SAIGE HILL

 

	On my first day in London, I was a “typical tourist.” After recovering from our lengthy plane ride and early morning tour, I resisted the urge to sleep and set out to see a bit of the city. I exchanged my money on Queen’s Way and stopped momentarily to take a picture with the famed Red Telephone Booth.
	I had no choice but to try the fish and chips at The Swan on my first night. The fish was large and accompanied by peas and chips, AKA fries. It was tasty, but a little greasy… I enjoyed it. Tonight, I also had the pleasure of discovering that London has no sweet tea… ANYWHERE!
	Portobello Road was a dream! I love shopping at markets, and this one had everything I was looking for. Saturday is a huge shopping day for Londoners, and the market was filled. There were booths for clothes, jewelry, food, souvenirs, and more. Plus,  you could bargain with the vendors. There were also lots of odd characters and performers in this market.
	Finding the Museum of London was fun because this was the first time Jasmine, Simone, and I navigated through London alone. I loved the Museum of London. It gave me a little background information on European history, which was interesting because during school we primarily learned about American History. My favorite exhibit in the museum was the Black Plague, but the whole museum was nice.
	Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is located on the River Thames. The theatre is a replica of Shakespeare’s original theatre, which was destroyed in a fire. Thankfully, this theatre comes with a sprinkler system to prevent it from happening again. This is the only theatre in London with a thatch roof. Also, the theatre is used for performances, and prices are comparable to those of Shakespearean times.
	The London Eye stands 135 meters high. It is one of London’s biggest attractions, but also one of my deepest fears. I was reluctant to go on The Eye because I have a  fear of heights; however, I faced my fear. The view from the top of the eye was breathtaking, and I am glad that I experienced it.
	Visiting the world of Harry Potter may have been my favorite part of the trip. Not only was it cool to see the set of a movie I loved during my childhood, but I also got to see how some of the scenes were made. So many details went into creating this movie, and the experience was honestly overwhelming. I obviously have my work cut out for me! Did I mention that I rode a broom? Technology is amazing.
	How do you make any 90’s kid green with jealousy? Just show them a picture you took of Hogwarts… In person. Harry Potter was an important part of my childhood. I grew up reading the books and watching the movies, so seeing Hogwarts in real life was amazing. The amount of detail that went into the construction of it was impressive, and as an aspiring filmmaker, I learned a few tricks of the trade.
	These two characters brought the Theatre Royal to life. During the tour, the guides occasionally swapped places, each time returning to play a different character. My favorite part of the tour was when they asked if we smelled a lavender trail from a ghost, but the guides had planted it in the tunnel. Also, the story about the Prince coming in drunk and fighting with the King was entertaining, and it explained why the royals had separate entrances. The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in London.
	The BBC tour was fun. I was disappointed that I was not allowed to take pictures during the tour, but I understand that they want to maintain confidentiality. When we first started the tour, we looked down at the worker bees busy writing stories for the upcoming segment. 6,000 employees were housed in the building! I thought it was amazing that all of these people were needed to run the company. I also liked the exclusive VIP entrance to BBC Radio One. The walls were covered in signatures of the many famous people that visited.
	The National Theatre is huge. It is a building where people can go see a show or just grab coffee and a bite to eat. The two theatres we saw within the building were also quite large. Each theatre held an elaborate set for an upcoming performance. My favorite part of the tour was seeing the prop area. The props were constructed by the theatre and were very detailed. I thought it was cool that some props were deceiving and made from various materials.
	“Les Miserables” was a beautiful show. If it was my decision, I would not have chosen to see a musical, but it was pretty good. I did not see the movie, so I did not know what to expect. The show was fast paced and held my attention. I believe that some of the roles could have been filled by better actors, but it was still a good performance. I thought it was interesting that they sold gelato during the show because we “sold” gelato during the Scapino! intermission.
	I have always been curious about the mysteries of Stonehenge, so to see it in person was very exciting. Stonehenge is an ancient burial site and was possibly used as a solar calendar. Also, Stonehenge is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. To be honest, I still have no clue how it go there. There is a theory that Stonehenge was built using an ancient pulley system, but there is little evidence to support that theory.
	The Roman Baths were not only used to cleanse the body, but also to purify the soul. I enjoyed our trip to the ancient Roman Baths. Though I studied Latin and Roman history in middle school, the exhibit was a great wealth of knowledge. I learned a lot, but I wish the bath was suitable for a dip. We couldn’t get in, but we were able to take a sip of the healing waters and throw coins into the bath to make a wish.
	On our last day in London, we attended a tea party with the Sherlock Holmes group at the National Portrait Gallery. I had peppermint tea and milk, which I often enjoy at home. We also shared a platter of finger sandwiches and pastries. The food was delicately prepared and quite tasty, but I wasn’t completely satisfied by the small snack and had Chinese afterwards.
	The very last event of our trip was seeing the show “The 39 Steps.” I usually don’t care for comedies, but this show was hilarious. It took me a while to get into it, but I soon became interested. The play is based off a film by Alfred Hitchcock, and believe it or not, four actors made up the entire cast and played multiple roles. I would love to perform in this type of show at ODU.