The Storytellers Return

Jill says...We have been home for a few days, and it's always good to come back home, but I would have loved to have stayed for just a few days longer. Festival at the Edge was the perfect ending to our storytelling trip, and I think my favorite part was just watching the other storytellers weave their magic, although the workshop was definitely educational. There is a picture from it next to this post, and it is my acting debut as a little pig. It's probably a good thing that my next performance will be in front of four-year-olds!

I have already been back to school and several people have asked me about the trip and told me they have been reading our blog, along with many of our family members. I understand many of you had problems trying to post comments on the blog, and I apologize, but I'm glad you were at least able to read about our adventures.

One of the questions that I have been asked several times already is, "What did you learn?" To sum it up---a lot. This is definitely something I asked myself often while we were walking around the different countries and going through our different experiences. I learned many things, but more than anything, I am inspired. I am inspired to get back in my classroom and make some changes during my story time. I am inspired to write my own children's stories and have the students act them out and retell them. I am inspired to change the way I engage students while they are sitting in front of me. One of the things that I observed that kept recurring throughout all the places we went and things we did, was that if you're going to tell a story and do it well, then you need to remember you are on stage. Four-year-olds are used to television and cartoons, and it is important to be dynamic and theatrical and use your voice and actions to hold their attention and develop their enthusiasm. Maybe I am not the greatest actress, and it will definitely involve being silly, but that's part of teaching Pre-K--one of the best parts!

This was a trip of a lifetime, and one of the best experiences I will ever have, and it's not over yet! I am excited to continue learning about interactive storytelling, and get back in the classroom to apply what I have already learned. I am also excited to share my love of reading and stories with my classroom. Thank you again for reading our entries and sharing this with us. This was our first attempt at blogging, and it has served as an excellent tool to document what we did and what we learned. If you are interested in finding out more about Fund For Teachers or are interested in applying for your own learning adventure, go to their website: http://www.fundforteachers.org. Lastly, thank you Fund For Teachers, for providing us and many other teachers the opportunity to follow our dreams.

Festival at the Edge

Bethany says :
The Festival at the Edge was a great experience. We were able to hear some great stories. The workshop on Storytelling was very helpful in explaining how a great storyteller begins the process of telling a great story. We were asked to find the "bones" of a story (our group picked The Three Little Pigs). We were then asked to act out the "bones" of The Three Little Pigs. (We will put some pictures of our acting skills up later... I am sure you can't wait!) Then the storyteller shared a story of her own. Followed by a group discussion of what the "bones" were in her story and how others might tell it differently. No two storytellers tell the story the same.

Now we are off to London for the night and then catch our flight home! Thank you for reading our blog and sharing in our travels.

We're off to the English Countryside!

Jill says... Yesterday was a very busy day, and unfortunately we over planned a little and didn't get to everything, which I am a little sad about. We began the day at Hyde Park, and luckily we got there before it began raining. We strolled through the park and took a lot of pictures. Next we moved on to Harrod's to do some shopping. However, we entered Harrod's directly through the Food Hall, and never left it! It was truly amazing, and we wandered through the patisserie and the bakery, the deli, fruit, gelato, caviar and champagne---it was a little overwhelming to say the least! We chose a few items each, and wandered over to a statue outside to have a picnic. Really, we were looking for Kensington Gardens, but couldn't find it, so the statue had to do.

From there, we headed out to Discover--the Story Making Centre (http://www.discover.org.uk/). I had heard about the indoor/outdoor play space online, and it had sounded like something we definitely had to see while we were in London. Discover engages children's imagination and promotes creativity by providing them with a space to pretend and create, all based around stories and children's books. We were able to get a tour by one of the employees, and she told us that most of the people who are employed at Discover are professional artists (actors, writers, etc). The construction of the different areas was exceptional and would definitely appeal to little ones. They had puppet areas, interactive computer games, dress up areas, forts, caves, and tunnels. My favorite part of Discover was the exhibition that is in the downstairs area called City of Stories. From the Discover website: "It was designed by artist Cathy Wren and composer Jon Owen, City of Stories will open your eyes to London's rich tapestry of tales and adventures. Find out by exploring our wonderful world of legends, folk stories and traditional tales. Explore stories from London's east end communities including Bengali, Polish Roma, African, English and Tamil. Watch out for chairs that tell stories, magic furniture and hidden worlds." We bought the City of Stories CD to bring back to our classrooms to enhance our own story time. This was definitely one of the best children's museums I have ever been to, and it was different because most children's museums focus mainly on science. It really gave me a lot to think about in how I can change my classroom to create a more literature-based environment.

After that, we headed back to the hotel for a nap. It was our last night in London, and we were too tired to do much of anything.

Today we are heading to Shropshire, England which is in the English Countryside. We are taking a bus to get there, which actually sounds good right now--sitting for four hours and seeing some wonderful scenery while we do it. We are going to the Festival at the Edge http://www.festivalattheedge.com/, which is a storytelling festival. I am also looking forward to our next hotel--it's a Holiday Inn! Don't laugh, after you've been holed up in a shoebox with another person for several days, a Holiday Inn sounds like luxury. We will be in Telford, England, right next to the park in the town square. We will try to write while we are there, but I am not certain if we will have Internet access or not.

Bethany says: Off to Shropshire we go! I am with Jill on the Holiday Inn! There was not enough room for our luggage to move through the room without picking it up over head. I hope the Holiday Inn lives up to its name.

Busy day in London

Bethany says...
Today will be very productive for us. We will be rounding out our trip in London today. We have a few more sights to see and experince before we leave London tomorrow. Hopefully Harrods, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Discovery, Storytime, and a visit with Cindy later in the evening. (I feel like I have forgotten something.) Then it is off to Shropshire, England for a Festival. We will be taking a bus...4hours. We will have to let you know how that goes...

Windsor Castle and the British Museum

Bethany says...
We just finished with the British Museum and it is a gorgeous building. The main entrance is huge and filled with amazing large works of art. We arrived early to beat the rush and we did just miss the crowds of people. I headed off to the African and Roman exhibit and finished in the American exhibit. My head is still swimming from all the artifacts and sculptures I saw. I love visiting museums and this was no exception.

We are on our way to visit Windsor Castle. After that we will be visiting at Jill's family's house for a traditional fish and chips meal. Another awesome day ahead of us!

Jill says....The British Museum was the most amazing museum I have ever seen. It was absolutely gigantic, and the sheer number of their artifacts was astounding. I saw quite a few mummies, the Rosetta Stone, and a lot of pieces from Egyptian tombs. From there we headed out to Windsor Castle, which is about an hour outside of London. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time to spend in Windsor because we were under a time crunch to get the bus back in time to have dinner with my family. I will definitely be going back there the next time I am in London. Windsor is a beautiful, quaint town. The castle itself is breathtaking. We took a lot of great pictures (of the outside, no cameras allowed inside). It was very interesting to be able to walk through the state rooms. We saw the most elaborate doll house and dolls. Check out the website (http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page557.asp), especially since I can't get pictures on here right away. I cannot wait to go back to Windsor!

In the evening, we went to my family's house (north of London) to have a fish and chips dinner. Dinner was very good, but the company was even better. It was fun to sit around and catch up. I also got to see one of my cousins, Alex, that I hadn't seen in 17 years. We ended the night with a cup of tea, and finally I could barely keep my eyes open, so we headed home on the tube. Thank you to my family for taking such good care of Bethany and I while we were in London and making us feel so welcome!

The sun is shining

Jill says...When we returned from Dublin, I guess you could say we were a little worn out, so we spent the night at our hotel in Bloomsbury doing laundry and hanging out. It is nice to have my entire wardrobe clean again. Yesterday we were treated to a wonderful day by my London family. In the morning we walked to the London Eye, where we met up with my aunt Julita and her classrooms (she's a teacher in London). We helped chaperone the 11 and 12 year-olds on the London Eye, which is sort of like a giant enclosed Ferris wheel (but they don't like it when you call it that). The views were amazing, and the weather was absolutely perfect for the ride. The skies were blue and only a few clouds. I was able to get some fantastic pictures. After the London Eye, we went on the London Eye river cruise on the Thames. More chances for some great pictures!

After we were through, we went on a walk around the Thames and had a lunch on a patio that faced the water. It was lovely, as they say in London. We went to the Tate Modern to view some modern art. It was, ah, interesting... We then spent the next two hours walking all the way back to the West End. I have never been so physically exhausted in my life. Finally, we were close to where we needed to be (at this time it was 6:30 p.m.), and I saw a rickshaw (a bicyclist pulls us along in a cart while we sit), and I thought, "This is perfect. No more walking." So, we get inside and pay him the 10 pounds, and he takes off through the cobblestone streets, dodging taxis, doubledecker buses, and pedestrians. Bethany and I looked at each other, and burst out laughing hysterically. We continued to laugh, or maybe I should say, Bethany laughed and I alternated between laughing and screaming. It was very funny, and exactly what we needed after a long day of walking in the sun.

We met my cousin, Cindy, at the Shaftsbury Theatre to see Hairspray. It was definitely one of the best musicals I have ever seen. I love the old theatre it was in, too. It was very ornate, and the lighting was gorgeous. By the end of the show, the entire audience was on their feet dancing and clapping. I still have the music going round and round in my head. Theatre is definitely one of my favorite things to experience in London. After the show, we walked even more to get back to our hotel. It seemed like the hotel wasn't too far away from the theatre, but I think we should have gotten another rickshaw. When we arrived back at the hotel, I was so exhausted, I could barely walk up the stairs to our room. My legs wouldn't bend. It sure was a wonderful day...

Bethany says...
I am so grateful to Jill's family who have shown us around the city of London and taken us to places we might not have gone on our own. I loved the markets that Cindy took us to on our first stay in London. The London Eye was breath taking. We were able to see the entire city of London. The cruise along the Thames River was informational as well as entertaining. Thank you Julita we enjoyed getting to spend time with your class and seeing the sights. I was amazed at the play Hairspray. The seats that we sat in were great. The whole experience was amazing. The theater itself was something beautiful. The carved decorations throughout the theater were art in their own right. Thanks to Cindy!

Our last day in Dublin

Jill says...Yesterday was our last day in Dublin, and it was definitely my favorite day. We went on an all day excursion to the Wicklow Mountains, just outside of Dublin. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we had an awesome guide as well. There were about 50 of us on a bus, winding through the narrow mountain roads (for those of you who know me, you will be surprised to know I did not freak out). We stopped at a pretty cafe/market/shop called Avoca for coffee and scones on the way there. We drove through Enniskerry, where P.S. I Love You was filmed (my favorite movie). Then we stopped at the top of a few cliffs for some picture opportunities (I wish I could post them, but this computer does not have a USB port). Then we took an hour-long walk through a 6th century Monastic settlement and through Glendalough. I cannot wait to show you all the pictures!

The tour ended around 5:30, and we rushed to the Brazen Head, Dublin's oldest pub for a night of Food, Folk, and Fairies (www.irishfolktours.com) The dinner was excellent, but the storytelling was superb. We sat at a candlelit table with seven other Americans (there was one other table of guests, too), and listened to Johnny Daly tell the story of how the Irish lived off their land so long ago, and the repercussions their dependency on the potato had on their lives and the Irish as a whole. I know I learned this stuff in school, but it's funny how it's so much more fascinating when you are hearing it from a storyteller. He also told of how the Irish believed in the fairies (think leprechauns), and they would often account for the unexplainable by believing that it must have been the fairies. Johnny did a wonderful job of telling a few of the fairy stories to us, and when the dinner was over, I wished we could hear a few more. It was the perfect ending to our Dublin trip.

Now it's back to London...

Bethany says:

Hands down my favorite part of our trip has been Ireland. I really enjoyed the trip to the Wicklow Mountains. Our guide was excellent! The scenery was breathtaking. I have never seen so many shades green in my life. I am amazed at the bogs on the top of the mountains. The heather and bog cotton was blooming everywhere. I was able to collect some heather for luck. The sheep dot the mountain. It really is an amazing view and exactly what I was hoping to see when I was in Ireland.

I was also able to purchase a coloring book of Celtic work and a children's fairytale book at the gift shop in Glendalough. The children will enjoy them I am sure of it! I cannot wait to show them the pictures of the countryside and the treasures I am bringing for them to see. I have been taking pictures of some of our food while we are here, so that the children can compare how the food is different and like ours in the states. (It is rather embarrassing and I am sure people think we are nuts!) Oh,well!

Hop on, hop off

Jill says...Yesterday we took the hop-on/hop-off bus tour of Dublin. It takes you to all the sights of Dublin. The driver is also a resident of the city and offers commentary while you travel along. We hopped on/off at several sites through out the day, so we had the chance to have several different drivers each time we got back on a bus. The first driver we had was a funny, older gentleman who had a wonderful Dublin accent you could actually understand. The second driver was a female, and you could tell she was not reading a script. She sang during different parts of the tour (my favorite song was Molly Malone), told different stories, and gave historical facts. As we were taking the tour, it occurred to me that she is not just a tour guide, but a storyteller. I was mesmerized by the way she used her voice and the obvious way she loved her job. I did not want to get off the bus because I wanted to keep her as our tour guide all day. Later in the day, we had a new tour guide, and this is when it really hit home about why we are here. Yes, we are enjoying seeing the sites, but we are also learning how not to tell a story. This tour guide was obviously talking directly from the script, in a monotone voice, with a lackluster attitude. He did not add anything extra, and I did not want to stay on his bus. I really want to think about this experience this next school year when I have 20 four-year-olds sitting in front of me. I could read the words in the story, or I can captivate them and share my passion for reading with them.

Today we are going on a bus tour into the Wicklow Mountains for the day. I am super excited because this was one of my favorite parts of Ireland last year. I would be even more excited if the weather would reach at least 55 degrees. It is chilly! After the tour, we are heading straight over to the Brazen Head to hear a historical storytelling of Ireland and fairies (for adults) over a four course dinner. We won't get back to our hotel until midnight, so I will try to post about it tomorrow, which is when we will be leaving Dublin. Sniffle, sniffle.

Bethany says: The Hop-on Hop-off is an excellent way to get to all the spots you need to see while you are in Dublin. As Jill said above the guides all had different styles. On the tour we talked about how we can see the importance of passion in teaching. Just like to guides, the ones that were using song and humor were able to get across the facts with our full attention. (Note to self humor and song works.) And, I have to say that the accent also adds to the experience.

Dublin

Bethany says... We are staying at a very small, but very posh room in Dublin. I definitely prefer this to the Hostel that we stayed at in London (The hostel smelled like a huge locker room). We are not spending much time in the room. Today we visited The Ark in Dublin, a children's Museum. Their exhibit was Masks around the world, and they had Mummer Mask from Ireland. Jill and I talked about making some for our students when we get back. The mummer mask is woven with reeds (basket with decorations). I think the students will really enjoy creating a mask to use during interactive play (centers).

Our plans now are to go to Imaginosity...

Jill says......So much to do, so little time. After The Ark yesterday, we took the DART (overground train) for a ride out to Howth. I didn't know much about the town, other than it was supposed to be beautiful. I am glad we went. We ate some really fresh seafood and then hiked a mile or two up towards the cliffs that overlooked the ocean. Check out the pictures. It was gorgeous, and we took a million pictures. Unfortunately, the rain followed us out there after we had been there for a few hours, and we got soaked. Dublin has been very rainy and cold so far. We took the DART back into Dublin, got refreshed, and headed out to dinner. We decided to try Gallagher's Boxty House because Rachel Ray had gone there on a show about Dublin, and it is only one block down the street from our hotel. A boxty is a thick potato pancake that is filled with things like chicken or beef with different types of sauces. It was...interesting. I enjoyed Bethany's beef one, but I was not so happy with the one I ordered. I am glad that we tried it, though. It is a traditional Irish food, and we are in Ireland!

Last night we went out to listen to some live Irish music, referred to as trad in Ireland. This has got to be my most favorite thing about Ireland! I LOVE that music, and we are very fortunate to be staying across the street from many places that have live music every night. I cannot wait to go back again tonight, and I will definitely be purchasing some cd's as souvenirs before we leave.

Newcastle, England--the friendliest place on Earth!

Jill says...Yesterday we flew into Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which is located in Northern England. We had to leave our hostel at 5:00 am to take the tube and Stansted Express train to the airport. Needless to say, we were a little tired throughout the day. Another thing I should mention is that we flew in for the day. Our hotel was very nice (I highly recommend Premier Inn when you are in England), and we immediately hopped on the Metro train to head to the city. You might ask, why did you fly on an airplane to go to a city for only ONE DAY? Well, that is because I goofed a little when we wrote our grant. I found an excellent children's book museum, called Sevenstories and when I looked at the map to see where it was located, it showed the Millennium Bridge. I knew that the Millennium Bridge was located by Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London, so I added it to our grant. Well......I guess there is more than one Millennium Bridge. So, we flew to Newcastle (it only cost approximately $25 a ticket) for the day to go to the museum.

One of the things that we had heard while we were in London is that Newcastle has very courteous and friendly people. This couldn't be more truthful. In London, it is such a big city (think New York), and everyone is in a hurry. As much as I love London, having people breathe down my back or knocking into me constantly, was starting to wear on my nerves. Every single person we came into contact with in Newcastle was very helpful, kind, and just plain nice. I think that was my favorite part of that city. I definitely wish we could have had more time to explore Newcastle, but I will just have to come back again some day...

Bethany says...
Sevenstories was an amazing place for children to interact with books! I was very impressed with all of the costumes, art, books and materials for children to feel like they are inside the story. The building itself is literally 7 stories high...HaHa. Each floor had a different focus. There was a floor with original artwork used in childrens literature. Another floor contained huge couches and shelves and shelves of books for children to pick up and read and then off to the corner there was an AMAZING storytelling chair with benches and pillows surrounding it for enjoying a good story. The costumes were hand made and well loved...you knew that many of stories were acted out in those costumes. I was very impressed. The best was the floor that children were able to write responses and reports about their favorite characters they had read about thoughout the sevenstories. I will be bringing lots of new ideas into the classroom thanks to Sevenstories. Well I am off to enjoy a rainy day in Dublin...I will write later. :)

Debutots and Rain

Bethany says... Today was awesome! We were able to observe Debutots classes and they were very inspiring. I love the way the children spoke with accents. I will write more later. My time on the computer is up! Later y'all!

Jill says....Today we observed an interactive storytelling class for infants and pre-schoolers, called Debutots. www.debutots.co.uk Debutots is actually where we got our idea for our grant. What more perfect thing to learn about than bringing stories to life when you teach Pre-K? We oberved 3 different sessions, taught by Debutots teacher, Jennifer. I was hoping that Debutots was going to be exactly what we were looking for, and it did not disappoint. One of the owners of Debutots writes short stories (a different one each week), and they are told by the Debutots teacher with different voices and actions. The second time she tells the story, she has the children choose a character in the story and they act it out. All of this is within 30 minutes, and I definitely feel inspired to write some of my own stories to tell to my students. I really feel that now I have a good idea of how to be a storyteller--for young children atleast. The best part of telling stories to children is that the sillier you are, the better. It was amazing to watch 3 and 4 year-olds act the story out and see how enthusiastic they were. A big thank you to Jennifer for giving us the opportunity to observe and learn from her.

To Market, To Market

Jill says....Today was a wonderful walking journey through THREE markets--yes, three-- in London. Our day began at 10:00 when my cousin, Cindy met us to take us to the markets. As soon as we started walking, it began to rain--typical English weather! So, we stopped in for a cup of English tea (in a Mediterranean cafe) to catch up, since I had not seen Cindy since last summer. Cindy is one of my most favorite Londoners, and it's always fun to talk to someone with a British accent.

After our cup of tea, we headed over to a flower market (I can't remember the actual name) on a bus. It was a very small market, but absolutely beautiful. We wandered inside many of the stores that sold hats, perfumes, cupcakes, tea sets, and jewelry. My favorite part was definitely the flowers, though. The middle of the street was filled with every type of flower you can imagine, and it was quite spectacular. I wish we could have bought some, but we had a lot of walking ahead of us.

Next we traveled by bus to Spitalfield's Market. It is a covered, indoor market that is really quite large. There were several stalls that sold homemade fudge, breads, oysters, and pastries, as well as stalls that sold clothes. I really liked this market and had to keep fighting the urge to pull out my wallet. There were many things I wanted to buy, but I am hoping we will have a chance to head back there again when we are in London the following week. I can't afford to overload my suitcase before we get on all the airplanes in the next week who charge you $20 for each pound you go past 33lbs. We had a lovely lunch at Giraffe, my new favorite place to eat in London. It is a chain that sells very fresh food and is very family-friendly.

Bethany says...It was a fun day had by all! What else can I say!! Jill said it all... Cindy was great and the markets were everything I hoped that they would be! What an awesome day!!!

Exploring London

Jill says....We began our first full day in London with checking out of our hotel and checking into our new one. Yes, they had our room ready for us today. :-) After that excitement, we headed out for a free walking tour of London. It is offered by New Europe (http://www.neweuropetours.eu/). We walked through London for over 3 hours, and learned a lot about London's fascinating history and sites. It was actually very fitting because our tour guide, Lisbee, was quite the storyteller and is obviously an actress in her spare time. We walked through most of the city within that 3 hours--can you say blisters? We got to see many royal residences, and even got to see the changing of the guard, or maybe I should say a glimpse of it since we had to jump up to see over everyone's heads (see pictures). We walked past Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and many guards who seemed to be marching everywhere in the streets.

We headed back to the hostel after our 3 hour tour very exhausted and hopeful that Bethany's luggage would have arrived. No such luck, but Delta had found it and said it should be delivered today. Yay! After we freshened up, we headed out for our first meal of the day. We went to a bistro down the corner that I had fallen in love with last summer when I was in London. It did not disappoint. I love the food in London! Mmm... After that we walked around Bloomsbury and window shopped. When we got back to the hostel, Bethany's wish was granted and her suitcase was waiting for her. It is now 20:25 London time, and I can barely keep my eyes open. I think tonight will be an early night. Tomorrow my cousin, Cindy (a resident of London), is taking us out for the day. We'll definitely need our energy.

Bethany says...
I am so very thankful for my luggage! I was able to dress in clean clothes!! So very happy am I! Now that the luggage crisis is over...(I hope, there is still more traveling ahead.) I think I will be ready for anything! I am super excited about the plans for tomorrow. I cannot wait to see more of London!

Happy 4th of July--UK style...

Jill says....No matter how well you have things perfectly planned, you need to have a sense of humor. I was to arrive this morning at Gatwick at 7:30 am, with Bethany flying in from Indiana an hour later. (In case you don't know, London has several airports, and that's where our plans begin to fall apart). I will let Bethany fill you in on her flying adventure. Mine was uneventful. Then I landed..........

Bethany says....I was so super excited to get started on my adventure in London. Upon arriving to the airport, I went through the security and went to get my magazine and water. I sat down and watched the planes, people boarding, etc. I flipped through my magazine and before I knew it they are calling my flight! YES! I board the plane sit down and the guy behind me was laughing and telling jokes about the luggage crew and how he better have his luggage! The pilot gets on the intercom and very matter of factly tells us that the engine is leaking oil... but this is normal, should be in the air in a half hour. People around me are moaning and groaning, and I think to myself, "I am going to London, and its either a half hour here or a half hour in the Atlanta airport on my way to LONDON, oh well! " The half hour passes and the pilot gets back on the intercom and states that... "Not only is there oil leaking but that the tire is flat. Sit tight." I am starting to get a little worried... long story short I was put on 5 different flights... my luggage was lost in one of the planes... We got to London and arrived to the hotel and we were told that our room was under repair! We were tired and a little upset. And then... we realized that the hotel that we would have to stay at was 1-2miles away where we had just come. Luckliy we were able to have a bell hop carry JILL's luggage to the hotel!

We were not going to let all these things get in our way of having a good time so we went to a corner pub and reminded ourselves that we were here to have a great time--no matter what! And so we did.

Jill says....Next we are off to our hostel. It is an hour and a half hot bus ride to get into London, and by the time we arrive, we are beyond exhausted and sore. We get our oyster card and hit the tube (underground). After walking 1-2 miles through the city with our luggage, I mean my luggage, we finally find our hostel. All we want is to take a shower and collapse into bed, and we are so relieved to finally have made it to the hostel after all the chaos of earlier. Finally, our bad luck has ended.

I approach the counter, with the biggest smile I can muster and assure the friendly girl that yes, we have a reservation. She finds it, and then leans over to tell me in a low voice that unfortunately there are some problems with the private rooms and they have checked us into another hotel for the night, but our room should be ready by tomorrow. She prints me out the directions to the other hotel, and to my dismay, it is 1-2 miles back to where we came from. :(

I remind myself to breathe..........Bethany and I can barely walk, and I am not very happy that we have to go all the way back to where we started. As nicely as I can, I ask the check-in person who is going to carry our bags all the way to other side of Bloomsbury, because we are not. She finds someone for us, and he helps us with our things, and we follow behind him fuming. Luckily they do have a room for us--for the night. Tomorrow we will pack up our things and haul them back to our original hostel, keeping our fingers crossed that our bad luck is over, and that our room is ready.

We finally mustered up enough energy to head out to dinner. There will be no fireworks for us this July 4th, but hopefully there will be a good night's rest for tomorrow and some better luck.