Day 8! We’re officially over a week into travel! Which is crazy because it feels like so much longer already.

Today started off on the earlier side with the same breakfast as the past week (so to not bore you of the same food over and over again I’ve left it out, or maybe I just left my phone upstairs 😅).

For the morning, I joined my dad’s class on a London Walks Tour! I was very excited for this one because it was touring a part of London I hadn’t explored yet and I have been meaning to!

So we yet again hopped on the Tube and made our way to Westminster!

As we stepped out of the Westminster Tube station, we were met with a gorgeous view of the House of Parliament and of course the world famous clock tower (incorrectly known as) Big Ben!

“Big Ben” is actually the largest bell in the clock tower. The tower itself is currently called the Elizebeth Tower!

It was really cold and windy, but we were so lucky to have a cloudless, sunny day! All of the buildings around the area were practically glowing from the sun!

Our London Walks guide was fantastic! I would really highly suggest doing one of these tours while you’re in London!

This one covered the history of Westminster, the progression of the palace that is now the House of Parliament, the statues surrounding the area, beheadings (wouldn’t be complete without), the river and bridges, Westminster Abbey, and the quiet neighborhood directly next to Westminster Abbey!

Random fun fact on the picture of the house with the bricked up windows. This was a form of tax evasion back in the day because property taxes were based on the number of windows a home had!

Also, pro tip, walking through the neighborhood leads to the best view of Westminster Abbey (last picture of the slideshow above)!

This walk was a great way to start the day and it was nice to get back into sightseeing! At the end of the tour my dad, one of his colleagues, and I chatted with the tour guide and learned a lot about his life! He previously was an actor and had many stories to share.

My favorite story that he shared with us was about his time as an understudy of an outdoor play (and when it rains hard enough, the play gets cancelled). He didn’t know the play all the way through (knew act one very well, but act two not so much) but at the last minute he was asked to fill in for the performance. After a successful act one, act two rolled around and he knew he was done for… so as he lay facing up on the bed at the start of the act and all of a sudden felt rain drops hitting his face and the play ended up getting cancelled! Everyone was congratulating him and thanking him for being the hero saving the show for the night. But little did they know he was actually saved by the rain!

There was a part of me that was really ready to get out of the cold, but I’m glad we stuck around to chat because, as you all probably know, I love meeting strangers!

After heading back to the hotel, having our trusty peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and taking time to relax and listen to an audiobook (while my dad graded), we met up with some of my dad’s colleagues for an early dinner!

We went to a Greek restaurant in the Brunswick Center. Which is nearby our hotel and has lots of restaurants and shops!

I’ve never had a chicken gyro before and it was very tasty!

But the reason we had an early dinner was because we had a show to get to! Back to the Tube we go!

Every student on the study abroad trip was going to this show and lucky for me, they let me tag along 😁

The show was called Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie at the London County Council Building! Which so happens to be directly next to the London Eye!

The London County Council Building has such a beautiful interior! And it’s the PERFECT place for a courtroom drama.

I actually just finished listening to the audiobook of Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie so I was very excited to see something else by her since I enjoyed that book so much!

I didn’t end up getting to sit next to my dad since the ticket I got was a late addition. But we were able to chat during intermission and we were both THOROUGHLY enjoying!

I can’t talk about the play itself because anything would give spoilers away and this isn’t a show you want spoiled. But the acting was incredible, the atmosphere was great, and the twists were very surprising! Definitely check this show out while in London!

It was another great day in London! I finally got to see some major landmarks that have been on my list of “to do’s” and also saw a play!

We’re getting down to my last few days here in England. I’m ready to flee to the warmth of the next country BUT there’s still plenty that’s planned before I head out!

Talk soon,

– Elie