Harlaxton 2016: Class and London Exploration

By: Logan Parker

A heatwave has spread across London over majority of our trip, causing many restless nights and sweaty days. Our dorm rooms don’t have A.C., so comfort from the hot weather is few and far between. Many of us woke up randomly throughout the night covered in sweat with the blankets and covers sprawled across the floor. It’s worth it because we know that when we wake up, we are in England.

Whether we went to breakfast or spent a few more minutes watching the back of our eyelids, we all eventually made it to class. Class started off with student presentations ranging from major attractions to English royalty. We then finished our discussion on Shakespeare and The Taming of the Shrew. We finished off class by starting a discussion on J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and poetry.

After class, we had free time to explore London. My friends and I ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant we found on our way to our first destination of the day. Once we finished our meal, we went to the British Museum. The museum was packed and hot, but nonetheless, it was worth it to see the amazing artifacts and history. Navigating the London subway system over the past week has allowed us to travel just as easily as the London natives, so our trip on the Underground to Trafalgar Square proved to be effortless and quick. We planned to go to the National Gallery, but upon arrival, it was closed, so we decided to go take a visit to Big Ben, which was about a mile and a half away. On our walk, we notice the London Eye just across the River Thames. With an extension of half a mile to our walk and about an hour of waiting in lines, we rode the Eye to the top of the city skyline. The views were mesmerizing, and it was fascinating to see the contrast between the magnificent historical buildings with the elegant modern buildings. Because of the amount of money we spent to see the eye, we decided to eat a cheap dinner and went to McDonalds. We rounded off the day by visiting Big Ben, taking the Underground back to our dorms, and hanging out in the lobby of our hall. Ready to catch up on much needed sleep, we retired to our rooms.