The final week of our study abroad trip was spent in London. The weather cooled down a little bit, which was nice after the 100°+ weather. It was still pretty warm out, even though it did rain a bit.
We went to several exhibits and museums throughout the week, which I enjoyed. I liked seeing new photographers' work and getting to see the different styles of each person's work.
We also went to see a play at The Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. I thought that was interesting because of how they put a twist on a classic play.
Our project in London was focused on portraits. Personally, I like taking portraits of friends and other people. However, the project required us to take portraits of strangers, which ended up being a bit of a struggle. Approaching random strangers and having to ask to take their photo made me pretty nervous. I was worried they would say no or question why I was doing so. I eventually gained the courage to ask someone and the first person said no. That made me even more nervous about asking people, since the first person had already said no right away.
I walked around and took some other photos and eventually gained the courage to ask some more people. Eventually some people said yes and allowed me to take their portraits. I found that some younger people in parks such as Russell Square Park were open to their photos being taken. I also found that people such as artists and musicians on the streets were also very open to having their photo taken.
Throughout the week, we explored different parts of London. We went around Camden and checked out the markets, where Natalie and Sophie got their ears pierced on the last day! We also went through areas such as Hyde Park, Primrose Hill, Regent's Park, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster. We also went on the London Eye as a group, which I thought had such a cool view. We also did some shopping throughout the week, and I thought Camden Market also had some unique stuff as well.
In London, we got afternoon tea as a group, which definitely lived up to the hype. We also checked out some pubs and went to a cool club. Val, her sister Angelina, and I went to Ballie Ballerson one night, which is a ball pit bar. I thought it was a cool place and was glad we checked it out after seeing so many other people post photos of their time there.
There's still a lot more I would like to see and do in London, and I would definitely like to come back one day. There's so many things to do, places to go, and sites to see, and I would love to come back one day to continue exploring!
On the way home from London, my flight got delayed yet again. It caused me to miss my second flight, yet again. I was stuck in Philadelphia airport YET AGAIN. I had over six extra hours before my new flight and spent time resting and watching Netflix at the airport; the time difference had left me pretty tired. I also grabbed a Philly cheesesteak while I was stuck there. Overall, I thought London was a great place to visit.
