Bullis Blog | Global Studies Trips

March 26 in London started with a tour around the  Shakespeare's Globe Theater ! We had a chance to take a close look at the place where people in Shakespeare's time used to watch shows. We learned how less wealthy people suffered from the sun or rain because there was no covering, and how the nobles paid for the box seats with the worst view just to be seen by the people. Next, we had a tour of the National Theater . We were led through the different theaters, seeing the process of making the huge props that were the size of a house, and we had the chance to see the prop-making and costume shops. Then, we went to a workshop based on The Lion King, where we learned to play as different animals using our body gestures and changing the sound and tones of our voices. We studied the movements of the animals and then became them! The day ended with another stop at Covent Garden, where music was always being played. Food, jewelry, and decorations were everywhere. It is a great pla...

Some of us got an extra special treat on our third day in London! Ms. Adams was able to arrange a trip to the  Chelsea Football Club's home field for part of our group who really wanted to have a chance to visit a football stadium! They were treated to all sorts of behind-the-scenes access, including a visit to the player's locker rooms, sitting at the press box, and visiting the trophy room! It was definitely a treat for the soccer fans among us! The rest of our group headed over to Notting Hill, and, yes, our first stop was the bookstore! After the bookstore, we were able to browse the neighborhood and visit the famous market on Portobello Road. Once we all reunited for lunch, we ate and then headed over to the  Victoria and Albert Museum  for a quick visit, and then it was on to our first theatre workshop! The  West End Workshop was at a dance studio, and we had a lot of fun learning to use our bodies to communicate and embracing techniques used in devised the...

We woke up early on Saturday and headed about an hour outside of London to visit the Harry Potter Studios . While there we toured the sets from Harry Potter films for hours! We learned all sorts of fun facts and got a behind-the-scenes view of everything that goes into making the movies. It didn't seem like we were there for half the day because there was so much to do! After the studios, we went to the South Bank of London, which is on the side of the river opposite  Big Ben . We were able to take pictures, browse vendors near the river, and enjoy street musicians. We also saw the Covid memorial  created by people in London who lost loved ones. After dinner, we headed to our first theatre performance! We attended " Dear Octopus " at the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain (aka the National Theatre). It was great and the set was beautiful. We had lots of fun doing a post-show critique on the bus! Ms. Kathleen Adams, Chair, Upper School VPA

After a 7-hour flight between two continents, we finally got to the United Kingdom and hit the ground running! After landing in London on Friday, we dove right into discovering the city. We settled into our hotel and then went on a walking tour. One of our day one stops was  Covent Garden . There, we went shopping and - oh my gosh- there was so much to see! There were pop-up shops of antiques anywhere we looked! One of our favorites was a shop that had cameras from the 1920s to the 1970s! We ended our first day with an evening visit to the  National Gallery  to see some incredible works of art, including rooms full of beautiful impressionist paintings! We look forward to sharing our adventures with you! Ms. Kathleen Adams, Chair, Upper School VPA