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Me (far left) with some of the LSE Women's Rugby Club Second team!

Before my program started, before I arrived in the UK, and in fact throughout the summer and the latter half of the spring semester, my major concern was most definitely making new friends. Looking back on it, since Kindergarten and up through the end of 12th grade, it wasn't that difficult as I went to public school. Part of a giant school system, I went to one of eight elementary schools, one of three middle schools, and everyone ended up at the same high school, so most people were not completely new. While friend groups shrunk, grew, evolved and changed over time, our friends were relatively built in for us already as we had a limited pool to choose from.
Come freshman year, making friends was a slightly more daunting task. The walls fell down and suddenly my student body was four times as large. I spent much of freshman year spending time with my roommates and neighbors. The group of lovely people who would eventually become my core friend group at GWU would not have been easy to find had I not shared a long-time mutual friend with one of them, but that's a story for another day. In short, in my life, I have never had to make a huge effort to make friends. I have never started off completely on my own, traveling to a new place, where I would be living for a full academic year, knowing that every friend I make this year is someone I did not know before.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had joined the LSE Women's Rugby Club. This was completely new and strange territory to me. My parents thought I was joking when I told them at first. This is because I have never legitimately played any team sports, contact sports, or just...sports in general. I played soccer at the YMCA when i was four and I did gymnastics for about four years, but since the sixth grade, I was a theatre kid. After graduation, I let that go too, and my last two years at GWU have been characterised by floating from student org to student org; I hadn't yet found anything I really, truly liked doing, aside from French Club and Alternative Breaks, neither of which I can do abroad.
If you're studying abroad for a whole year, it may not seem like that much at first, but it's a lot. It's a whole 25% of your college career, assuming you follow the traditional 4-year path as I intend to do, and when you get back, you're in your last year and real life is staring you right in the face. You've just established a presence on campus, solidified your friend group, gotten deeply involved in whatever you do, fallen in and out of love 20 times, and then you leave it all back in the USA for a whole year. When you arrive, it feels like freshman year all over again. I had orientation week, complete with presentations, outings, events, and the freshers' fair, which is their student orgs fair.
I'm not quite sure when I made the decision to join rugby, but it happened at some point during the freshers' fair when they handed out cookies as bribes. But in all seriousness, they emphasized that no experience was needed (great, I have none!), it's so much fun (I like fun!), and I'll fall in love with the sport and the girls (something new and exciting!).
Study Abroad a time for self-exploration as well as self-establishment and personal growth. That is why it exists; not simply for growth in the classroom but outside. LSE has a myriad of fun societies to join, many of which do not exist at GWU, and I was originally hoping to join one of those, just to make the experience even more 'out there.' I certainly was not expecting to join a sports team. However, as I felt I was welcomed with open arms into the women's rugby club before I even joined, how could I possibly say no?
The WRFC has provided me with several important things, the first being a somewhat regular exercise regimen. The second is a regular social fixture; every Wednesday, all the sports teams have some sort of event at the student center, followed by a mass exodus to a club in Leicester Square. The third is my new ambition to push myself physically, which comes hand-in-hand with the team mentality that a team is only as strong as its weakest member; experience or not, I don't want to be that weakest member. Perhaps the most important thing rugby has given me, and will continue to give me throughout my time here, is the sense that I am firmly a part of something. During freshman and sophomore years, as I explored my interests but didn't dive wholeheartedly into much of anything, whenever people asked what I did outside class or what organisations I was a part of, I hemmed and hawed until my answer was sort of "oh, you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that." Now, when someone asks me what I do outside class, I can confidently say I play rugby, whether or not I play well. An even better part of this is that rugby is something I can potentially bring back with me. Attention, GW Women's Rugby, if you want a new player next year: I'm in.

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By Jess Yacovelle

Before leaving to study abroad for a semester, one of the biggest things that GW drills into our heads is that the United Kingdom school system is incredibly different from the United States system. In the UK, students only attend university for three years instead of four. They only take classes from one department, and they only learn about things that pertain directly to their major. Most students only attend classes for ten hours a week or less, and a lot of the assigned readings are optional, not mandatory. Furthermore, a score of 70 or higher is considered to be an A. These differences between the two schooling systems make it a little difficult to adjust at first, but by far the most difficult thing to adapt to are the midterm exams.

As an English and Creative Writing major, I'm rather lucky; I don't have to take any actual exams or quizzes. I don't need to study and cram two months worth of information into my head, or hunt down expensive exam booklets the morning of the test. Instead, I have to write about 15,000 words (or the equivalent of 40ish pages, double-spaced) in various essays.

This is, unfortunately, the biggest difference between the UK and US school systems: the UK has a designated midterm time, during which all of the classes will assign a midterm exam or paper. In the US, professors are allowed to test their students with exams or essays whenever they desire: once a month, once a week, or even twice a semester. Because the American professors have a little more freedom in choosing when they test their students, American students don't have 15,000 words worth of papers due all on the same day.

Yeah, you read that write. I have 15,000 words total due on November 11th in my four different classes.

The fact that there's one designated due date for all of King's college midterms wrecks havoc on the students here. As the date gets closer and closer, you see more students huddled around their computers, franticly studying or writing papers. Because the sad fact about the UK schooling system - what it really comes down to - is that it's impossible to do everything. I can only exert my full attention on my most important classes because there simply aren't enough hours in the day. With two weeks to go until the November 11th deadline, I have hours upon hours of research and writing ahead of me. I mean, I'm a Creative Writing major, for crying out loud! I can write 1,000 words of fiction in an hour, and even I think 15,000 words of academic writing and research in less than two weeks is incredibly excessive.

The bottom line: midterms in the UK are nothing to joke about. While at GW, many students have what we playfully refer to as "midterm month," in London you have one day. That's it; nothing more than one long, endless day and the hellish two weeks that lead up to it.

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By Hannah Radner

It is weekends like these that make me so glad I chose the program I chose and that remind me why study abroad is so special. I am lucky enough to be a part of a program, the LSE General Course, that organizes more or less weekly excursions to places around the UK and Europe. I only signed up for one, this past weekend, which was a weekend in the Scottish Highlands.

Anyone who knew me at all in high school knows that I am a little obsessed with Scotland and it carries some of my most cherished memories, as my first ever trip outside the United States was to Edinburgh. I spent ten days there with members of my high school drama company, exploring the wonders of the city during its Fringe Festival as well as performing in it. We all had the most incredible time and since then, Edinburgh and Scotland have held a very special place in my heart.

At first, it might not sound that appealing when I say we spent the majority of the weekend on a coach bus, but for this I am quite grateful. We saw so much on Saturday; the beauty of the scenery is not to be believed, especially in autumn when everything is different shades of red, orange, yellow and green. We first stopped at Stirling Castle, a place I remembered well from my last visit. I was happy to reclaim my throne in the throne room. We continued up through Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, and I am pretty sure we saw the Hogwarts Express because obviously there is only one steam train in the entire United Kingdom and it is definitely the Hogwarts Express. We stepped outside for two minutes at a scenic overlook in Glen Coe; it would have been longer but it was raining fairly heavily and to say the wind was gusty would be an extreme understatement. We then went to a place called the Clansman Centre, where we watched a rugged old Scottish man (proudly of clan Robertson) speak of how utterly disgusting and brutal life in the Highlands was hundreds of years ago as well as demonstrate how to properly pleat and put on a kilt. We then drove up the entire length of Loch Ness. Fun facts about Loch Ness: It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, Nessie has not been sighted since early 2013, and there is a monetary prize of a million pounds for someone who can provide concrete proof of a legitimate sighting (i.e. a good photograph). For anyone who doesn't know how much the exchange rate hurts us Americans over here, that's about 1.6 million dollars. Needless to say, we were somewhat disappointed we didn't see her.

We stayed Saturday night at a hostel in Inverness. If that sounds familiar to you, it's probably because you had to read Macbeth for school at some point, because Inverness is where (spoiler alert) King Duncan was murdered. I'm actually a big fan of Macbeth so I was busy geeking out just being there. Our tour guide recommended a pub called Hootenanny's to us, and I must say the Hootenanny's experience was my favorite night I have had abroad so far. It had live music and a lively crowd, and being the strange Americans we stood in the front but didn't know how to move to Scottish folk music until a seemingly random man walked in and showed us how to dance and wouldn't let us stand still. After that, we were not the strange Americans sitting on the floor but the strange Americans who were trying to have a Ceilidh (basically a Scottish dance party) even though we couldn't dance. I have had the chorus of a folk song about Thomas Paine stuck in my head for 24 hours now.
On Sunday we mostly drove so we could make it back to Edinburgh in time to catch our train back to London. We did make three stops: Culloden Battlefield (think Braveheart), Clava Cairns (4000 year old rocks and burial grounds), and the Hermitage, a beautiful wooded walk with waterfalls. I geeked out here too, as the Hermitage was the setting for Birnam Wood in Macbeth and I thought of those great prophecies and multiple smacks to the face all laid out for Macbeth. Well done, Shakespeare.
It truly was the "Americans take over the Ceilidh" night that made it for me. Even as I danced, if you can really call it dancing, I thought to myself how special Scotland is to me and how this is an experience I would have never been able to have without study abroad and indeed without this particular excursion. To think I'd made it all the way back to this place four years later, and made a new, unique memory that makes it that much better. I didn't think it was possible for Scotland to get any cooler, but clearly I was mistaken. I can't wait to go back.

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By Jess Yacovelle

As anyone with a newspaper, TV, or computer knows, an Ebola outbreak in Western Africa has killed thousands of people. 70% of people who catch the illness will die, and it is fairly contagious, especially to the doctors and nurses who risk their lives treating the victims and tending to the dead bodies.
Currently, the entirety of the US has a few cases in Texas - though they appear to be heavily isolated for now. In Europe, on the other hand, the threat of Ebola is much greater. Since Europe is such a relatively small place and it's so easy to travel from one country to another, Ebola is a viable concern. Multiple cases have broken out in Madrid, Spain. Recently, it was announced that London airports and international train stations will begin screening all passengers for Ebola. The screenings will consist of passport checks and basic questions about travel history. For most people, it should be mild and easy to get through. In fact, the UK offers no direct travel to and from the impacted areas of Africa so the heaviest questioning will probably stem from people traveling to London from Paris or Brussels (places that do still offer direct travel to and from infected areas of Africa).
In London, Ebola is the front page of every newspaper and news website. It's not just foreign news; it's a genuine, persisting threat that they need to take preventative measures against. In speaking with some local Londoners, it seems like a similar (though less extreme) approach was taken a few years ago when swine flu was a present threat. In Europe, swine flu was predicted to wreck havoc. Yet in the United States, we didn't really give it much thought. From talking with my parents back home, it seems like the same mindset is present in regards to Ebola. People are aware of it in the United States, and some are even concerned, but most people relegate it to be a foreign problem.
In London, however, people are much more careful. You don't hear people making jokes about Ebola, like Americans did in regards to swine flu. No one thinks it's funny. In fact, most people are wary; if the virus mutates and becomes airborne, Europe will be in serious trouble. Not to mention that Spain is close enough where some of my classmates actually have friends or family living in Madrid and who are genuinely concerned for their safety.
So how is this impacting me and my experience? I've become much more aware of how world events impact Europe differently than they do the United States. A foreign threat in the US is bad, but (generally) not the end of the world. A foreign threat in Europe, however, has a much great impact because everything is so much closer together. In the states, the world news section of the newspaper is shorter than the sports section, and it's buried in the middle of the paper. In London, however, world news is often featured prominently because it can have such a large impact on home affairs.

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By Hannah Radner

Having finished two weeks of classes at LSE, I feel I am finally somewhat qualified to write on the subject of academics here. In these last few weeks I have seen elements that both distinguish LSE from GW and make it similar. Because I love lists, here's a new one of my observations:

1. I have only finished two weeks of classes! This is my first observation. The first week, starting on October 6, was all lectures, which are optional and open to the public. My classes (discussion sections) started last week, and many classes for quantitative courses do not start until this week. The 'shopping period' for courses officially ends on October 31, meaning if I was really indecisive I could potentially not know which courses I was taking until the term is nearly half over. Thankfully I am not in that position, and I probably wouldn't recommend LSE to anyone who ever anticipated doing this because...

2. ...We hit the ground running. Not unlike GWU, most of my lectures dove right into the course material, and I've already had my first in-class presentation. Professors tell us when our papers are due throughout the year. Our reading lists are online and we are expected to check them regularly, though never explicitly told what is due next week. This is probably because we have the ability to pick and choose what to read beyond the 3-4 core class readings we have each week, which brings me to my next observation...

3. ...Study is highly independent. We have so much choice in what we read so that everyone can bring something to the discussion; professors want us to read about specific subjects that interest us within the scope of the course so we are more likely to do our best work. As we all know, it's easier to do work when you like what you're doing. As study abroad students, we can take just about any class we want. Regular students must take courses within their specific programme and follow a core track, and have very little wiggle room or opportunity for electives, which they call options. The only proof we show that we've done the reading comes in the form of our participation in class discussions, essays, and come summer term, exams, which determine 100% of our final grade, which is why...

4. ...I will not cram for exams this year. I cannot lie, I do most of my studying in the week leading up to my exams at GWU, and not much sooner. While professors in the US say it doesn't work, our courses only last for the duration of one term, we are doing constant written work to keep us up-to-date, and we have several quizzes and/or tests and/or essays in the course of a term. When push comes to shove, it's often easy to cram and do well at home because we know more than we think come exam time. Here, it is all on us to revise and study throughout the year so we don't fall behind. In summer term, starting at the end of April, there is one final hurrah of holing up in the library and doing nothing else for a few weeks before exams begin. This time, when professors tell us not to cram, I will not only hear them but I will listen because I am secretly terrified.

5. Having a social life is not optional if you want to remain sane. Daylight is the time to read and study, while dusk till dawn is when people frequent pubs, clubs (LSE has one of each in its student center), films, theatre, sport, etc. The possibilities are endless. Study dates and rendez-vous are also acceptable, as one can often find groups of friends studying together in the library. Misery loves company! (Disclaimer: I don't mean school is miserable, just reading like 400 pages at a time can be a downer sometimes. You know what I mean.)

If anyone needs me, I'll be in the library studying for the exams I have in seven months.

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By Jess Yacovelle

London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. So how are you supposed to eat delicious food without busting the bank or settling for American fast food? Have no fear, here are 5 affordable places to eat that I've discovered in London.

1) Nando's. This South African cuisine is truly a London staple. You can order large amounts of chicken for a little bit of money, or simply bask in the glow of their delicious side dishes: sweet potato mash, garlic bread, spicy rice... Nando's has something for everyone, and the peri-peri sauce that they cook their chicken in is to die for.

2) Slug and Lettuce. If you want to take the time to dine without paying a fortune for food, Slug and Lettuce is a great place to try. The food is healthy, the portions are large, and the menu is well-varied. Be cautioned, though, drinks are expensive.

3) Camden Market. This isn't a restaurant, but rather a marketplace. Open every day, this market features affordable food from every culture imaginable: Polish, Mexican, French, Chinese... whatever suits your fancy, it's at Camden Market. Check out some of the sweeter booths (like cakes or crepes) for dessert. Be aware that it's mainly a cash-only market, though.

4) Belushi's. This is a bar/restaurant chain that has locations all over the UK. The food is quintessential sports bar food: nachos, burgers, hot dogs... But bars are notorious for being expensive places to eat, right? Wrong! Belushi's is partnered with local hostels, so they offer student discounts such as 25% off all food to their student customers. It's well worth the trip!

5) Pret a Manger. Pret isn't necessarily the cheapest sandwich shop in London, but there is literally one on nearly every corner, so it's pretty convenient. Pret has premade sandwiches, salads, and baked goods. Their coffee is also really delicious, so explore their liquid beverages.

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By Hannah Radner

From the moment I knew I wanted to study in London I have imposed judgment on myself; judgment for choosing a country whose official language is English when I have studied French since the sixth grade. For a while assumed I would go to France to study abroad. Judgment for choosing a capital city not unlike the one I study in at home (they are more similar in nature though vastly different in size). Judgment for choosing a university that, in the grand scheme of things, is not worlds away from GW. There was always a voice in my head that tried to make me doubt myself, telling me that in order to make a study abroad experience worthwhile, I had to make things as difficult for myself as humanly possible and go to a place where I would actually get a healthy dose of culture shock. Obviously it didn't work, because LSE was the only program I applied to and really wanted to do, and now that I am here I am a. glad I went through with it and b. void of regret. As it turns out, while it is a first world city (arguably the most first world city in the history of first world cities), London can still dish out some culture shock in the form of "Things I Take for Granted at Home and No Longer Will" and "Things the USA Should Have But Seemed to Have Gotten Lost in the Shuffle of the American Revolution."

Things I Take for Granted at Home and No Longer Will:
1. Uncomplicated Traffic Patterns. I walk everywhere I need to go within a certain radius. It becomes clear on day one that pedestrians do not have the right of way while walking in the crosswalk. Jaywalking? Don't even think about it. They drive fast enough even in the most congested parts of the city that nothing will save you if you get in the way of a vehicle. This includes cyclists. They often have their own lanes (if not, they have to share with the buses, which I suppose shows that they don't really care about the cyclists' lives either) Wait for the walk signal or die, basically.

2. Clean Air. I'm not talking about the city pollution levels. I'm talking about cigarette smoke. This year abroad is going to take a chunk out of my lifespan because of all the secondhand smoke. Everyone does it. Take a random sample of Londoners in any area and I'd say at least 80% of them are smoking or will probably light up in the next five minutes. I will only ever tolerate (barely) the smoking culture here.

3. Easy Public Transport. Boston's system is easy, especially for me: I get on at Riverside and I take the D line into Park Street, Government Center or Haymarket. Then I stay put or walk where I need to go, as nothing is really that far away. Boston is small. DC's system is even easier. 5 lines, clearly mapped out, I know where I need to go. If you really put your mind to it and you have enough time, patience and energy, really anything in DC is walking distance. London is a behemoth. The Tube map, though not necessarily difficult to understand, reflects how expansive the city is. There are a lot of buses that go to a lot of different places and only run at certain times and then you have your night buses and buses with 24-hour service and some only come every 20-30 minutes. How am I getting home? Do I take this bus or that bus? The tube? Do I have enough cash for a cab? Does London have a Cash Cab? Whatever happened to that show? Whatever happened to that guy? Was that my bus that just went by?? UGH.

Things the USA Should Have But Seemed to Have Gotten Lost in the Shuffle of the American Revolution:
1. Real Honest-to-God Bicycle Lanes that keep Cyclists in Check. If I had a dollar for every time I have almost been hit by a cyclist who doesn't obey traffic laws in DC, I'd have enough money to buy myself a nice bike and use it the right way.

2. Food Compost. I'm a hippie and I think composting is great. At least in LSE buildings, they have multiple separate waste receptacles: brown for food scraps (yay compost!! feed the worms! make new dirt!), green for mixed recycling (with a separate little thing in which you may pour out your liquids), and black for general non-recyclable, non-compostable waste. My kitchen came with three recycling bins, one general trash bin, and a little caddy for food waste.

3. WiFi Everywhere. It is difficult to go somewhere London and not find a place that has some sort of free WiFi. I am on the O2 cellular network, so I have access to all O2 hotspots. There is a network called The Cloud, which is not great for surfing the web but useful when trying to get in contact with friends. My campus has eduroam, a fact I was delighted to learn because I can log into the secure network using my GW info - yes, it's here, and it works. It is near impossible to find free, functional WiFi in DC. Thank goodness we have it here so I can write my blog posts beyond the confines of my bedroom if I so chose.

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By Jess Yacovelle

I've been living in the UK for about a month now, and some stark differences between my host country and the US have started to pop out at me. Here are 5 major differences between living in the United States and living in London.

1) There are no trashcans anywhere. I was in King's Cross train station earlier this week, carrying around an empty coffee cup for over an hour because I couldn't find a trashcan. And the surprising thing is that the London streets and businesses are all incredibly clean. Unlike in the US, there's hardly any trash on the floor, and there's certainly no gum glued to the cement. But how on earth do they keep the city streets so clean without any trashcans?

2) It rains a lot. Everyone knew this already; it's one of England's stereotypes. What you didn't know is that though it may rain 4 out of 5 days a week in London, it will only rain for an hour or two at a time. I've been here for over a month now, and I still haven't experienced a long rainstorm like we get in DC. The endless days of rain just don't happen.

3) The London subway system rules. Sorry DC, but your metro has nothing on London's public transit. Most working people in London take the subway - or the "tube" - to commute every morning to their jobs, so the underground system in London has to run quickly and efficiently. Trains arrive every couple of minutes, so it's never the end of the world if you miss one. Even better, your underground ticket or pass will also work in the London bus system. You can literally get anywhere in London via their public transit.

4) People generally keep to themselves. It's very rare in London to see strangers start talking to each other on the subway or while in line. Unlike in DC (and within the US in general), people don't feel obligated to make small talk with strangers. That's not to say that Londoners aren't friendly, though; far from it. If you're lost and you ask for help, people will kindly give directions - they just won't chat with you about the weather.

5) Travel is really, really easy. There are trains, buses, and planes leaving from London and going to literally anywhere in Europe multiple times a day. You can take a bus to Cardiff, a train to Edinburgh, and then a plane to Paris all in the same weekend if you so desire. The opportunities to travel are so vast that it almost feels like a waste not to go.

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By Hannah Radner

London is the largest city I have ever experienced, both area- and population-wise. Exponentially bigger than both Boston and DC, it is a daunting task to make it my own. Based off some of the things I have done (or have resolved to do) since I got here a week and a half ago, I compiled a short list of things I can do to make a big city feel a little bit smaller and a lot more familiar.

1. Take public transportation. In my last post, I discussed the joy of walking. There is also joy in not walking, especially when nearly every place to which you need or want to go in London is rather far. I have taken the Tube (Subway, Metro, T, whatever you call it) a few times, but even more joyful is the bus. Buses in London go everywhere. The perks of taking the bus include a low price and sights of the city you would not otherwise get taking the Tube. In addition, all the buses are double decker; that is not a myth, that is real, and it is great. To ride the bus, you need an Oyster Card. To ride the Tube you really really want an Oyster card, as a one-way trip is around £4.70. I have abandoned all thoughts of the exchange rate, so you can do that math on your own. It is not fun, but the Oyster Card makes it bearable. The Tube is arguably the fastest form of transport, for it does not encounter traffic like the bus will. New York may be gridlocked, but at least it is a grid; in the wise words of my tenth grade history teacher, London (like Boston) looks like "spaghetti threw up on your window" when seen from above.

2. Do familiar things! Being in a new city is weird. I have attempted to make it less weird by doing fun things that I would do at school in DC. London is a great city for music lovers, as I am. I love small concerts by small bands in small places whether or not I've heard of them. Luckily for me, one of my favorite bands from the states has just done a two-night stint at a hole in the wall near Hyde Park, so of course I was there for it. I look forward to exploring different venues on weekends and finding new things to listen to. In addition to music, London's theatre scene is unparalleled. I live in the theatre district, not far from the Phoenix Theatre where I saw my first (and only, so far) West End show over four years ago, across the street from where Memphis is playing and down the block from War Horse, Matilda, and Miss Saigon. I love going to shows, so hopefully I will be able to avail myself of the West End's offerings very soon.

3. Do unfamiliar things! I have one shot at this "study abroad" thing, so I may as well make the best of it. I am not an athletic person. I have no endurance. I have a low pain threshold. I am often shy with new people. So, naturally, I am joining LSE's Girls Rugby team. It is not something I was expecting to do, but this is a great year to try new things, push the envelope, and go out of my comfort zone, and I am accomplishing all three by joining a sports team. I look forward to this new experience.

4. Find a favorite place to eat. I have not done this yet. I will probably not be able to answer that "where is your favorite place to eat?" question for quite some time. At this moment, I love the 'My Old Dutch Pancake House' across the street from my dorm. For anyone who has never had a dutch pancake, they are really just very large pancakes. This place makes them like crepes, both sweet and savory, and they are about 20 inches in diameter. Think Crepeaway on steroids, but also with whipped cream or ice cream on top, but also waffles and poffertjes. It really makes one wonder, in true Leslie Knope fashion, why would anyone eat anything besides breakfast food??

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By Jess Yacovelle

The Thames River, for those who don't know, cuts straight through the center of London and divides the city into two: the main city and the southbank. I spend a lot of time walking between the two because I live on the southbank, but my classes are all on the other side of the river.

In fact, many people make the daily commute across the river; there are five different subway lines that run from the southbank into the city, an overground line, countless buses, and a bridge every half mile or so.

A fair few years ago, the Thames River was one of the busiest in the world because they didn't have these transportation lines. People had to take ferries and boats across the river in order to go to work or have a night out. In addition, the river was a bustling place filled with various vessels involved in the shipping industry; the river wasn't just a place of commute, it was a place of commerce as well.

Yet in present day, it isn't any of that. The water is brown and murky, and it looks as though it will kill you if you were to fall in. There is no animal or sea life visible to the human eye within the water. Remnants of tourist trash float down after the "City Cruiser" tour guide boats. Most unsettling, algae coats the piers and bridge pillars throughout the river, completely overrunning the vast expanse.

And yet I will maintain that being on the river Thames is still the most beautiful part about visiting London.

Why? Because the city is laid out to be seen from the river. Hundreds of years ago, when they were first building London, the river was more than an annoyance that needed to be crossed; it was a lifeline. People needed its water to drink and for irrigation and for trade. It was an integral part of London, and because of this, some of the most beautiful parts of the city are visible from the Thames.

I took a boat down the river yesterday, and from the vessel we could see the Parliament building. We passed by the restructured version of the original bridge built over the Thames. We sailed next to the Globe theatre and made our way past the Tower of London and Tower Hill. So much history can be seen from the river; so many lives were changed by its presence. Even now, when use of the Thames has been greatly limited, it's still a part of London's rich history. When I rode that boat on the Thames yesterday, it was like I wasn't simply sightseeing; I was seeing and experiencing reflections of past London life.

The river may now be a soiled and smaller reflection of its former self, dominated by tourists and river guides, but not so long ago, it was a symbol of London; it was a symbol of life.

 

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