Hello!
I love London!! There is always something to do in this beautiful city so I never get bored. So far, I have visited the Imperial War Museum and the Borough Market. I have taken a tour on a double-decker bus, made a call in one of Great Britain’s red box phones, took the afternoon tea at Harrods and explored Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Circus. I also wandered around Trafalgar square and China Town and visited the London Bridge as well as Parliament Square.
In the Imperial War Museum I got to explore the Holocaust exhibition which puts together a collection of wonderful pictures taken during the Holocaust that present you with the cruel reality lived by the Jews during that time. As the saying goes “an image says more than a thousand words!” and it’s true- I wouldn’t be able to find the right words to describe the overwhelming emotions I felt when I looked at those pictures. The exhibit also has a variety of items recovered after the holocaust as well as some very dramatic videos filmed during that era. If you are going to be in London and enjoy learning about history I highly recommend you to visit this museum which apart from the Holocaust exhibition also houses a lot of displays of the different wars in which the United Kingdom has been involved in… which is A Lot!
Then, I visited the Borough Market; there I went overboard trying all types of drunken cheeses (cheeses left to ferment in different types of wines for a certain amount of time). Let me warn you: drunken cheese is totally different from the cheese we are used to eating in America! The flavor is really strong and more acidic, but it’s just a matter of combining it with some hand-crafted organic bread and some mulled wine which is basically hot red wine combined with species and is traditional here in Europe during the winter months.
Also, when I first arrived to London the ISA staff took me on a double-deck bus tour, it was awesome! Being able to experience London sitting on a double-decker is just another thing. We had a tour guide that was telling us about the history of London and it was astonishing to know that essentially all central London is packed with sites that have impacted the history of the world. Our poor tour guide was overwhelmed trying to explain as much history as possible while at the same time answering all of our questions.
After the double-decker, the ISA staff took us to have a traditional English tea at one of the main floors at Harrods. It was magnificent- we had a gentleman playing the piano while we drank our English tea served in some fancy ceramic cups, enjoying the many different types of afternoon snacks and pastries. They brought us a big tray with 3 tiers at the top filled with strawberry cheesecake, mini fruit tarts, slices of raspberry coffee cake and other different mini cakes. In the middle they placed some delicious golden scones with little glass bowls of butter, and jelly. Finally, at the bottom they served us lots of sandwiches cut in triangles made of salmon, mustard, chicken, tuna, and many more different types. It was a wonderful experience that I recommend to anyone coming to London, the food was great I couldn’t stop eating the pastries!!
After I had the tea I went over to visit the Piccadilly Circus which is packed with magnificent historical buildings and statues of historical figures, it was packed with tourists, big extravagant media billboards, and a variety of restaurants, shops and pubs. Walking there is amazing- I had never walked so much in my life without realizing it! I walked for hours without any specific destination going inside the shops and building and trying to explore as much as possible. Unfortunately, it was getting late and I had to depart Piccadilly Circus to go back to Roehampton University where I am staying. Roehampton is a mixture of the central London theme combined with lots and lots of green and beautiful features including two beautiful lakes and some very old Victorian buildings.
That’s all for now!
Until Next Time,
London, England
Classmates Connecting Cultures