I’ve been in London for two weeks, and I’ve already been on so many adventures here. The first class in the program is Transnational Shakespeare, and thus, I’ve been to the Globe Theater twice. We saw Macbeth first, which was one of the greatest shows I’ve seen. The next week, we saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I’m pretty sure I’ve never laughed harder. The actors did such a wonderful job of delivering the comedic one-liners that make the play so great.
The sheer number of attractions in London is overwhelming—I’ve been slowly making my way down a list, coupled with all of the excursions that the program has set up for us. During our first week, we paid a visit to the London Transport Museum to see the development of the Tube, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. I also visited the Tate Modern and saw some amazing modern art, everything from Picasso to Monet and many other interesting displays. The nice thing about London is that most of the museums are free, so I plan to go back again to the Tate Modern and see more of their exhibits.
Another excursion we went on was a tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral; the monumental domed building can be seen from most anywhere in London, and the inside was stunning. We climbed the hundreds of stairs up to various galleries, where we looked down on the interior of the cathedral, as well as all of London. The views were amazing, and being so high up let us see just how old of a city London is—we could see the older buildings right next to the newer skyscrapers, and the contrast was amazing to see.
Yesterday, we went on a navigational challenge all around the city. It was described as part scavenger hunt, part Amazing Race, and that’s exactly what it was. We were split up into groups by our rooming assignments, and we had to quickly get to different areas in London, taking pictures of specific landmarks along the way, We ran from the top of Parliament Hill to multiple different Tube Lines, taking in the sights and sounds of London as we traversed the city.
Next week, we’re heading to the Lake District to visit various castles, as well as Shakespeare’s home! Check back soon for more about my adventures abroad!