owned by Queen Elizabeth II that was given to her on her eighteenth birthday. Elyse remembered seeing many Corgis on the streets being walked.