Well we have all arrived home now, and I'm sure many of us are having withdrawal symptoms! We drove through heavy rain on the way back, which definitely brought us back to earth with a thud! We have had an absolutely fantastic time and I know there were lots of sad faces and possibly even a few tears when we had to leave - and that was just from the staff!
Our last day was probably the hottest day so far, around 24 degrees which was lovely! After we had packed and said our goodbyes we headed down to Santa Monica for some last bits of shopping. It was such a beautiful place - my personal favourite! Lots of shops and cafes where you can sit out on the street in the sunshine, and lots of 'LA looking' people rollerblading down the boulevard, going for a run or walking their dogs who were fully kitted out in the latest designer gear and even wearing nappies! Some dogs didn't even have to walk and were pushed around in little wheeled carts or prams! As it was Valentines day, love was literally in the air as we saw planes flying with marriage proposals attached on signs at the back, and even planes writing love notes in smoke in the sky! The shops then led down to a beautiful beach with a small fair ground attached on the promenade, so there were lots of things for us to see and do!
After Santa Monica we drove 10 minutes up the road to Venice Beach, which was a completely different atmosphere all together! It was a bright, lively, bohemian place with lots going on everywhere we looked. Music was blasting from every shop, and the shops were much more 'indie' and alternative than anywhere we had been. There were lots of people playing basketball, bodybuilders working out on muscle beach, a skate park, BMX ramps, street dancers and performers, graffiti art everywhere and then another beautiful beach. It was really nice to see a different side to LA, and to see how the locals spend their sunny Sunday afternoons. Films such as American History X and Romeo and Juliet have been based here, and it's easy to see why its such a famous area as there is so much going on and such a brilliant atmosphere.
At 5pm we made our way to the airport for our flight at 8:30, where we saw Stephen Fry boarding at the First Class gate! The flight went well and most of us slept right though it as we were exhausted after such a hectic week. We then transferred at Heathrow where we got to have a look round the new Terminal 5 which is lovely, and we saw Nicky Hambleton Jones from How to Look 10 Years Younger! The short flight to Manchester was great, and we arrived home on time at 6pm.
It seems hard to believe when I look outside at the hailstone that I was lay on a beach two days ago! It has been a fantastic trip that went way too quick! I would just like to say thank you to all the students who came, as they were impeccably behaved and I received so many compliments in restaurants and the workshops we visited about how lovely and friendly they were. I was also really pleased to hear that it wasn't just LA that the students would miss, but that they would miss each other, as the whole group bonded really well and many will remain close friends. We have had a fantastic time with so many laughs and so many wonderful experiences, and I couldn't have asked for a nicer group of students to take... thank you everybody for such a wonderful time!!
No comments:
Post a Comment