This summer I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in London for three weeks in a Shakespeare program with JMU. With 11 other students, my professor took us deep into the world of the greatest playwright to ever live and allowed us to adventure in our own way. We had class and a group outing every day that tied directly into the program, then we had the afternoons to explore the city. I can’t believe how much we jammed into three weeks, but I can say that every part of it was memorable and worth seeing again and again.

This is Week 1 in London! Catch Week 2 and Week 3 here!

Monday: I arrived in Heathrow Monday morning after sitting in the second to last row on my red eye flight. Most of us flew in around the same time so we took the trains together into the city (and definitely struggled up all the stairs with our luggage). We each had our own room and bathroom in College Hall, one of the dorms for the University of London, and I had a window overlooking the street five floors below. After we were all settled, our professor took us on a short walking tour of London so we could orient ourselves. When we got back, most of us passed out.

Tuesday: Our first day of class! In addition to a few pre-departure readings, we went over Shakespeare’s Richard II. Our outing for the day was to both the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, where we saw portraits of the whole Tudor line.

Afterwards, a few of us walked around and found the House of MinaLima, the design company who did all the stationary and design work for Harry Potter. The first floor is the shop (I definitely spent waaay too much money there) and the next three floors are filled with memorabilia from the movies and prints you can buy. We continued our walk to Piccadilly Circus and the theater district, then went back to the dorms.

Wednesday: After class we all went to the Museum of London, where we saw a remaining section of the Roman wall, a Rose theater reconstruction, and a short movie about the Great Fire of London. Afterwards, most of us went to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Two other girls and I went a little later and didn’t want to pay the entrance fee, so we attended the Eucharist and got in for free. Sadly, they wouldn’t let us up to the top of the dome without a ticket so we went across Millennium Bridge and got a free 10th story view from the Tate Modern. We walked along the river, collected rocks, and enjoyed the views.

Thursday: After class, our outing was to Westminster Abbey! I’ve never been inside and it was incredible to see the architecture and burial places of so many historic figures. Unfortunately no picture were allowed in the main chapel, so enjoy these mainly outside photos of London’s most recognizable landmark! This outing tied into an article we read about how James I moved his predecessor Queen Elizabeth I’s remains into a side chapel to strengthen his tie to Henry VII, the creator of the Tudor line. As a group, we couldn’t stop talking about how none of this is in the guidebook and how almost no one knows that she was moved after her burial!

After going through the abbey for a second time, Cady and I walked around St. James’ Park and had lunch while being harassed by the geese. Afterwards, we accidentally found Buckingham Palace on our way to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. We spent WAY too much time geeking out about our favorite fictional detective and became friends with no less than four of the staff members because we were there for so long. That night, a few of us went to see Aladdin, and even from the nosebleed section it was a magical and colorful show!

Friday: Instead of class, we got on a bus and went straight to Stratford-upon-Avon! We first got a tour of Anne Hathaway’s house, the family home of Shakespeare’s beloved wife. We loved exploring the grounds and gardens, and the house itself was filled with so much history. Afterwards, we went to the burial site of Shakespeare, the Holy Trinity Church. He placed a curse on anyone who would try to remove his body, so as far as we know he has not been touched. However, he seems to be missing his head. After seeing his tomb, we went to his birthplace and enjoyed live performances from Shakespearean actors. We requested scenes from Richard II because we had just finished discussing it.

We then got a few hours to relax and unpack in our hotel before we saw a performance of Measure for Measure at the Royal Shakespeare Company theater. During the intermission, the light along the water was too much for me to resist so I grabbed a few of my classmates for a short photo shoot.

Saturday: We took the long way back to London so we could visit Kenilworth Castle, which was built to host Queen Elizabeth I. We explored the ruins for hours and easily could have stayed for longer. We stared at the views from the top floor, learned quite a lot from the audio guide, ate lunch in the stables, and had some time for a few portraits. We got back on the bus and drove all the way back to London. I tried so hard to stay awake, but one full week into the program and I was exhausted!

Thus ends my first week in London! Catch Week 2 here!