Student Blog: A Weekend Abroad in London!

This trip started out very unexpectedly. It began with me waking up on a Friday at 5 am to get to the train station by 7 am. However, I was in for a surprise when the line to get to the platform was incredibly long. I stood in it for about 5 minutes until I asked someone what it was for. To my bewilderment, I discovered they had found an old World War II bomb on one of the tracks and all trains that day had been canceled. I began to panic because I had tickets to see The Devil Wears Prada that night and a hotel booked, both of which would not give refunds. However, I decided action was better than panicking and so I looked at flights. It just so happened there was one flight to London within the next 4 hours, so I quickly booked it and relaxed a little. The rest of the day I was a bit on edge about how traveling to London would ultimately go, however it all worked out well! I landed in London at about 4 pm, got dinner, and then saw the show!

I considered my weekend in London as a great reset. The first draw was I got to spend time with my friends from USC which cured the little bit of homesickness I had. We conquered Borough Market where I got delicious stir fry and the chocolate covered strawberries (a must if you end up visiting). We walked past The Globe Theatre which was an incredible view and just spent time wandering the streets of London. It was so special to be reunited and I truly felt like it was a good reset!

Originally, I had only planned to go to The Devil Wears Prada because I did not really go to London with a strong plan. Yet, I ultimately decided that one of the reasons I went to London was to see some West End Shows, so I had better take advantage of it! Saturday, I randomly decided to book tickets to the newly opened production of Titanique whose cast and crew just gained a few amazing Olivier Award Nominations! Sunday, it just so happened Alan Menken (the man who wrote the score to just about every Disney movie you can think of plus musicals such as Newsies) was playing a solo concert at the Palladium! It was astonishing to listen to the man who quite literally defined my childhood and probably everyone else's. I am glad I spontaneously booked these two shows, too, because I have been missing theatre so much!

These weekend trips are always such a fun time and I love that each one brings new experiences! London felt a little bit more like home and I loved reconnecting with my friends again!