Exploring London
Good afternoon from London! Our first full day consisted of a lot of walking but a lot of famous sites seen. Our professors sent us out in groups of four to complete a scavenger hunt of popular London locations. One group saw attractions like Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and Millennium Bridge. Others saw Covent Garden, Leadenhall Market, and St. John's Church. Although we had a list of places to see, most of us took detours to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Parliament. The end of our lists included exploring exhibits from all parts of the world in the British Museum. It was a great way to practice using the tube and navigating London’s streets.
Art by Yasmina Reza
We also saw our first play of the trip on Friday: Art by Yasmina Reza. Most of us decided to make the long trek from our hotel to the theater, the Old Vic, by foot, but the long walk was made even longer because of a few wrong turns. But all turned out well in the end. The play was about the friendship between three men and their conflicting views over a very expensive white painting. Both of us agreed that it was not like we expected. With the title Art, we assumed the play would relate more directly to artwork itself, but it ended up being the "art of friendship" instead. Our discussion on Saturday morning was interesting and mind opening. We covered topics like the ethics of friendship and treating people as an end in themselves, not as mere means. It was fun to hear different perspectives that we hadn't previously thought of. Overall, we really enjoyed our first play and are looking forward to many more to come!