Program 610a: London Layover; Tower of London; London Day Trips

Get tips for making the most of a long layover in Heathrow Airport with a quick visit into central London. Then meet the Tower of London's "Ravenmaster": the Yeoman Warder tasked with guarding a thousand years of British history. And hear about several celebrated spots in the English countryside that you can enjoy as fun, easy day trips from London.

• London-based tour guides Steven Back and Deborah Heyburn
• Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, author of "The Ravenmaster" (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux)
• London-based tour guide Jeanie Carmichael
• Bath-based tour guide Liz Boardman

• Tips for temporary luggage storage at Heathrow and in London.
• The Oyster Card, issued by Transport for London, is a pre-paid mass transit pass for London that you can order online. 
• Steven Back offers half-day and full-day tours of London and the surrounding area including Windsor, Oxford, Bath, and Canterbury.  
• Deborah Heyburn offers tours of Devon, Cornwall, and surrounding areas.
• Christopher Skaife is a Yeoman Warder at the thousand-year old fortress, the Tower of London. He's written "The Ravenmaster" about his duties caring for the Tower's ravens.
• Among the day trips from London discussed are Hampton Court Palace, Stonehenge and Salisbury, Bletchley Park, Highclere Castle, Eltham Palace, the Warner Brothers Studios' Harry Potter exhibit, Windsor (Town, Castle, Great Park, and Eaton College), Legoland, Bath, Bristol, and Brighton.
• Tour guide Elizabeth Boardman offers cultural immersion tours in England, from her home base in Bath.  
• Jeanie Carmichael offers tours in London and the surrounding area, including Windsor, Canterbury, Brighton, and Hampton Court.

Program 610 European Summer Haiku

Stracciatella drips
white on burnt Siena bricks
in the Campo heat.
— Oliver Hay, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Shimmering Sea.
The Clamoring of Athens.
We are Delighted!
— Jay Mayhew, Franklinville, New Jersey

Iceland beckons us
Endless days aurora nights
Glaciers await tender feet
— Regina Ann Cooper, Hartland, Vermont

Luxembourg Garden
Red sails on fountain sea…Come!
Ride ponies with me
— Sally Slotterback, Lavelle, Pennsylvania