Last summer around this time I was getting ready for my study abroad trip to London. This was the most exciting time of my life and I decided early on that I did not want to do any touristy things while I was there. I wouldn’t be visiting London, I’ll be living there for 6 weeks. Six long weeks in the foreign country of my dreams, cliche I know, and I did not want to do things that tourist would normally do. I wanted to live there and do things that the locals would do, so here is a list of some of the things that I did while I lived in London.
1. Pubs! My favorite places to eat were always Pubs. It’s where my friends and I ate at during lunch or after a day of classes. Conveniently there is always a pub on a corner nearby. In fact, there was one a block down from where I stayed called The Court. You get to meet other locals and of course, they knew you were from America so they are always eager to talk to you and tell you about other things you can do. Plus, having a drink after a day of classes and lectures is always a plus.
2. Parks Whenever I had a day off I would go and sit in a park, preferably Regent’s Park which was about a 5-minute walk down from me. While I was there I would read, do homework, or even eat lunch. The parks are always filled with people and their families, friends, or pets just having a good time and enjoying the outdoors.
3. London Zoo During the time that I was in London, the Zoo had a wildlife festival going on. I had the chance to go and it was amazing. There was dancing, fun games, drinks, and the most amazing food from all over, and of course animals.
4. Take Afternoon tea Afternoon Tea is a tradition that most Londoner’s do. Even though I didn’t do it in the afternoon. Each day I went to a quaint little coffee shop called Yummchaa that was right around the corner from the nearest tube stop, Goodge Street Station. You can get your own personal tea pot and a scone for less than five pounds. My favorite was Wanderlust, tasted just like Christmas.
5. Visit St. Paul’s for an evening song service Instead of paying a lot for an official tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral, visit a Sunday or an Evening Song service. You get to see the inside the cathedral and hear beautiful choral music.
6. Walk the streets and find cool places to stop into Walking the streets of London is one for the best things you can do. You can quickly glance into cool stores or find a little hole in the wall shops to stop into and find unique gifts. Just remember to walk at a rather steady pace because you will get trampled.
7. Visit the top of the walkie-talkie and get a beautiful view of London’s skyline I didn’t want to pay 20 pounds to ride the London eye, which is a major tourist attraction, so on 20 Fenchurch Street, there is one of London’s sky scrapers called the Walkie Talkie, well that’s what people ball it anyway. At the top of the building on the 36th floor is the Sky Garden which is an open three-story glass dome area that looks out over the whole city and has beautiful gardens and greenery to enjoy. You can also have lunch or dinner if you want to. The view is incredible but the only downside is that you have to make a reservation before you come. http://skygarden.london/sky-gardenEven though I didn't leave the country, tour many places, or even do any of the obvious touristy things, I still had a marvelous time. I made amazing friends and every day was an adventure that I would never forget.
