A Weekend in London

London is one of those cities that you dream of seeing your whole life.  I have always been fascinated with British culture. The royal family and driving on the opposite side of the road are foreign to Americans which makes it that much more fascinating.  Even though Americans and Brits speak the same language, there is a fascinating difference between our two cultures that I was dying to experience in person.  So understandably I was excited beyond reason to go to London for the weekend with my roommates.

From the second I arrived at Gatwick airport I was immediately struck by the gorgeous British accents.  Even though I speak the same language, it is incredibly different from the way we speak in America.  You can’t help but to be excited to hear it!

When we finally arrived in the center of London I immediately realized just how magical London truly is.  It was rush hour and people were everywhere.  Dozens of  red double-decker buses passed by us as we walked to King’s Cross Station.  Of course we needed to go to platform 9 and 3/4 (any Harry Potter fans?).

The next morning we were ready to tour the great city.  A bit of advice: If you ever go to London buy a bus tour ticket.  You wont regret it, trust me.  On our bus tour we were lucky enough to catch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, hop off at Westminster Abbey and get lots of amazing pictures with Big Ben, and have the most delicious lunch at Borough Market.  You really can’t beat the fish and chips in England.

After traveling down the famous Fleet Street (Sweeney Todd anyone?) we saw the famous Tower of London where I of course had to buy a teddy bear in a guard uniform.  Then we embarked on a boat tour down the River Thames where we got a great dose of that British humor that I was hoping to hear.

That night, my roommate and I bought tickets to see The End of Longing starring Matthew Perry.  Besides being excited to see a show in London, I was also excited to see one of my favorite actors, Matthew Perry.  He even high-fived me at the end of the show!

The next day, we met up with one of my sorority sisters for brunch.  It reminded me of home but it was also great to hear about all of her amazing experiences studying at IES Abroad London.  After brunch, we went shopping at Oxford Circus, which is a gigantic shopping district in London.  It amazed me how busy it was.  The craziness was overwhelming at points.

After shopping we took the Underground to the London Eye and then walked across the river to Westminster Abbey all the way to Trafalgar Square.  Even the rainy weather couldn’t ruin our fun.  Then we went to Harrod’s, the most amazing department store in the world, according to me.  Even though I couldn’t afford a single thing in the store, it was fun to play “guess that price” with Dior baby clothes.  A girl can dream I guess!

The next morning, we finished off our trip with a visit to the British Museum where we had the opportunity to see the Rosetta Stone in person.  It struck me how amazing the Rosetta Stone is.  So simple, yet so incredibly important to society because it has taught humanity so much.  Seeing it in person was truly a highlight of the trip.

Unfortunately, my amazing trip to London did come to an end.  I fell in love with London in the short time I was there so I know I will return in the future.  As much as I love studying in Siena, London was truly a special place that I will always remember.