Sunday | Welcome to London

Welcome to our London Green Living English Program. We're transferring you from London airports today. We'll take you to our city centre dorm or our neighbourhood in Richmond near the world-famous Thames River. After a short break, we will begin exploring both neighbourhoods by introducing bus stops, supermarkets, pharmacies and other important local points. When you visit a new place, this is what you need. Tonight, a light welcome meal is served.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Monday's English Activity Programme : Westminster City - The London Eye

The Houses of Parliament, known also as the Palace of Westminster is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. They lie on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of the City of Westminster, close by other government buildings in Whitehall. The oldest part of the building is still in existence, Westminster Hall, which dates from 1097.The palace originally served as a royal residence, but no monarch has lived in it since the 16th century. Most of the present Houses of Parliament structure dates from the 19th century, when the Palace was rebuilt after it was almost entirely destroyed by a fire in 1834. The architects responsible for rebuilding the Palace was Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin, and the building is an example of the Gothic revival.

Westminster Abbey is a Church, burial ground, coronation site and much more, Westminster Abbey continues to attract visitors over 900 years after its founding. In many respects the architecture is common. There's the traditional cross-shaped floor plan with a nave, north and south transepts and several round side areas. But both its execution and use raise The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (the official name) to among the highest examples of church construction. Here at Westminster Abbey lie buried kings and poets, scientists and philosophers who have themselves raised humankind to the highest levels. Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell (discoverer of electromagnetic theory, which later lead to radio and TV), Chaucer and Kipling, Dr. Samuel Johnson (creator of the first English dictionary) and many other justly famous names are interred here.

Our Millennium Wheel is the first-built and largest observation wheel in the world (a type of evolution on the Ferris wheel) and has been since its opening at the end of 1999. The London Eye stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames in Lambeth, London, England, between Westminster and Hungerford Bridges. It is adjacent to London's County Hall and stands opposite the offices of the Ministry of Defence situated in Westminster which it overlooks to the west. The London Eye was designed by architects David Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrow hawk, Steven Chilton, and Nic Bailey. The London Eye's wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned passenger capsules attached to its external circumference. Rotating at a rate of 0.26 metres per second so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes to complete, the London Eye wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers (the rotation rate is so slow that passengers can easily walk) except for the wheelchair users. What a lovely panoramic sightseeing attraction in the city. Your guide will gladly tell you the history of the landmarks that you will see from the sky.

After seeing some of London’s iconic architecture and engineering marvels, including The Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, it's time to return to Balham for your English lessons which are scheduled between 14:30 and 17:30 at our language school in London.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's residential.

Tuesday's English Activity Programme - Science Museum

No trip to London would be complete without a visit to the Science Museum. This tour will take you through the building where you will be able to admire many incredible artifacts housed in various collections with exciting exhibitions for all ages. If you're a science lover, then a visit to London's Science Museum is a must, although you do not have to be a lover of chemistry or physics to appreciate the Museum as there are interactive attractions such as a 3D IMAX cinema, an interactive flight simulator and a Discovery Motion Theatre to completely change your point of view. The Science Museum attracts more than 3.3 million people every year. Therefore, it is proudly now Europe's most visited science and technology museum. The museum is located in South Kensington and can be traced all the way back to 1857 when the South Kensington Museum opened at what is now the Victoria & Albert Museum. The decision to move the science and engineering collections of the V&A Museum to a separate location in 1909 meant the Science Museum was naturally born. Today the Museum accommodates more than 300,000 objects on its seven floors. All those objects have been carefully categorized by different topics such as electricity, nuclear power, technology, medicine, photography, food, transportation, and much more. You will be guided by the science background tourist guide on your science journey in this lovely museum.

After visiting the world’s favourite science museum we will return to Balham for your science-themed English lessons that are scheduled between 14:30 and 17:30 at our language school in London.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Wednesday's English Activity Programme - London Aquarium

Dive into an underwater world here at SEA LIFE London Aquarium, home to over 5,000 creatures. Explore London's flagship aquarium where you could learn something a-RAY-zing, spot a feeding frenzy or two and even meet some of our FIN-tastic friends. The London Aquarium is the only place in the capital where you can come face to face with sharks and deadly stone fish. The Aquarium has 350 species for you to see from every major environment across the globe, plus daily talks, dives and feeds. The new SEA LIFE London Aquarium is home to one of Europe’s largest collections of global marine life and the jewel in the crown of the 28 SEA LIFE attractions in the UK and Europe. Situated in the heart of London, the experience takes visitors on an immersive and interactive journey along the Great Oceanic Conveyor. Along the journey, a stunning glass tunnel walkway offers guests an unforgettable experience by strolling underneath a Tropical Ocean. There is plenty of interaction along the way, from feeding the stingrays and watching diving displays to touch pools and discovery zones. Other stars of the show include seahorses, octopus, zebra sharks and the ever-popular clown fish. What a great activity in the heart of the capital.

After visiting London’s biggest aquarium we will return to Balham for your science-themed English lessons that are scheduled between 14:30 and 17:30 at our language school in London.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Thursday's English Activity Programme - Walking Tour of the City of London

Another engineering marvel in the city is the Gherkin (Funny skyscrapers names we have don't we) the bullet-shaped office tower of swirling light and dark glass, known locally as the Gherkin. London's first ecological tall building and instantly recognisable addition to the city's skyline. Our topic is how a building can be an "ecological" itself. What kind of marvel beneath its technology. This is the answer we will follow up for today. The glass-fronted tower was designed by legendary British architect Sir Norman Foster. It took a total of two years to construct, and The Gherkin’s architecture features a distinctive spiral design. We won't be able to access the building but we will be able to share all key information with you for today.

Another iconic masterpiece in the city is St Paul's Cathedral. This masterpiece is in the City of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fourth St Pauls Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The first cathedral was built by the Saxons in wood. It burned down in AD 675 and was rebuilt, again in wood, ten years later. After this version was sacked by the Vikings in 962, the "second" St Pauls was built, this time mainly in stone. The predecessor to Wren's cathedral, The third St Pauls (known as Old St Pauls), was begun by the Normans after the late Saxon cathedral suffered in a fire of 1087. Work took over two hundred years, and a great deal was lost in a fire in 1136. Nonetheless the roof was once more built of wood, which was ultimately to doom the building. The church was "completed" in 1240 but a change of heart soon led to the commencement of an enlargement programme, which was not completed until 1314. The cathedral was however consecrated in 1300. It was the third longest church in Europe at 596 feet (181 metres) and boasted one of Europe's tallest spires at some 489 feet (149 metres). England's first classical architect Sir Inigo Jones added the cathedral's new west front in the 1630s, but "Old St Pauls" was finally ruined in the Great Fire of London of 1666. Building work on the latest St Pauls Cathedral commenced in June 1675 to a design by a great English scientist and architect of the 17th century Christopher Wren, and St Pauls Cathedral was completed on October 20 1708. The story starts from this point on and you can't wait to hear the rest of it from us.

After seeing some of London’s most famous buildings, including The Gherkin and St Paul's Cathedral alongside streets and buildings that are hundreds of years old especially after the Great Fire of London, we will proceed to our school as science-themed English lessons are be scheduled between 14:30 and 17:30 at our language school in London.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Friday's English Activity Programme - Shopping in London

Let’s go shopping in some of London’s most iconic shops. it's time to practise in English while shopping. Shopping = Oxford Street.. Oxford Street is one of London’s stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Oxford Street is one of London’s artery stretching between Tottenham Court Road and Marble Arch. It’s also Europe’s busiest shopping street hosting around half million visitors daily. Today, there are more than 300 shops, cafes, restaurants, language schools, department stores and many more. It’s the heart of daily business, fun, leisure and of course shopping in London. Like everywhere in London, Oxford Street has its history. The street route used to be part of the Via Trinobantina, a Roman route that passes through London between Hampshire and Essex. It was known as the Tyburn Road during the Middle Ages when Tyburn Gallows was also known for its public hangings. It became known as Oxford Road and then Oxford Street in the 18th century and began to change from residential to commercial and retail use by the late 19th century, attracting street traders, confidence tricksters and prostitution. The first department stores in the UK opened in the early 20th century, including Selfridges, John Lewis & Partners and HMV. Unlike nearby shopping streets such as Bond Street, it has retained an element of downmarket trading alongside more prestigious retail stores. The street suffered heavy bombing during World War II, and several longstanding stores including John Lewis were completely destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. Oxford Street, with several chain stores on the street and a number of buildings listed, remains in demand as a retail place amid the competition of other shopping malls, including Westfield Stratford City and the Brent Cross Shopping Centre. Because shopping is simply a tradition on this street and especially tourists love this experience during their stay in London.

After our shopping in Oxford Street, we will proceed to our English school for Kings and Queens themed lessons. Your last lessons will be scheduled between 14:30 and 17:30 at our language school in London.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Saturday's English Activity Programme - Full Day Excursion to Brighton

The city's nightlife as well as arts, shopping and festivals are also known. A striking landmark with its Indo-Saracen dome and ornate interiors, the Royal Pavilion is once Kings George IV's residence. In the garden, there are large collections of the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery from fine art to decoration where we will observe for today. The Royal Pavilion began as a humble lodging house in the 18th century. The Prince of Wales, Architect Henry Holland helped George turn his humbling seaside retreat into a beautiful, neoclassical villa– the Marine Pavilion. In 1815 the eminent architect John Nash was hired by George, now Prince Regent, to redesign it in Indian style. The work was finished in 1823 when George was reigning. It is the building that we see today, an instantly recognizable symbol of Brighton. During our visit, we would be very happy to give you a walking tour where you will enjoy strolling the narrow and colourful streets of Brighton. Consecutively you will visit cost Market Street, lively pubs, cafes, street performers, jewellery, fudge sellers and hundreds of shops selling almost all goods for shoppers. You will fall in love with the colourful ambience of the streets of Brighton. Nope, we didn't forget the beautiful Victorian masterpiece, Brighton Palace Pier. This is where you can enjoy different attractions even rollercoasters (not available in winter times). Brighton is also called the green capital of Britain. Brighton promises a day full of fun and joy.

Depending on your choice your accommodation will be either provided in English families or in the school's dorm.

Sunday | Transferring to the Airport

Today is the last day in London unless you continue our program. Well, all good things must come to an end. We provide your transfer service back to the airport with a private vehicle. This is the end of our service and we hope to see you in our various programs here in London.