London sites, Wembley and Emirates Stadium, and meeting Tom Fox! (July 7, 8, 9, 10)

Sorry it has been so long since the last blog, been a busy couple days. Saturday was a day full of the typical tourist attractions in London. It seemed like the last time I would be able to do all of these things before millions of people come to town for the Olympics. Although I was still feeling a little sick, I decided it was best to go see everything rather then wait in lines for hours in 2 weeks to do the same things. First, we went to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. We got there an hour before it took place, and there were already thousands of people around. I can’t even imagine what it will be like in late July. A few of us got in a perfect position for the ceremony, we were right at the center gate where the guards left at the end of the ceremony. I was able to get some great video and photos. The changing of the guards took about an hour, and was a very well orchestrated ceremony.

After the changing of the guards, a group of us walked by the Big Ben tower, and grabbed a quick bite to eat. We then decided to go on the London Eye to get a view of the whole city. We waited in line for about 45 minutes for the 30 minute ride. I am sure in about 2 weeks, the wait will be well over 2 hours. What a beautiful ride it was, we were able to see the whole city of London. I was able to get great panoramic photos of every side of the city. I can check that one off the London bucket list.

After the London Eye, the rest of the group I was with decided to go by Hyde Park, where a huge concert was going on. I decided to head back to the hotel to get some extra rest to try and get over this virus. I called it an early night and caught up on some more much needed rest.

On Sunday we headed back to Coventry around 2 in the afternoon. We all had a free morning to do some more exploring of London, but I used the time to try and sleep off the virus. Once we arrived in Coventry later in the afternoon, we watched the end of the Wimbledon final of Murray versus Federer. I looked at the whole match in a different light having watched the women’s semi final on the same court just a few days earlier. I was a little disappointed that Murray didn’t win; it would have been fun to be in England when a British player won Wimbledon for the first time in 75 years. After the match I had some dinner at the hotel then went to bed early again to try and fight off the virus. Sadly it still didn’t work.

Monday was a lay low day for all the graduated seniors. We met the rest of the undergraduates for lunch at Coventry University for a meet and greet with some of the faculty they have been working with. After lunch, I came back to the hotel and did a load of laundry in my sink. This was a first, and it went surprisingly well. Again, I called it an early night to try and get myself healthy. Tuesday was going to be a very packed and exciting day.

Today was one of the most memorable days of the trip so far. It started early, and taking the hour train ride to London again. We then got on the Underground and headed to Wembley Stadium. Wembley Stadium is the second largest stadium in all of Europe. It is the home of the England national football team, as well as the venue for the finals of the FA Cup. Our group got a tour of the whole stadium, from the executive suites, to the press area, to the locker rooms. We even got to take a photo with the FA Cup trophy. You can see more about the stadium here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wembley_Stadium.

After and hour and a half tour of Wembley Stadium, we headed to downtown London. The under graduates had class for an hour. During that time, the group of graduated seniors went to have lunch at Gourmet Burger Kitchen. This was by far one of the best burgers I have had in the past year or so. It is a must to go there at least two more times before leaving England. We then met up with the rest of the group, and headed to Emirates Stadium, home of the Arsenal football club.

At Emirates Stadium, we got a very similar tour of all the facilities. It was equally as impressive as the tour at Wembley Stadium. It was awesome being able to tour two of the 25 largest stadiums in all of Europe in one day. At the conclusion of the tour, we got to meet with Tom Fox, The Chief Commercial Officer for Arsenal. This was something that I had been looking forward to for months leading up to the trip.

Tom Fox worked with my grandfather, Ed Shull, while they both were at Gatorade. I had been in contact with Tom well before the trip to let him know that I would be a part of the Arizona group he was going to meet with. I was able to formally introduce myself to him and talk for a short while before he spoke to the whole group. He had nothing but the best things to say about my grandfather, as well as my grandmother Linda Shull. It really is a small world in the sports industry I have come to find out. He talked to our group for an hour about the work that he does for the Arsenal, and how his views of European sports has changed during his 3 years with the team. Tom and I will be meeting in early August to talk more about my grandfather, the work he did for Gatorade, and my career aspirations in the sports industry. It was truly a great experience, and I look forward to learning more from him.

After touring two incredible stadiums, and finally meeting Tom Fox, we were on our way back to Coventry. Tonight I have decided to just stay in and update the blog. I am still fighting the virus, but am much improved from a few days ago. Tomorrow I will get to sleep in, and go see my first cricket match in the afternoon. Thanks again for following my blog, and I will be giving another update soon. Cheers!

First days in London & Wimbledon! (July 4, 5, 6)

We left Coventry for London on the 4^th of July for a four day trip. Our group took the hour and a half train ride to London, where we had to wait another hour and a half to get everyone their Underground passes for the rest of the trip. As we were told before leaving for the trip, traveling with 40 plus people requires some patience. This was one of those times. After getting our passes we made our way to the hotel we will be making our brief stay. After arriving, a group of the graduated seniors decided to do some exploring in downtown London.

We made our way to Piccadilly Circus, which is in between London’s West end and the city of Westminster. It was very comparable to Times Square in New York City, with giant electronic ads and shops and pubs in every direction. It was great getting my first feel for London on the 4^th of July. And of course we stuck out like sore thumbs. I was wearing my USA soccer shirt, while my friend Gabby was wearing leggings with red and white stripes on one side, and blue with white stars on the other. On our way back on the Underground, I was starting to feel both a sore throat and ear pain due to the changes in pressure on the ride. I was hoping it would get better because I was looking forward to Wimbledon the next day. It unfortunately got progressively worse through the night.

I awoke the next morning with great pain in my right ear and a sore throat. I called one of the leaders of the trip, Jim McLean, and decided it would be best to get it checked before heading to Wimbledon. We caught a cab to the nearest hospital, and got it checked. I was shocked by my experience there. I went in and gave them my name and home address. I saw a nurse then a doctor within an hour and a half. They gave me some antibiotics for a week and sent me on my way. I didn’t have to sign any forms, or pay anything for the antibiotics or the service. I basically could have gone in saying I was John Doe, and gotten the same treatment, pretty surprising I thought.

Jim and I then made our way on the Underground to Wimbledon. We got to Wimbledon one train before the rest of the group, so the timing of everything could not have been better. Right after entering the gate into Wimbledon, I was walking by the practice courts and got the see Andy Murray preparing for his semifinal match the following day. I was excited to see a great tennis professional work on his craft.

The main match’s I watched was the Ladies Singles Semi-finals at the Centre Court. It was great to be able to watch this in one of the greatest tennis arenas in the world. The match that was the most entertaining was Victoria Azarenka versus Serena Williams. It was awesome being able to watch someone I have seen play before on Centre Court. Serena has won many big tennis tournaments, and was dominant with her serves in the match. Still feeling a little sick, I headed back to the hotel. Later in the night, a group of some of the graduated seniors and the faculty met for dinner to discuss things about the rest of the trip. There are many great events and opportunities to come.

Today I laid low and didn’t go along with the group. They had planned to go up to Manchester to tour Man U Stadium, and watch a cricket match, but due to rain, they stayed in London. They are going to reschedule that visit, so I am glad I stayed back and got some rest. I am feeling a little better, but still not even close to 100%. Tomorrow we have a free day in London before we head back to Coventry for a little bit. I am going to try and do all the touristy things tomorrow, because when we are back in London in a couple weeks, there will be almost 20 Million people in the city. I am hoping to go see things like see the London clock tower, Buckingham Palace changing of the guards and the London eye. Should be a fun day, and I should be giving another update after returning to Coventry.  

Olympic torch and Birmingham (July 2, 3)

I haven’t taken the time yet to thank the people that have made this whole trip possible. First, I have to thank my parents, Bob and Darnell Langley, for all of the love and support they have given my siblings and I growing up. I also have to thank my grandmother, Linda Shull, for helping make this trip possible. This is by far the best graduation present I could have asked for! Lastly, I have to thank the instructors for putting the trip together: Dan Wickman, Mary O’Mahoney, Brent Seebohm, and Jim McLean. Thank you all very much, it has been a great trip so far and I know there are so many more wonderful things to come!!

Yesterday was the most laid back day of the trip so far. It did however start at 6am, when group of us met in the lobby to go see the Olympic torch go through Coventry. After waiting outside for a bit, we finally saw the torch run by. It was another great experience, and I am glad I actually rolled out of bed for it. It reminded me of seeing the torch go through Aspen on its way to the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002

We got back to the hotel then I got a quick breakfast and went back to bed, while the rest of the students went to class. Not going to lie, it is nice not having to go to class. After waking up, a couple of the graduated seniors and myself went around to explore what Coventry had to offer. I learned that it was hit hard by World War II, and has been recovering every since. Later in the night a group of us went to a pub to enjoy a few drinks and each other’s company.

Today, a few of the graduated seniors and myself took a train to Birmingham for the day. It was nice getting out of Coventry for a bit, and having the freedom to make a day trip like this. Birmingham is the second most populated city in England, behind London of course. It is well known as a large international commerce center. We walked around the city center and did some window-shopping. We also went to another pub where they had great steak and beer combo deals. After eating, we walked around the markets and looked at all the produce they had. It was great to see a farmer’s market environment in a different country. We then caught the 20-minute train ride back to Coventry.

Back at the hotel now, may go see the Amazing Spider Man tonight, but not sure. I am going to head to an Italian restaurant around the corner later with some friends for dinner. Tomorrow the plan is to go to London for the next few days. I will make sure to give an update on it when we return to Coventry. Cheers!!

First time in Europe! (June 29, 30, July 1)

What a great start to my time in England. After a long 9-hour flight, we finally arrived in London. We waited in a long line at customs, and for the bus to arrive. Two hours after arriving, we were finally on our way to Coventry. We will be staying in Coventry on and off for the next 3 weeks. 

Once we got to the hotel, I decided to try and find the nearest laundry mat to do my first load of laundry on the trip. This was a complete failure. I asked 7 different people how to get there, and was pointed in a different direction every time. At about 3pm, after giving up on doing laundry for the day, I headed back to the hotel. It was only a matter of minutes until I was passed out. Being awake for over 30 hours really took its toll. I was able to sleep on and off all through the night. This really helped in adapting to the new time zone. 

The next morning I was up bright and early. I had a great breakfast in the hotel, which was much needed after the long day of traveling. After breakfast, all of the students went to Coventry University for their first day of classes. Being a graduated senior, I do not have to take classes and have more free time and freedom. When the students were in class, fellow graduated seniors Kareem King, Chris Hahn and myself walked to the nearest laundry mat. It was about a mile walk there and back. I don’t think people in England realize the importance of a dryer. It only ran for 5 minutes, and after a third cycle my clothes were only less damp.

When we returned I took a quick nap for the afternoon, still making up for the lack of sleep from traveling. Later in the night a group of about 15 of us went out to one of the pubs/clubs. It was great experiencing the night life in Coventry on a Saturday night. I didn’t stay out too late because we had to wake up early to go to the Henley Royal Regatta the next morning.

This morning, the whole group got up early and headed for the train station. It was about a 3 hour train ride to Henley on Thames, England, where the event has taken place since 1839. It was a beautiful train ride through the rolling green hills and pastures of England. Having never been to Europe before, I had a certain image of what it would look like in my head. Usually places are not always how you envisioned them in your head.  England however looks exactly how I thought it would. After a long train ride, we finally arrived in Henley on Thames for the final day of the Henley Royal Regetta.

The Henley Royal Regatta is one of the best known rowing competitions in the world, and is a highlight of the summer sporting calendar and social season in England. It is a 5 day event that attracts thousands of visitors, and includes over 200 international races. I would compare the event to the Kentucky Derby in the United States. Everyone was dressed up, with the women wearing large hats and men wearing unique suits. You can get a better idea of the event from its Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henley_Royal_Regatta. 

I was absolutely blown away by the event. Our group had our own private tent right on the river where we could watch the races. We were also able to ride on a boat along side the races for an hour. We were served food and drinks all day, and I was even able to get a free massage!! It was a great first sporting event in England, and has set the bar very high for the rest of the trip. For some reason I think going to Wimbledon, the British Open, Tour de France and the Olympics might be able to match the Henley Royal Regatta. Have an early morning yet again tomorrow. Get to see the Olympic torch come through Coventry! Will be blogging again soon, thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment with any feedback or thoughts about the blog so far! As they say here in England, Cheers!!!