Submitted by Arielle Linn on the 2014 winter session study abroad program in London, England sponsored by the Department of English and the Department of Theatre…
I had a lot of fun this week in London and Paris! On Monday, I toured the Tower of London with friends and got to hear about the stories of beheadings! That night, our program saw the play Warhorse and it was a very touching play. On Tuesday, we explored the streets of London near our hotel and went shopping. We then saw Billy Elliot the play that evening. Billy Elliot was by far my favorite play I have ever seen and I’m so glad I was able to see it here! On Wednesday after class, me and a few friends took a train ride to Kensington to visit the Kensington Palace where Prince William and Princess Kate live. Afterwards, we took a bus to the Victoria and Albert Museum and saw a really cool exhibit on fashion in England from the 1700s-2000s. On Thursday, our program took a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. There we toured the house where William Shakespeare grew up in and then had a guest lecturer speak to us about Shakespeare. Following the lecture, we saw a Peter Pan pantomime play. It was very different from any of the plays we’ve seen, but was definitely an experience. This weekend, me and a few others from the program went to Paris! It was a great city and I’m so glad I was able to travel. While we were there, we met up with friends from another study abroad program who showed us around. We also took a bus tour and got to see and climb the Eiffel Tower, see the Louvre, Notre Dame, visit the lock bridge and even out a lock on it, and we got to see the Arc de Triomphe. My program is just getting better and better and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for this week!
