London 2018

I am one of those people who made a bucket list when she was 12 and has been crossing things off and adding new things to it as I have gotten older. I crossed one of the things off my bucket list earlier this year when I visited a Beach on Spring break. The next thing was going to London. I have always dreamed of traveling international and London was one of the places I had wanted to travel to.

This year at my school they offered a class that was a Harry Potter/London Theater class and it included a trip to London. So after talking it over with my parents and the schools financial aid office I decided to take the leap and take the class. In the long run I am going to be grateful that I was able to experience so much of London for a cheap price, while still being in school. We spent 9 days in London with a day trip to York. From the very beginning I knew I was going to have a hard time with flying because I hate inclosed spaces and heights which is why I was relieved when I was sitting by people from my class on the way there and back.

Our Trip:

Day 1: We explored London in groups, my group consisted of my roommates and I. On the first day we arrived in London around 11am UK time and checked into our hotel, unfortunaltly we were not allowed to actually check into our rooms unitl 2pm so we left our bags with the hotel and then went to explore/find something to eat before we ate each other. My group found a little restraunt just a couple blocks from the hotel and we ate fish and chips (because why not? When in London right!) After we got checked into our rooms we joined some of the other girls and our teacher and roamed around Kensington and Hyde park. We found where Virginia Wolf used to live, the peter pan statue, and Kensington Palace.

Day 2: We went on a Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour through the city until we reached the Tower of London. We spent the day exploring the Tower of London Museum and then that night we went to the show Kinky Boots! It was my first time EVER watching a show on Broadway and I LOVED IT!!

Day 3: We took a ride on the London Eye (which made me really want a Diet Coke since it's owned by Coca-Cola) and I was terrified of going up in it and it was actually really cool! Then we got ice cream which in London it's served in a double cone! Then we took a ride on a Thames River cruise and after that we walked across the London Bridge! Then we ventured off to find Abbey road (which is not at the Abbey Tube stop. Which we learned the hard way) and visited 221B Baker Street to satisfy my inner Sherlock Holmes! We then ventured out to find the Notting Hill Bookstore and after walking 6 blocks we could not find it! So we decided to wait and go find it on a different day.

Day 4: This day we started early and visited the National Portrait Gallery then headed off to high tea. (Unfortunately, not with the queen) I highly recommend if you are in London to experience high tea! It was so awesome even though my group forced me to try everything! After High tea we ventured out to walk through the famous Selfridges Department Store and a few others before heading to the Globe Theater to watch Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" as groundlings (which means we were in standing seats and we were right by the stage)!

Day 5: This day was my favorite and the one I had been waiting for!! As a class we headed to the Warner Bros Studios to tour the Harry Potter exhibit. We got to walk through the sets for the 4th movie (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). We spent 3 hours going through the whole thing and I took over 100 pictures! We got to taste butterbeer halfway through the exhibit and I was the only one in my group to try the butterbeer ice cream everyone else tried the actual beer one (it tasted like butterscotch!!)! At the end of it I spent 60 pounds and regret nothing! For the Potterheads in our group (ME INCLUDED) this was a favorite part of the trip !

Day 6: We started the day out with a 2 1/2 hour nap right after breakfast. (Best way to start the day right?) After our nap my group decided to venture out to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard. Unfortunately, due to weather the Changing of the Guard ceremony was canceled for the day. We decided to take the rest of the day and not do a lot because we were all exhausted! So we went to the Portobello Market where we finally found the Notting Hill Bookshop and bought some books because what English major can walk into a bookstore and not walk out without a book! We got back to our room pretty early because we needed more sleep of course! We slept a total of 12 hours this day and it was just what we needed.

Day 7: My group decided to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum which had far too many exhibits in one day, however it had a Winnie-the-Pooh section in the gift shop and I was in Winnie-the-Pooh heaven!! So naturally I bought books for my nieces and nephews and one little cousin who's birthday was the weekend I got back home! After the Museum we went to Harrods, another famous department store. The mascot is a bear and they are HUGE and you can buy one for the low price of 2,000 pound. After Harrods we ventured out to find Twinings, which is a famous tea shop in London. The tea was surprisingly cheap for the store being so famous. We all got some tea to take back home with us because after experiencing London tea at high tea, we had to take some back with us.

Day 8: This day we got up early to make our way to King's Cross station to catch our train to York. (My first time riding a train)! This trip was a lot of first for me!! When we got to York we toured St. Peters Cathedral and got to experience the history of England because, as our tour guide said frequently, "The history of York is the history of England." What is really cool about York is that fact that there are castle walls around the town and what is on the inside of the walls is called "Old York" and what is on the outside is called "New York" and nothing can be built higher than St. Peter's Cathedral. After all the walking through York we hopped on a coach and went to Goathland (which is pronounced goat land) it's famous for being the setting of the British television series "Heartbeat" and is poorly named because the only thing around Goathland is sheep. We got to walk through the small town and visit the different shops. Then we headed to our hotel in York. That night we ventured into what is called "Old York" to find a restaurant to eat at.

Day 9: As a class we made our way to the Gorvick Viking Museum that you don't even have to walk through because they have a ride that takes you through it and the speakers that are behind your head on the ride talk about the different portions of the museum that you see. After getting done with the Viking museum we walked back to the hotel and stopped in several cool shops along the way! Then we headed back to London and that night we saw the Book of Mormon on Broadway! It was the funniest one we had seen yet and I highly recommend it!!

Day 10: Our last day in London was relaxing yet fulfilling! We went to Westminster Abbey because Kate kept telling us that we needed to experience seeing it at least once in our lives however, we did not go in because it was too pricey for us. Then we headed back to Buckingham Palace where we tried to see the changing of the guard again, but alas they were not doing it that day either. We did however get to see people with high-security officials around them entering the palace, we were unsure who they were but with the royal wedding only 3 days away, our interest were piqued. After being disappointed again at Buckingham Palace we went back to Queensway to get some desert at Pret A Manger! (Literally the best!) We ended the day by finally seeing the one musical I had been dying to see the entire trip! LION KING!! I am not kidding I cried twice before intermission.

One thing is for sure this trip taught me a lot about who I am as a person and that I cannot wait to go on more trips! I love being able to see the world and experience new things. I am thankful for the friends I got to explore London with! They forced me to try new food even when I would say no! They slowed down walking wise so we could all walk together and enjoy the trip! Here's to being able to cross more things off my bucket list in the years to come!