Part of the BFI program at our school is a trip to an English speaking country.

This was the second year that this trip has been organized, and the second year to London, where we experienced two packed but fun days of complete immersion. From taking the Eurostar in Rotterdam Centraal Station to St Pancras International Station, riding the underground and the double-decker buses, taking photos in the recognizable red phone boxes and visiting St Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and so many theaters… we had definitely arrived in the British capital, London!

On the first day, we walked all the way to Trafalgar Square from our hostel, and enjoyed seeing the monuments there such as Nelson’s column, General Sir Charles James Napier Statue, and the National Gallery. We then moved on to the British Museum, where we explored different time periods and regions from all over the world. We were completely mesmerized by the reading room, the Mesopotamian era, and mummies in Egypt, among some of the other exhibitions, and we even learned how money changed over the decades. The most outstanding of it all, however, was the famous Rosetta Stone! In the afternoon, we went to a workshop at the National Army Museum where we studied and presented multiple battles, namely the battles of the Somme, Cambrai, Gallipoli, and Megiddo, learning how to determine if they were victories, defeats, or stalemates. We also got to see and touch tanks, machine guns, grenades, and even try on uniforms, which the soldiers wore at the time. On the way back, we enjoyed a boat ride on the River Thames, awed by the exquisite views of Big Ben and the London Eye. The first day ended at the theatre where we saw Sigourney Weaver starring in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a play which we will be studying next year in terminale. We were all enamoured with the play, especially the staging with its amazing decor and the light effects!

On Friday morning, after a quick stopover at Covent Garden, we went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the Guards. We were pleasantly surprised as the orchestra played multiple songs we recognized such as Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, and the Star Wars theme song. We had the most amazing view during lunch as we picnicked in front of Big Ben under the Londonian sun. On our second afternoon, we had some free time so we wandered through the city, bought souvenirs and ate Lola’s cupcakes. Our final scheduled activity took us to another theatre where we saw the musical SIX, about Henry XIII’s six wives. The music, singing and dancing turned out to be a really interesting and fun way for us to discover history, as the songs all retold the story of at least one of the six wives.

After approximately 50,000 steps, a super packed schedule and stars in our eyes , we all slept on the way back, in the Tube as well as the Eurostar to Rotterdam Centraal Station.

1re BFI students