Last week already?! – Jake Rasmussen

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Hello world!

Ryan blogged about our crazy day on Friday. Saturday was long as well! We went on a Sherlock Holmes walking tour, which we got into for free with our Media Credential passes. We saw locations that were used in the stories, the Guy Ritchie adaptations, and the BBC show Sherlock. After eating a delicious brunch, we went back home and I helped Ryan film some of his Olympic pin trading piece, which is airing this Tuesday! Ryan and I are very excited to report this week.

The courtyard of Somerset House

Today, I made a really mediocre pizza that we bought for two pounds, edited my Abbey Road piece for Tuesday, and then watched Anchorman.

In our last week, we will go on a bike tour of Hampton Court, see Dark Knight Rises, and seeing more in London! Oh-and broadcasting our last two shows already! Crazy how fast time flies. Ryan and I still want to film a short video here, and film a short segment for my show The Grog Show on Temple TV as well.

Make sure you tune in this Tuesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. for our last two shows! You won’t want to miss them.

Everyone is telling me to hurry up because we are going to go get ice cream. Cheers!

So Much to Do So Little Time – Quinton Bosman

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I can’t believe we are entering the last week of the program. It really only feels like yesterday that we were all sitting in a fancy Moroccan restaurant introducing ourselves to London after a long day of traveling and touring. It is also surprising that we only have two live shows left. The shows have been such a success. I remember being extremely nervous before the first show. We were all on edge due to it being our first live endeavor and a few technical difficulties. Now that it is almost time to go home, of course we all feel like pros. The show, our transitions and communication back home with Philly have all been so much smoother since that first day.

We still have a lot ahead of us. We have two live shows to prepare for, two editorials and of course The Dark Knight Rises in 3D IMAX. Can’t wait for that one. Unfortunately this last week also has a forecast of some pretty bad weather. We are finally experiencing the rain that London is known for. More famous than fish and chips, the Queen and the Beefeaters combined, everyone knows that London has pretty terrible weather. The last time I was here it rained almost every day. It can be pretty depressing. Luckily we haven’t seen too much of that during our stay.

Somehow I forgot to add this picture from yesterday. I came upon a strange globe in the middle of town that looks like it landed there from outer space. I’m not sure if you are supposed to do this but tourists loved touching it. I don’t trust it.

#that’ssoBritish – Ryan Geffert

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A map of the London Live festival!

Wow! Friday and Saturday were probably the most packed days that we’ve had since our arrival in the UK.

The zip line shook me up a bit…

It all started with a late morning decision to head to the London Live Victoria Park across from the Olympic Village. There were several enormous screens that showed different Olympic events. Here, we saw Federer beat his Argentinian opponent and a British indoor cyclist beat an Olympic record… so the crowd was super excited making the moment all the more memorable! At Victoria Park, we also found ourselves zip-lining, sumo wrestling, ferris wheeling, ping ponging and tennis-ing … (???) Either way, we had our Olympic fill for the day.

We sumo wrestled…

But the day hadn’t even begun yet! Next we headed towards Covent Garden and Regent Street to meet up with Isabel and grab some early dinner. We ended up catching up with our old friend Charlie Chaplin who put on a wonderful show for about an hour as we sat and watched the crowd’s priceless reactions to the improv comic genius! Suddenly, the hunger began to creep over us again. We quickly stopped by a place called “Fuel” where we had a wonderfully satisfying Italian dinner!

Our dinner!

Following our meal, we decided to continue our night upon the River Thames. We made our way to the South Bank, where we hopped on the London Eye and got a wonderful sight of the City of London and Westminster!

London Live Ferris Wheel

View of Victoria Park from the Ferris Wheel

We then followed the music to the Houses of Parliament where fabulous projections lit up the side of the old government office building. With inspirational music and a great narrative story about the history of the Olympics, the half hour show was near perfection and surely motivational! At that point, we called it a night and let the next morning take us by surprise. The day was truly a full British outing, full of real London sights and unforgettable experiences with a mass of unforgettable characters along the way!

Projections on Parliament – Olympic Rings

Projections on Parliament – Union Jack

Projections on Parliament – Michael Phelps

Victoria and Albert Museum – Quinton Bosman

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Outside the Victoria and Albert Museum, very close to where we are staying.

The museum was full of massive, beautiful paintings and sculptures like this one from Great Britain.

One patron must have had a long day in the museum as she falls asleep in front of a picture from the early 1600’s.

Ancient pot from China, believed to be from about 1300 AD.

To Wimbledon and Beyond – Quinton Bosman

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So far the most crowded area we have ventured to is Wimbledon. Currently, the acclaimed Roger Federer is competing in what could be the longest Olympic tennis match in history!

Two american tourists pose in front of the incredibly fun M&M candy store

A park near the Embankment subway station is modeled after a traditional ocean front.

And then there were two… – Isabel Garcia

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The team has been here for about a week and a half now, and I just cannot believe there are only two shows left. It seems like it’s been such a whirlwind of an adventure, but I am trying very hard to take everything in, and keep it! Memories are funny though – you can remember certain parts of a trip or event, but it’s always best when someone else can jump in and add that extra detail that made it special. We’ve all truly grown together as a team, and it’s a great feeling knowing that everyone has your back.

Visiting London has honestly been a dream of mine since I was about 11 years old. As cliched as that sounds, I was noticing all of the London-items I have in my room right before I left: a sign on my shelf that says “LONDON”, a mannequin for necklaces with “London” and fashion figures, a Stonehenge key ring, and even a teapot shaped like a traditional red “tele” booth.

Big Ben is the bell in the clock tower.

My favorite experience so far has been seeing Big Ben. I’ve seen pictures of the tower before, and I had felt like I’ve seen it a hundred times – there was nothing so spectacular and so real than to be standing next to the physical Big Ben. Pictures don’t do much justice for a city with history oozing out of every street corner. The architecture is absolutely breathtaking, and the buildings, streets, and even Underground tube are incredibly clean.

The sites, life, and culture of London have been nothing short of magical. Though there may only be two shows left, I definitely plan to take advantage of the time that remains in our last two weeks in London!

A View From Above – Quinton Bosman

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Founded in 1951, The Original Bus tour takes tourists throughout the city of London highlighting all the major sights. I stayed on the bus for about two hours by accident.

Lions have been placed on the British coat of arms for years. Their popularity has grown since it has become the mascot for the GB team during the Olympics.

The London Eye was viewable at almost every stop on the tour!

Tower Bridge was actually the most crowded part of the tour. Many people confuse it with  London Bridge. Note the retracted Olympic rings.

Carnaby Street – Quinton Bosman

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After our tour we went back to Carnaby street, a vibrant shopping center downtown.


Another look at the popular street near Regent and Oxford.


Tourists throughout the city have made it their goal to take a picture with every statue of the London Olympics mascot. Each one is decorated differently and placed in different sections of the city.