It was the summer of 2015 when the Oklahoma Ambassadors of Music took their European Tour and filled the air with renown music and cliche' tourism. In the beginning, each of us had received a packet full of information from our band directors that involved the trip that would highlight our high school careers, and perhaps our lives. Although many received this packet for the possibility to go, very few got the opportunity.
The trip started with us having to drive to Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City from places all over Oklahoma. When we all arrived, we introduced ourselves to each other with absolutely no hesitation. Even though we were all probably sleep deprived from being too excited about the trip the night before, there was no time to be sluggish because we were about to take a trip that we would remember for the rest of our lives. Endless handshakes, hugs, and smiles filled a corridor of the airport; our voices echoing throughout the tunneled hallways.
It wasn't one of those events where one student would represent their school though. There were at least two or three that came from the same school because they wanted you to at least know someone going into this journey. There were seven of us from Mustang High School. Of course, with my luck, I ended up going with the people that I didn't associate with at school or band rehearsals. There were probably two of them that I didn't dislike, but I really only considered them acquaintances because we weren't close whatsoever. To my surprise, a group of people from Tulsa took me under their wing and "adopted" me for the trip (s/o to Brandon and Lexi). There were couple people from Tuttle that joined in on our little group throughout the trip (when they could) too, (s/o to Bekah and Ben).
Fast-forward through the obnoxiously long plane ride with tons of in-flight movies and all the plane peanuts you could eat-->
When we arrived, we weren't in London proper, but just outside. For our first tourist destination, we went to Windsor Castle and hung out in the plaza and the cute little town that surrounded it. We ate at a little pub, and this was the first time among many that I made the native residents of the countries hate us. I accidentally made the mistake of calling "chips" french fries, and made it worse when I asked for a bottle of ketchup. If that person could've punched me in the face without losing their job, they probably would've done it.
We finally got into London and checked in to our hotel that I unfortunately don't remember the name of. All I do know is that the desk clerk was the nicest person I've ever met because they helped me so much with one of my most annoying issues; my worldwide adapter wouldn't work. He hooked me up and gave me one that worked for the outlets in London, but I had to figure something out for the rest of the countries. Nonetheless, it was a helpful start. And I eventually did find a cheap replacement for the adapter. :)
After our first performance of the European Tour, we went on our first official touristy adventure! We went to Buckingham Palace! And of course, walked around the royal gardens! When we were all finished oo-ing and aw-ing at the castle, the gold plated gates, and the royal guards, we got back on our tour buses and drove around London for some sight-seeing. Fleet Street (as in Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of...), White Chapel (as in Jack the Ripper), Big Ben, and so much more until we finally arrived to the Tower of London. The Tower Bridge (cover photo) was one of the most gorgeous things I had ever seen (of course the sky added to the effect), besides the Crown Jewels. I may or may not have gotten an illegal picture of them, but that's neither here nor there.
The day after, we decided to go to the London Eye (the giant Ferris wheel for those who don't know), and the Hard Rock Cafe (and yes, I have a t-shirt). Later that night, we were scheduled to see various shows that us Americans know of on Broadway, such as The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, Phantom of the Opera, etc. I had the greatest opportunity to see Phantom (I cried a lot) and Mamma Mia! (I smiled a lot). Quite obviously, I sang a lot too.
I could go on and on, but I want to limit what I say for the first of this series of articles because it would be longer than anyone would want to read. Perhaps it's already to that point but it's okay.
Stay tuned for more locations that I visited during my European Tour!
