By Alayna Moore & Hailey O’Donnell
Day five in London was packed with class and a dash of chaos.
We awoke to a dreary morning, the air cool and crisp and the sky draped with a blanket of thick gray clouds. Yet, it wasn’t so bad. The rain painted the streets of London, making for a movie-like atmosphere as we made our way to Wimbledon for a tour. The cold and rainy weather couldn’t stop us from enjoying the 58 million blades of grass on each of Wimbledon’s 18 tennis courts… and yes, it is somebody’s job to count each blade of grass.
The tour began at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. The museum showcased the traditions, players, and the Wimbledon complex itself as it has evolved since 1922. Things like players’ uniforms, equipment, awards, and history facts were displayed along with interactive exhibits. A crowd favorite was the “reaction station”, a test where you had 30 seconds to press as many dots as you could as they lit up. A group of us competed and cheered each other on, the highest score being a 35.
After the museum, we toured the No. 1 court which has 12,345 seats, The Hill where people gather to eat and watch matches, the players’ lounge, and Centre Court. It was raining during our tour, and the guide explained that Wimbleodn has only had eight dry competitions in its entire history. She said that this year has been particularly wet, and that the courts are actually softer than they are supposed to be by this time. Some other facts she told us were that strawberries and cream were the most popular food at Wimbledon, it is the only competition where players wear all white, and it is the only Grand Slam that is played on grass courts.
After Wimbledon, the group split off for free time. One group went to the British Museum for high tea, and a few others went on a tour to Emirates Stadium. We went to high tea.
High tea is a British tradition dating back to the 19th century where working class people could share a meal and socialize. Our meal included tea (obviously) along with sandwiches, scones, and multiple deserts. It was delicious and very filling, as well as a great opportunity for those who were there to continue getting to know each other. We were all also dressed up, so we took some photos.
After high tea we caught the train back to our hotel. Some rested while others ate dinner together at the hotel restaurant. The restaurant served seafood and Italian street food which was decent. This pretty much rounded out the day!