From the moment I set foot in the London Heathrow Airport, I was in awe. Exhausted and stiff from an overnight flight and surrounded by a flurry of people aside, I was ecstatic to be somewhere I had always dreamed of going. Aside from what the UA orientation told us and the mystical allure of Oxford’s reputation, I had zero expectations of what it would be like studying at Oxford. What I experienced was overwhelmingly magical.
My Time in Oxford:
The grounds at Worcester College are closed to the public, which makes it a great escape from the small but crowded streets of Oxford. Since it is summer, there are a lot of people visiting Oxford for its insanely gorgeous historical landmarks. Seeing the Radcliffe Camera, Magdalen College, Christ Church College, and several others makes one feel like they are walking in the footsteps of all those who have come before. In Worcester specifically, I enjoyed roaming the grounds where I felt as though I saw a new flower each day that wasn’t there before. It may seem mundane, but the flowers, the pond, the ducks, and the swans became what I looked forward to seeing after class each day, before dinner or sometimes after. It was so peaceful to sit by the pond and read or write.
My Time in London:
I split my time into two different weekends since there was so much to see. The first weekend I went to the National Gallery, Carnaby Street, The Globe, Madame Tussauds, and the West End to see Hadestown. The National Gallery was a full-circle moment for me personally since I took an art survey class with Mina Kim in Spring 2023 because I got to see Jan van Eyck’s painting The Arnolfini Portrait, which we studied in class extensively. It was surreal to see something from our lecture in person, but also to see the incredible detail with my own eyes was unbelievable. Overall, The National Gallery is chock full of exquisite and jaw-dropping art such as The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Edouard Manet, A Shipwreck in Stormy Seas by Claude-Joseph Vernet, A Wheatfield, with Cypresses by Vincent Van Gogh, and Water-Lilies, Setting Sun by Claude Monet to name just a few. Seeing Hadestown in the West End and Much Ador About Nothing in the Globe Theatre were both incredible in their own individual ways. The sights of London were breathtaking as well when I went back during my final weekend, where I took a tour of Westminster Abbey (if you plan to do this, buy your ticket in advance!), saw the Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, Covent Garden, and stopped at Borough Market. Borough Market was largely overhyped online in my opinion, but it does have quite a lot of variety in terms of food to try so long as you are okay with waiting in several lines throughout your time there. Westminster Abbey was gorgeous and ethereal as well and while I felt quite like an animal being herded in a pack through the maze of ropes throughout, it was absolutely worth it. Since it is so famous, there is bound to be a huge crowd of people during the summer no matter what, so it is largely unavoidable. I am not a fan of crowds but I am glad I went anyway because of the rich history and phenomenal memorabilia inside. It is every bit of fantastic as I had hoped it would be.
My Time in Edinburgh:
I dedicated one weekend to traveling to Scotland, which became my favorite place overall. I took the train around 8:30 am and didn’t arrive until around 3:30 pm. The sights from the train were nice, but if it wasn’t for the once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity, I would likely not have considered it worth the time spent to get there. The weather, food, and atmosphere were great. I went to see Edinburgh Castle and St. Giles Cathedral on Saturday there before traveling back on Sunday. St. Giles Cathedral was significantly less crowded than Westminster, and while it had half of what Westminster Abbey did, I think it was more beautiful and enjoyable to visit. The Gothic architecture throughout Edinburgh was like something out of a twisted fairy tale, which is right up my alley. I also visited the Museum of Scotland, which was so cool for its various exhibits. There is legitimately something there for everyone, and I highly recommend visiting. The additional bonuses about both the Museum of Scotland and St. Giles Cathedral are that they are both free! Edinburgh Castle is definitely worth every bit of the price even though it isn’t all that expensive. I highly recommend buying those tickets in advance from the website directly, but the tours that go through there are just as good too. The Castle was everything I had hoped it would be and more. The history of it is phenomenal; the architecture (again) is something straight out of Game of Thrones or a fairy tale, and there was even a storyteller there who gave a short presentation on medieval medicine and alchemy, which was really entertaining and cool to learn about.