The worst thing you can do as a student abroad is stay in your room on the weekends on your laptop. I mean, if you’re working, that’s one thing. But a semester is too short to not take advantage of every weekend you have (and with four weekends left for me, that’s really starting to sink in). On your time off, there’s no reason (not even money) that you shouldn’t go out and soak everything your city has to offer. Even in an expensive city like London, I found some cheap, simple, and highly enjoyable activities for any weekend.
(1) MUSEUMS: Really this is at the top of my list. And for anyone who’s remotely interested in history or art or literature or science or dinosaurs (I mean, really, who doesn’t love dinosaurs!) this will be at the top of yours, too. Whenever I’m bored, I remember that it’s only a short tube ride to the actual Rosetta Stone or the actual Magna Carta an actual Dalek (and all for free), and suddenly my weekend is filled with potential.
(2) PARKS: Great for study breaks, romantic strolls, dog walks, frisbee games, picnics or just sitting and reading a book. Hyde Park or St. James Park or Green Park or any of London’s massive parks are perfect to visit to clear your head and relax, especially this time of year when the trees are filled with golden, red, and orange leaves. And it’s probably the closest you’ll ever get to a pelican in a big city.
(3) THEATRE: No, to be completely honest, theatre isn’t really cheap. Unless you’re smart about it. Quite a few shows will have day seats for as little as fifteen pounds or twelve pounds or even five pounds. All you have to do is queue up at the box office the morning of the show. The catch is that lines start forming around seven in the morning, so the early bird catches the worm, here.
(4) BIKE TRIPS: Forget the tube. Forget the bus. Forget taxis. And whatever other modes of transportation you’d have to pay for. All over London are Barclay bike stations where you can rent a bike and just sail down the road for free! (As long as you get it to another bike station within a half hour that is.)
(5) BASICALLY ANYTHING IN TIMEOUT MAGAZINE: With a city as big and busy and diverse as London, there’s always something going on. And this one magazine called TimeOut is my number one go-to source for what’s coming up on any given weekend. It helpfully lists out all the upcoming events in music, theatre, comedy, cultural events and festivities and all sorts of crazy awesome stuff! It’s even kind enough to list out which ones are free. And if I’m lucky, sometimes I can even catch a few events with free food samples.
Chase Wheaton-Werle
<p><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">My name is Chase Wheaton-Werle. I'm a musical theatre major from the University of Tulsa. Outside of my major, I enjoy creative writing and poetry. In the fall of 2013 I'm attending Mountview Academy for the Theatre Arts. This will be my first experience out of the country, and as someone with a passion for theatre and British culture, I couldn't ask for a better destination. I hope this blog can provide not only some insight to the intensive curriculum of an actor in the theatre center of the world, but also some good chuckles.</span></p>
