This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Portland chapter.
A lot of my friends have been asking me, “What is your favorite thing that you’ve done or seen so far?” so since I haven’t written in a bit, I thought I would address that question now! Of course, it’s so hard to pick just one favorite place or thing that I have seen or done, but here are my top few picks.
- I really enjoyed the National Portrait Gallery. We went there one day for a field trip for my Living in Eighteenth Century London history class, and basically if a person played an important role in British history, odds are, there is a portrait of them there. I have read countless history books for school and in my spare time, and many of the paintings they use are on display in the National Portrait Gallery, so it was amazing to see those paintings up close and in person! My favorite room by far was of course, the Tudor Room, where famous paintings of the many members of the Tudor, and even Plantagenet, families are displayed. I was overcome with excitement by all the wonderful portraits of Elizabeth I, especially the famous Coronation portrait!
- Westminster Abbey was a wonderful place to visit. It was in my top five of places to visit in London, and luckily, we got to go there for my Turning Points in English History class one afternoon. Words cannot convey how truly awe-inspiring it is. From the beautiful vaulted ceilings high above, the stunning stain-glass windows, and the impressive Gothic architecture, I didn’t know where to look half the time. Countless people from history that I love and admire are buried or have monuments there, from Henry Purcell, Handel, Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Henry VII, Elizabeth of York, Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth I, Mary I, and Mary, Queen of Scots (I could go on and on, trust me). Being in such an imposing, beautiful, and historical setting really hit home for me. I cannot tell you how many Moments I had in there, especially at the graves of Elizabeth and Mary Tudor. My only disappointment was that no photography was allowed. However, the cloisters were very beautiful and well-preserved.
- The Harry Potter studio tour was simply magical. So magical that I dedicated an entire blog posting to describing just how awesome it was. The books and movies were, and still are, a huge part of my life, and being able to see where the wonderful world that J.K. Rowling created was brought to life by movie magic made me so happy. It was COMPLETELY worth the accumulated 40 pounds.
- Brighton was just lovely! It was so nice to soak up the sun a bit and be right on the ocean! London is already a bit of a dreary place, weather-wise, so I really appreciated the warm weather and sunny, eclectic atmosphere that Brighton had to offer.
- Attending two plays at the Globe Theatre was mind-blowing. Seriously life-changing. I have always loved attending plays and musicals, but being at the Globe was like being transported back in time. It was completely worth the sore legs and back from standing for 3+ hours per play. I have a serious obsession with the play Richard III as a result of watching the masterful performances of all the actors (as if I wasn’t already obsessed enough with the actual historical figure). Due to my experiences at the Globe, I now have new people to stalk on the internet, including Johnny Flynn (he played Viola in Twelfth Night and Lady Anne in Richard III, and is actually quite a good singer! His albums are on Spotify and YouTube), Samuel Barnett (Cutie patootie! He played Sebastian in Twelfth Night and Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, and responded to my Tweet I sent him!!), and Mark Rylance (Olivia in Twelfth Night and the title role in Richard III – I cannot describe how phenomenal of an actor he is). It was truly a privilege to watch all of them do what they do, and love best. The Globe was a great reminder that although it is well and good to read plays, the power of seeing plays, especially those of Shakespeare, performed live has an irreplaceable magic all its own.
Tomorrow, we go to Oxford! Looking forward to it very much!