My trip to England was an experience that I mostly enjoyed. Of course the best part was going on trips to different parts of the island. On our first trip to London, three of us went on a bike tour and got to see the sites that way and then experience some of them later up close as we visited them. We were able to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and enjoy that on the tour. I went to Westminster for Evensong and it is one of my favorite experiences of the entire time. Another girl and I went to Zoo Late Nights, which is an after-hours event at the London Zoo, and met up with Nick, one of my friends from back home in South Carolina who was also studying abroad in England while we were there. We got to see animal feedings and it was a fun time. My favorite feeding was that of the penguins because they were pretty active and it was neat seeing them swim around and jump out of the water.
The next week I went on a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland with four other ACU students and Nick. Before we left on the overnight bus, three other girls and I went to go see Wicked, which was a fantastic musical. Seeing shows was a highlight of my time in England. Once in Scotland, we went to Edinburgh Castle, which is at the end of the Royal Mile and sits above the city. From there, we had a great view of the city. We took the tour around it and got to learn about some of its history. We also went to the Mary King’s Close which is one of the few places left of what was once part of the town that is now underground. Scotland was beautiful and I really liked the scenery.
I also went with others on day trips to London. As a class we had gone to the Natural History Museum but I also went back another afternoon. The Natural History Museum was fascinating, especially the history behind it as well as its architecture. Two other girls and I were able to see Les Misérables. Another time a girl and I went to see Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at St. Martin in the Fields. I enjoyed my time in London and in all of England during my time studying abroad.