Submitted by Griffin Smith on the 2024 Winter ENGL program in London, England…
This is my first time in London, but every day I am getting more and more comfortable with life here; although I still forget to look right and not left before crossing the road. Started off the day with breakfast at an oatmeal cafe; was not the best meal, but good to try something new. After breakfast, it was off to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. It was a gorgeous day, still cold because of the wind, but the sunny sky made for great views of both the tower and the bridge. It was something special to see these two iconic landmarks of London. The Tower of London is a massive castle that overlooks The River Thames, and it was made more spectacular by the halo of sun behind it. Once we took in as much as we could of the spectacular views we stopped at a pastry shop before going to our tour of Westminster Abbey. While waiting for the tour to begin, we saw an anti-Brexit protest, which showed stark differences from typical protests in America. This one was very peaceful, with no violence or loud chanting commonly found at an American protest. It was interesting to witness a cultural difference in this way. The tour of Westminster Abbey was enjoyable, and our tour guide was funny. Once of the amazing facts we learned about during the tour was the number of times the Abbey was attacked, including multiple bombings during WWI and WWII. Despite the attacks, the Abbey was rebuilt every time, including intricately replacing the pieces of shattered stained glass; you could see the individual cracks where the glass was resealed. It has only been a week in London, but it already feels like a home away from home, and I cannot wait for the rest of my time here. (Submitted on January 14, 2024)
