For me, the Forum-Nexus Study Abroad program showed me more than I ever could imagine; especially considering how fast-paced the trip was. From Barcelona, to Paris, to London, to Geneva and Lugano, to Milan and Rome, and finally to Rhodes – this trip has introduced me to many different cultures and ways of living. It would be hard to pick a favorite city. However if I had to decide which one was the most exciting for me, when it comes to overall experience I would choose my weekend trip to London.
Something about London was very appealing to me, even before I had arrived there for the first time. Maybe it was the stories I had heard from my siblings about the memorable times they have had in the city, or the many pictures of London that I saw from my parent’s trip around the world. Regardless, all I knew was that I was going to have fun and see so much in just a short 2-day weekend.
I traveled to London with two other students from Forum-Nexus, and when we arrived at the train station, we were immediately pretty excited about the fact that we could communicate with the locals. After two weeks of living in areas with different languages that I did not fully understand, it was refreshing to hear the sound of the English language. I also immediately noticed that London had a wealthy style to it. Extremely fancy cars with personal drivers surrounded us as we walked out on the street, which was exciting for me since I am a big fan of cars. When we arrived in Knotting Hill, our home for the weekend, it felt like we were staying in the fanciest place we had ever seen. Every home was a beautifully washed white, with fancy cars and perfect landscaping. It was impressive to say the least. We explored the city in the afternoon until night; that theme continued throughout the weekend. There was something about the architecture of the British buildings that appealed to me more than the other European cities had before.
We jam-packed our 48 hours in London. Our first touristy stop was Big Ben, an attraction spot we knew we had to check out since it is so famous. It was amazing to say the least. The architecture was simply beautiful. Next we took a ride on the London Eye, the infamous London ferris wheel. From there we were able to see a full view of the city, which was beautiful. We continued on after the London Eye to grab a bite to eat. We went to Local Pub and met some wonderful, extremely inviting people. One man sat with us for nearly 30 minutes to talk about life in London and sports back in the U.S. He even gave us a fun nightlife suggestion as well! We all shared a bunch of local food and beer, trying all that the pub had to offer (mainly burgers). We loved nearly all of it. My favorite was a burger that was completely loaded with all sorts of vegetables, a fried egg, bacon, fries, and a special sauce. After dinner, we were wiped out from our travels so we headed back to rest up for the next day.
On Saturday, we went to a delicious brunch, followed by taking a four hour boat cruise on the London River. We saw a large portion of the city and a had a great time meeting fellow U.S. and European tourists. It was a perfect sunny day; a band was playing for us on the boat, and we had a great experience. After the cruise, we took our pub friend’s suggestion and went out to one of the most famous club in London, the Ministry of Sound. It was a truly amazing experience. We had a fun time dancing and meeting new people. Sunday morning we woke up early enough to do one last thing in London. We chose to go see the Royal Palace, which was just as amazing as expected. I’m glad we were able to check that off our sightseeing list. It was the perfect last stop to cap an amazing weekend. It was short but very worth it for all the fun we had and sights we got to see. I would say the most valuable thing that I learned was how to use the London subway, or the “tube” as the locals call it. By the end of the weekend, I could navigate London quite well. It sounds like a minor accomplishment, but it is a good feeling to know that you could handle traveling around a big city like London.
If I were to suggest this trip to a future Forum-Nexus student, I would tell them to do exactly as my friends and I did: visit the London Eye, see Big Ben, go shopping in the city, take a boat cruise down the river, and leave time to experience the pubs and nightlife! London might be a pricer weekend excursion, but it is worth every penny. I would recommend this city to anyone!
By: Davis Frame, 2015 Forum-Nexus alum
