London

“When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London.” 

― Bette Midler

Some of my friends from Midwest Ambassadors of Music
Zermatt, Switzerland 2007

The first (and only other) time I've been in London was on the 2007 Midwest Ambassadors of Music European Tour. Approximately 200 of we young musicians hit up seven European countries and performed in all sorts of spaces from gorgeous cathedrals, to serene parks, to town squares, to assembly halls. An incredible experience that has changed my life and for which I am eternally grateful. And London was our first stop. After the tour, despite everywhere we had gone and everything we had seen, my (to this day) best friend and I couldn't get London off our minds. We immediately began plans to spend a post-graduate year abroad together in London.  But as time went by and the real world became, well - real - this plan sort of faded away. The last few years, I couldn't even remember why we had made that plan anyway. What was so great about London?

BFF and I at Windsor Castle 2007

TRUST ME I REMEMBERED. 

Guys. I love London. I love the culture, I love the history, I love the theater, I love the accents, I love the public transportation, I LOVE THE ARCHITECTURE, I love the breakfast, I love tea time, I love the free art museums, I love the churches, I love the cider. I could totally live in London.

When all of the study abroad students first arrived in Athens, a major topic of conversation was heritage. Funny how important your ancestors become when you are outside of the States. I'm very German, a little Irish, a smidgen of Black Dutch, and am somehow related to some sort of royalty somewhere in the Whales. But I often find myself forgetting about those things, looking right back to the Mayflower, and thinking I'm English. 

Anyway. About our trip. A HUGE shout out and thank you to Anna's sister, Amy, who studied abroad in London a few years back and practically planned our entire tour for us. You're the best! We arrived in London late at night, and took a bus and a train from Luton Airport to Kings Cross Station where Anna and I wandered the area in search of our hostel. This is actually the first time we have had to stay in a real hostel. For some reason, I've always pictured hostels as looking something like the hospital room in Harry Potter, but more like a big gym-type room, several little beds, curtains around them...

Expectation...

Reality

Now, add the bags, garbage, and other various belongings of nine girls to the second image. Anna and I arrived at our new home well past midnight, trying our best to squeeze through the rubbish, unpack a little bit, and climb into the bunks making as little noise as possible. It was a place to sleep and occasionally shower (when I was feeling brave enough) and was super conveniently located. But, the few occasions we did spend time (again, squeezing) in the community room to use the internet, we had a fascinating opportunity to observe many other travelers from all over the world - Spain, France, Denmark, USA, Japan, etc. So cool! What was weird, however, was that it seemed like a lot of the residents never really left the building.... ever. Morning and night, the hostel was full of the same people eating, drinking, watching movies, sleeping, etc. I regret never getting a chance to ask anyone what they were up to in London in the first place - something I'll just have to be curious about.

Anyway. London is amazing. Right.

Day 1 (Saturday)
First thing in the morning (maybe 5 hours of sleep?) we grabbed some pb&j's (HEAVEN), purchased Oyster cards and hopped on the tube headed towards Covent Gardens to stand in line at Cambridge Theater for £5 student rush tickets to Matilda the Musical. TIP: If you're planning on spending a few days in London, buy an Oyster card for the tube. They cost £5 and are a super convenient way to get around. AND at the end of your stay, you can sell the Oyster card back! At the theater, we stood in line behind two girls who are studying abroad in Dublin. So fun to talk to them and compare experiences! One girl is from Pennsylvania and the other from Norway. Heritage played a big part in this conversation also as Anna is SUPER Norwegian. Did you know they have three more letters in their alphabet? After a two hour's freezing wait in line, we were extra lucky and got 2 of the last 3 tickets to that nights performance - with excellent seats. Thank you, God.

Then, we hopped back on the tube and headed to Victoria Station to meet my cousin Hillary! I haven't seen her in a few years - what a blessing.

FUN FACT: London is only one square mile. We spent most of the rest of our weekend walking. From Victoria, we headed up the road toward Buckingham Palace (you know... the Queen's house) where a huge crowd was beginning to gather. Have you heard of Group Psychology? It's a real thing. We had no idea what was going on, but thinking it MUST be cool, we joined the crowd. As more and more people began to join, we started to overhear many people asking the same questions we were thinking. Somehow, the rumor began and the group decided it MUST be that the Queen was going to do something. We got excited, and spent maybe 30 minutes in anticipation.

It was the changing of the guards. Every other day during the low season from 11:30-12, the guards parade from their barracks down the road and enter the palace, one group at a time. Cool.... but not worth the crowds. It took us another 30 minutes to simply get across the street. Oofta.

Next, we explored Picadilly Circus, had some traditional English Breakfast (AMAZING), and checked out an adorable Christmas store called Fortnum and Masons. Seriously... it felt like Harry Potter. Then, Hillary bid us farewell at the British Museum. It was incredible to get to see her and learn about her experiences in England! There, we checked out some more amazing Renaissance paintings and statues and even some marble remnants from the Acropolis. The coolest thing we saw was the Rosetta Stone. Then, we checked out the National Gallery. So much beautiful art and most of the museums are free - how cool is that?! On a side note, I love going to museums with an art minor! Before the play, we explored Covent Gardens and the market - SO CUTE (and SUPER Christmasy... I love it). There were new street performing acts going on every half hour.

Matilda was freaking amazing. It felt SO GOOD to be back in the theater again (and have it be in English). Anna and I felt so at home. This entire study abroad experience has been a definite reinforcement of my calling in the theater.

Day 2 (Sunday)

Look! It's Big Ben!

On Sundays, London theaters normally either take a day off, or the show is so good that they've been sold out for weeks. So today was a day of exploring London. First things first, we checked out "Platform 9 3/4"... which was not actually filmed between Platforms 9 and 10 as they are not even adjacent to each other. However, there is a cute monument to 9 3/4 where you can take a picture pushing a cart through the brick wall for free. Then, we headed to Parliament Square, home of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament.

Then, we crossed the bridge by the London Eye and stumbled upon a charming (CHRITSMASY) riverside market. Sooo many fun markets. Another reason I love London.

After some tasty street brats, we crossed back over and nature watched in St. James Park (home of pelicans, swans and other fancy birds). Then, we relaxed some more over a nice hot cup of tea, bread pudding and scones before Evensong. TIP: Getting into Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral is spendy. If you want to see the inside for free AND get an incredible spiritual experience WHILE listening to a choir sing beautifully, attend the Evensong services - daily and only maybe an hour long.

We finished the night by walking the Tower Bridge, watching people skate at the Tower of London, and enjoying some delicious cider ale and fish and chips. We stopped back by Picadilly Circus to see if we maybe wanted to catch a movie, but decided to call it a night.

Day 3 (Monday) 

Globe Theater Stage

We started our day at St. Paul's Cathedral and then crossed the famous Millennial Bridge toward the Tate Modern Art Museum (FREE!) and the Globe Theater and exhibition. Apparently, it was also national field trip day - so many little school children everywhere. The Globe was the only tour we paid for and was worth every pence (ha). To our total disappointment however, we were not allowed to climb up onto the stage and recite. Boo. Fun fact: The Globe Theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company are actually RIVAL theater companies. Some day, I'll get to see both groups perform...

Note to Self: NEVER forget to pack granola bars EVER. Seriously, hangry is a real thing and sometimes, not even the English eating schedule can stop it. We headed over to Borough Market for lunch (at the recommendation of my dear friend Lizzie, who studied in London this summer) which is a more eclectic market. However, being the off season in London, it was limited mostly to fresh produce rather then food food. So, we hit up a delicious Indian restaurant around the corner. London is well known for its fabulous Indian dining. YUM.

Afterwards, it was time for the Evensong Service at Saint Paul's. Absolutely gorgeous. Then, we took the tube across town to try and check out the V&A (free) before it closed, but didn't get much time. We headed back to Victoria Station to relax over Cornish Pasties and coffee before tonight's show, Billy Elliot. It was also fantastic... I may have cried a little bit.

Outside Saint Paul's Cathedral

Victoria Palace Theater

The entire trip was so surreal. I forgot all about school in Athens... we were totally in the moment the entire time. 19 days left of study abroad. Thanks for keeping up with my experiences!