Submitted by Emma Engel on the 2018 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of English and the Department of Theater…
This past week in London was really exciting and jam-packed with different excursions. My roommate, Abby and I stuck together for most of this week. We both came down with a bit of a head cold, but bounced back pretty quickly! We saw four shows this week- all of which were very different from one another; we saw Mary Stuart, Les Miserables, Cinderella (presented as a ballet set in World War II), and Dream Girls. My favorite from this past week was probably Dream Girls, which was extremely lively and full of talented performers.
This past weekend was my absolute favorite part of the program so far. Abby and I planned a trip to Stonehenge and Bath, which was a beautiful, site-filled day. Stonehenge was absolutely breathtaking; there were rolling hills of green as far as you could look in any direction, and it just felt like such a special place. I also really enjoyed Bath especially since we had great weather for the day trip and had a really lovely time.
On Saturday, Abby and I went for a traditional afternoon tea experience at the Wallace Collection, and it was really interesting! The tea was very good, and we had small sandwiches, a biscuit and small desserts all set up on a three-tiered serving plate. It was beautiful, and very yummy! We had a great time.
Sunday was a more relaxing day, and Abby and I tried the Cereal Killer Café, which has a wide assortment of both British and American cereals. After brunch, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and walked around, and eventually made our way over to the Barbican Centre, where the London Symphony Orchestra performed. Being a music major, this was probably one of my favorite things we have done on the progrfam. They performed several wonderful pieces, including a cello concerto. Abby and I actually spoke to the cellist while waiting at the bus stop post-concert! It was a really great experience.
This week was full of excitement and I am ready for our last full week here in London!
