This October, a group of 17 seniors from both the boys and girls schools embarked on a journey across the pond. After an eight hour flight, the group touched down in London, England on October 8, 2024. I was one of these students and decided to share some of our adventures.
Day One:
Jetlagged and smelling of the American Airlines Chicken Tinga, we jumped right into our London adventures. Lugging suitcases onto the tube at Victoria station and then carrying them for another half mile to the hotel, we undoubtedly reeked of tourist. There was no time for showers or costume changes, however, because the group ran right back onto the streets of London and explored the city: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace (which, unfortunately, was not guarded by the men in the funny-looking hats) and the Thames River.
To anyone who has asked, I describe London as such: New York, but without all the aspects of New York that make one hate New York. London has an energy, a hustle and multi-cultural influences like NYC, but is much cleaner, less crowded and a tad more sophisticated. One does not fall easily into tourist traps, as each landmark is free of crowds and ticket-sellers, existing wholly on its own as one walks the city streets.
Day Two:
No mistaking us for tourists this time, as the St. Paul’s boys walked the London streets in proper Peaky Blinders attire: tweed cap, trench coat, sweater vest, loafers and slacks. The posh fellas blended right in.
We headed down to Bloomsbury, where we saw the Charles Dickens Museum and toured his old home. We learned that Dickens had three pet ravens, all named Grip, one of which inspired Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, “The Raven.” On a visit to Boston, Dickens and his raven ran into Poe. Legend has it, the latter believed the bird to be speaking directly to him and was so rattled by the experience that he went home and wrote the famous poem. Always a Baltimore connection!
The group then went to the British Museum, where we saw Egyptian Obelisks, the Greek Parthenon, Rosetta Stone and more. The group had electric debates about the acquisition of such treasures, most of which were stolen from various cultures around the world.
To finish off the day, we went to see A Comedy of Errors at the famous Globe Theater. Standing directly in front of the stage, we watched the slapstick comedy about mistaken identities. The group stood for the entirety of the show, surrounded by crowds of people and beautiful woodwork. The actors were fantastic, bringing Shakespeare’s story to life with hilarious physical comedy and audience participation. Not once but twice, Mr. Mezeske was called upon by a character on stage, who may or may not have poked fun at his “wits.” Mrs. Kemmerer fell victim to the actors’ games as well, drawn into the action on stage.
Day Three:
An early morning, the group jumped on the tube and travelled to the Victoria and Albert Museum. The large rooms were filled with unbelievable relics from around the world, dating back thousands of years. The work was so intricate that one could imagine the statues coming to life in the middle of the night, like a scene from Night at the Museum.
The group then headed across the street to Harrod’s, one of the most overwhelming places I have ever been. Five floors of pure chaos, we passed the Tiffany dining room displays, entered the life-size Lego room, and explored the fully functioning spa on the ground floor. An almost impossible maze, Harrod’s seemed as though its intent was to get one lost. A quick visit to the Harrod’s Chocolate Factory and Market (which was about the size of a standard Safeway) left us all dizzy and exhausted.
Finally, we ventured to the St. Paul’s Cathedral and climbed hundreds of stairs to the very top of the building. From the balcony, one could see all of London and I was dumbstruck by its beauty. The view was well worth the horror of never-ending staircases.
Day four:
Alarms began to go off at 3:30 am in our hotel rooms and, zombie-like, we all jumped out of bed and prepared for the two-hour train ride to Paris, France.
Once we arrived in the famous City of Love, we were left to roam the streets of Paris. We walked along the Seine River, ordered croissants in perfect French and watched an amateur Puppeteer bring tiny cats and, strangely, dolphins to life in an incoherent love story.
Walking around the city, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Latin Quarter and The Louvre. A quick stop in Shakespeare and Company ended in the purchase of 8 new books to bring back to the States. Then, roaming around the Musee de Orsey, we saw original Van Gogh paintings and walked through halls upon halls of Impressionist Artwork.
Day Five:
The last full day of the trip was a free-for-all, and students formed groups with which they would travel for the day. After fabricating a detailed itinerary that was approved by the chaperones, all the students embarked on their individual journeys for the day.
My group went first to Virginia Woolf‘s house and walked the beautiful park in which she wrote her famous novel, To The Lighthouse. Then, we hopped on the tube to Camden, which is similar to New York’s Chinatown. Stalls full of souvenirs, designer goods and rare finds attracted crowds of people to this friendly town. We stopped in a local pub for lunch and enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere of the city on a Sunday afternoon.
All the students met back at a local restaurant for dinner, where we discussed our time together in London and had one last meal in each other’s company. To end the night, the entire group walked around the city, enjoying each other’s company, exploring new spots around the hotel and engaging in deep, late-night talks.
The St. Paul’s trip to London was an immensely valuable experience, and one that I will never forget. While the city itself was magical, London was made even more special by the company of my classmates and the chaperones who worked extremely hard to make the trip a memorable one.
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