Day 5 - The Wizard of Oz in London

We followed the yellow brick road to Emerald City and enjoyed Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium theatre, no less! What an absolutely stunning theatre! The visual effects were spectacular.

And on Monday, we will find out the significance of those red slippers at another West End venue, the Victoria Apollo Theatre.

Day 5 - Roald Dahl Museum

This was one of the places we were looking forward to visiting because Roald Dahl has found his way into our hearts through his exceptional gift of writing stories that capture our imagination.

There, we learnt about Roald Dahl’s earlier experiences, including how he recorded, in his notebook his fascination with the idea of schoolboys being chocolate – tasters for chocolate – makers. When he was 58, he translated his fascination into the well-loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Roald Dahl's writing chair

Sound advice from Mr. Michael Morpurgo

Hykal and Syukor acting out their roles in the storytelling segment

We attended and participated in a story-session where some of us acted out parts in some of the Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes.

Day 4 - Oxford

Our next stop was the city of Oxford. We visited the university where some of the Harry Potter movies were made. We were in awe of the beautiful architecture and mesmerized by the rich English history. It was a captivating experience indeed. It may even have inspired some of our young Eunosians to come back as students of this wonderful university some day.

Umairah, Ee Chiew and Christine

Day 4 - Stratford-Upon-Avon

We started the day by visiting the birthplace of William Shakepearse. We learnt about his life and what inspired him to become an excellent playright. Thus cementing his place as one of the key pioneers of the English Language.

The garden area

Day 3 - Warwick Castle

After an hour through smooth traffic under glorious British skies, we reached Warwick Castle, Britain's ultimate castle.

No visit to England would be complete without a visit to a medieval castle where kings and queens lived and knights prepared for battle. Warwick Castle was nothing short of a wonder. Spanning 64 acres of rolling landscaped grounds.

We also met two fascinating birds of prey, an eagle and an owl, whose size and keen sense of eyesight took our breath away.

The castle grounds

Knights, princesses and jesters walked around the sprawling grounds, giving a real feel of a castle. Warwick Castle is a feast for the eyes.

Our very own prince and princesses posing amongst the daffodils

The main castle gate

Day 3 - Cadbury World

Today we visited the home of one of the world's best-loved brands of chocolate. CadburyWorld fascinated us with its elaborate exhibit detailing the origins of chocolate and video clips to show how Cadbury's range of chocolate products has evolved through the years.

What was interesting was how the search for the perfect milk chocolate demonstrated to us clearly the values of resilience and excellence. Its makers tried many different recipes to find the exclusive milk chocolate, refusing to accept any second-class product. This shows their commitment to excellence.

Group photo outside the main entrance

Trying to keep warm

Sufi and Ee Chiew spelling out their names using melted chocolate and Danial
below having his own cup and enjoying every spoonful of it

                                    

It was resilience that kept them going. While most people would have thrown in the towel at the first futile attempts, they kept going with dogged determination and strong sense of mission.

We went to Cadbury World, intending to learn about the sweet treat only, but come out learning a whole lot more.