London

So, I am 2 weeks behind and need to catch up!

A couple weekends ago I attended the University of Illinois London Weekend. This involved all of the university students who are studying on the British Exchange Program to met in London on the 5th of March to do a little sight-seeing in the nation’s largest city. Although there are over 100 students from Illinois in the UK and Ireland this semester, only about 50 are part of the exchange program. It is still a pretty large group I would say. As well, these students came from all over Britain (Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds, and the like). The main objective was to meet our UK resident student advisor, Ryan Lorenz, and to befriend other students abroad.

I flew out of Aberdeen early Thursday afternoon. I was again in a hurry to pack my bag and get off (a reoccurring theme it seems). But, again, no problems, and I was of to “London Town.”

When I arrived at Heathrow I immediately bought an Oystercard for use in the Tube (Underground). Looking at the map of the Underground is quite overwhelming, but luckily enough, my stop was on the same “line” as the one that left from the airport. And, after quite a long ride, I reached my stop at Russell Square. From here, I had no clue where to go, but after walking around the block, I finally found the hotel (paid for).

After checking in, I laid down for a quick nap before we gathered for dinner. I kept the television on in my room for two reasons: one, because I never get to watch it, and two, because I love the English accent.

At about 7:30, all 40 of us met downstairs to grab some pizza (paid for). The rest of the night was uneventful as we just hung out and got to know each other better at a pub near the hotel.

After a meeting about safely while studying abroad the next morning (a little late since I was about 5 weeks in at the time), we hoped on our bus for a tour of London (paid for). It was really nice seeing all the sights in relation to the city. After that, we were given the rest of the afternoon to ourselves, so a few of us ventured off to see Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace, The House of Parliament, Big Ben, and a quick stop in the British Museum.

That night, we had the chance to meet some Alumni that now reside in the UK. I swear, four out of the 15 or so that were in attendance had been to Mt. Morris. I was astonished! Anyway we had a good meal (paid for) and good conversation. The next morning we received a personal walking tour of the river by Ryan himself. Afterwards, we all grabbed lunch at this awesome outdoor market; I had a baguette and cheese. Then a couple of us headed over Tower Bridge to the Tower of London (our Beefeater was hilarious and the crown jewels were amazing) and then to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We met for diner that night (paid for) and took in some of London’s famous theater. The “play” was called Rumors (paid for). I would describe it as a mix between acrobatics, modern dance, a hint of comedy, with basketballs and skateboards mixed in. Overall, I was really impressed and enjoyed the show immensely.

On Sunday morning, four of us ventured to Camden Market to gaze at all of the crazy antiques and to grab a great bit to eat (goat curry). Then, it was off to the airport again and back to Aberdeen.

I really enjoyed my trip to London. There is so much to do and see that one weekend was not even close to enough, plus everything was paid for! Hopefully I will make it back soon because it is such a astonishing city.