After months of preparation and intense rehearsals, the YPC has officially begun their adventure to the Llangollen International Eisteddfod with our first stop in London, United Kingdom. The journey began at the 92nd Street Y where choristers arrived with their families to gather final uniform pieces, music, and convene with all the choristers, staff and chaperones that would be joining them during their travels. We arrived at JFK very quickly thanks so no traffic, and after an hour or so we had every chorister checked in and through security – it’s amazing how long it takes 65 people to go through that process! The choristers were in great spirits and very excited to get on the plane and depart. We left New York at 10:30 p.m., and after a 6-hour flight landed safely at London’s Heathrow Airport on very little sleep.
We started our adventure by meeting our tour guide from Classical Movements, Susie, who will be leading us around London for the next few days. The first stop was Windsor Castle, where the Queen often resides on weekends. It’s her “summer house” so to speak, and the children were blown away by the size of the castle – a nice little place to have a break from Buckingham Palace! We had a lovely lunch in our chaperone groups, then went off to explore some of the shops and the area around the castle. It was a beautiful area, with quaint little shops and restaurants, and the souvenir shopping officially began.