Covent Garden has always been a market place full of animation and activity. When we went to visit London with our collège in March 2009, we were quite pleased to hear that we could have some free time in Covent Garden : it meant shopping for us !

When we arrived in La Piazza, a large square in front of the covered market, we were happy to see there was till a « market » full of people there. We couldn’t believe our eyes : it was like a paradise for a young tourist ! There were many shops selling anything we would dream to buy (clothes, shoes…), but there was also a covered market called the « Jubilee Market » where you could buy all the typical English souvenirs a French teenager is looking for !

The First Place where most people go when they visit London is Buckingham Palace. but they ever noticed the monument and the statue right in front of the Queen’s residence? And do they even know statue is it? We have met her, here is what we heard her saying! Hello ! I’m Queen Victoria. Well, I am the statue in front of Buckingham Palace, the one nobody notices, they are all more interested in what is going on behind me… you know, the Changing of the Guard ! Today is Wednesday, March 10th 2008, and like every day, the tourists are gathering around me to see it. Suddenly, I hear a voice yelling « The changing of the Guard is beginning ! Quick! Hurry up! ». I look down to see who is yelling and I notice a quite short woman, blond-haired and wearing glasses. She is running towards the roundabout, followed by a group of teenagers. She must be one of these English teachers who organize trips to England for French pupils… and of course they don’t want to miss the ceremony! They are lucky, today, they are going to see two Changings of the Guard… the Horse Guards have just left… They are all gathered behind the fence, taking photos… They must be impressed by the Guards, their red jackets, their black trousers and of course their tall, furry hats… . I don’t understand these tourists… I am fed up with watching these Guards marching in front of me every day, following their military music… It’s always the same !

Embark your flying brooms and come with us to experience the Harry Potter atmosphere in a live college. At First, the visit of Christ Church College in Oxford didn’t mean anything special. When we came into the college, went past the cloister and up the stairs, it immediately rang a bell : we were arriving at Hogwarts, following the most famous wizards in the world : Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy! Was Professor MacGonogall going to welcome us upstairs, near the entrance of the dining-hall? No, she wasn’t, but we imagined her strict look upon us! It was very impressive, we felt like being actors playing a part in the film !

Welcomed by British host families, the pupils of Louise Michel College discovered the « British way of life ». Here are their testimonies and somme of the anecdotes which surprised them the most…