Spring Break in London!

This past week was spring break at school. On Friday I had my flight to London and arrived Saturday morning. I stayed with my friend Sophia at her place for the week, it was nice to be able to spend some time with her each day. Saturday we went to an open studio at one of her professor's house and played with some really good interactive art pieces like a time-traveling machine, brain analyzer, and palm reader. We then made dinner together, caught up, and watched a movie. 

Sunday morning I met up with Georgia, Matilda, and Amelia for brunch. We were all roommates at Interlochen and it was the first time we were all being back together in two years so we had a lot to catch up on! After brunch, we walked around Central London and visited all the classic tourist spots. We went to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and St James’s Park. It was such a beautiful day! I found a textile exhibit at the Barbican and was so inspired by all the amazing artwork. We then ended the evening with The London Symphony Orchestra show. It was a great first day in London! 

On Monday I headed to Georgia’s place and met up with the girls for breakfast. We sat there and chatted for a long time before heading to an antique shop to do some window shopping. We then walked to The National Gallery and explored the artwork there for a bit. In the evening we went to see Phantom of The Opera put on by The West End Theater. It was an incredible musical. I’ve never seen something with such an amazing set design, effects, acting, and singing. It was probably one the best shows I’ve ever seen. Afterward, we got some drinks at a pub and then I headed back to Sophia’s and we watched a movie together. 

Tuesday Amelia, Georgia, and I walked around Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and Gardens, St Mary Abbots Cathedral, and took a water taxi on the Thames River. It was a bit of a rainy day, but fun nonetheless! We met up with Matilda for a dinner of Indian food and then went to a pub to meet Sophia for drinks. Sophia and I headed back to her place and we watched Fight Club and talked. 

On Wednesday I met Georgia, Matilda, and Amelia at Camden Market for some breakfast and then we walked around the market and along. We found the cutest little houseboat that was turned into a bookshop on The Grand Union Canal. We walked for a while around the market and then needed to get warm and dry so we went to a pub for a drink and some snacks. We sat there and played checkers, chatted, and drew for a while. Matilda, Amelia, and I then went to The Tate Modern Gallery and checked out some of the artwork there. It was so cool to see some of the artwork I study in art history class in person like Marcel Duchamp, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, and Alexander Calder. We then went to a market for some food and walked along the river and across The London Bridge. We back up with Georgia for an interactive musical. We saw Guys and Dolls. We had standing tickets so we were standing on stage with the cast members and active participants of the show. At the end, we had drinks and a dance party with the cast members. It was a really cool experience. 

Thursday I met Matilda and Amelia at the Victoria and Albert Museum to look at some of the artwork there. They had such an incredible wrought iron collection and the most amazing jewelry exhibit. I spent 2 hours just looking at all the jewelry. The collection was so extensive and we didn’t even make it through a quarter of the museum; just an incredible experience. Definitely my new favorite museum. We met back up with Georgia and then walked to The Wallace Collection to look around the house for a bit. It was such a beautiful place. We then had reservations for high tea at Wallace. It was so delicious and we had such a good time talking with each other. We walked around Hyde Park some more and then I went to check out Harrods. It was such a crazy department store. I then headed back to Sophia’s place and we talked for a while about different projects we are working on and then watched a movie together. 

Friday morning Sophia and I went to Whitechapel Gallery and then to Spitalfield Market for lunch. We then took the bus to London Mithraeum and walked through a Roman Temple. I learned that London is a Roman city, I didn’t know that before! I then took the bus to get a tattoo from one of my favorite London-based artists. I had such a great time! In the evening Matilda, Georgia, Amelia, and I met back up for our last show of the trip. It was The Duchess of Malfi's play put on at Shakespeare's Globe. It was a great show. For our last night in London, we went to a cocktail bar and then a pub in Soho. It was a great last night in London! 

Saturday Morning I met up with Matilda and Amelia for breakfast and then we looked around in some charity shops before going to Borough Market for some lunch. We then made the journey to the airport and said our goodbyes.

We had been planning this trip for 9 months so it was so exciting for it to finally happen! I had such an amazing time with great people and I’m so grateful for the time we had together. 

I am now back at school, working in the studio to finish up all my projects for midterms this week. 

I hope you have a great week and Happy Easter!