A Weekend in London

Hello, all!

My name is Sydney Rae Davis, and I'm a sophomore from Western Kentucky University studying here at Harlaxton. As a theatre major from a relatively small town, I absolutely adored London. (New York's got my heart, but London’s a pretty close second). If you're wondering what the connection between theatre and London is, the answer is the West End, which is the equivalent of Broadway in New York City. They're both massive and lovely theatre districts in two equally beautiful cities. Since it was my first ever time in London, I decided to see the two shows the West End is best known for: The Phantom of the Opera and The Mousetrap. They also happen to be two of the most iconic shows of all time. And they did not disappoint. Other notable things I did included the Warner Brothers Studio Tour- The Making of Harry Potter, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Green Park, Hyde Park, and Buckingham Palace. Because I like lists, here is everything I did in list format.

What I did:

Thursday

·         Clubbing in Soho (Definite no-go if you like good music and breathing freely)

Friday

·         Warner Brothers Studio Tour- The Making of Harry Potter (So worth the price)

·         Dinner at Café Rouge

·         The Phantom of the Opera

·         Piccadilly Circus

Saturday

·         Leicester Square

·         Green Park & Hyde Park

·         Buckingham Palace

·         The Moustrap (Absolutely wonderful)

I would recommend everything I did, minus clubbing in Soho. However, I would advise that Piccadilly Circus is not as big of a deal as I thought it would be. I was imagining something equivalent to Times Square. Not so much the case, but still cool. I do hope to get the chance to go back and check off another travel to do list.

What London taught me:

The importance of

·         Staying at a hotel/hostel with free wifi- Communicating with your fellow travelers and navigating the city becomes a bit of a challenge with no wifi or cellular data. When you book your next stay, make sure the place offers free wifi.

·         Maps- As a child of the iPhone generation, I use my phone for everything. I especially rely on it for navigation, which as I said before, was inaccessible. Thankfully, maps are posted pretty much everywhere around the city. Look for them. Use them! Don't ask five different strangers for directions to one place. Also, it helps to take a picture of the map after you've figured out your route, just in case you forget.

·         The tube- It is so much cheaper than taking a taxi. And there is usually a worker near the entrance to the station who is at least willing if not happy to give you assistance if you don’t know how to get where you want to go. Note: if you call it the subway, you will be corrected.

Well, I hope this post provided you with some idea of what you want to do if you go back or some insight into travel in general. Thanks for reading, and have a lovely day!

-Sydney Rae Davis