LONDON: our first day

On our first full day in London, Thursday, we embarked on a city tour. In two groups, we familiarized ourselves with public transit, places we will visit later in class, and some famous landmarks. On all of our stops we paid special attention to the architecture of the buildings and learned bits about the related art history. The following photos are from Randy and Solomia’s group. However, both groups had similar tours.

Our first stop was Covent Garden. Here we saw a mixture of market-like stalls and higher-end, name brand stores. There was also a trio playing Pirates of the Caribbean music which was a fun surprise. Around this area we also walked past the Royal Opera House, which we will visit again for a performance.

Next we visited Leicester square. This is where we will buy discounted tickets for shows so there are lots of theaters in the area as well.

On our way from Leicester square to the Westminster area we stopped by the National Gallery. At the end of this week we will actually go inside the gallery for a visual arts assignment. We also saw a Notre Dame flag flying from a neighboring building!

Our last morning stop was to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. As we walked past and around these buildings we noticed an increased number of tourists, barricades, and police officers gearing up for the coronation. However, this did not take away from the beautiful architecture and grandiose structures.

After lunch in the South Bank we walked past The Globe and the Tate Modern. These are two more places we will visit again as part of class assignments.

To travel to St. Paul’s Cathedral we used the Millennium Bridge, which is the famous wobbly bridge in the Harry Potter movies. A passerby made sure we knew to watch out for the Death Eaters.

To conclude the afternoon we stopped briefly at the Barbican and then made our way to the British Library.

London is quite a large city, however, the tube and bus system makes everything feel very close together. After orienting myself on the walking tour I feel equipped with the skills to visit museums and other landmarks with ease. London is a beautiful city and I am excited to experience the art found within it!