History is Everywhere
There were many times on this trip where I was genuinely mesmerized by the different locations and artifacts we saw. After diving deep into scientific history throughout the course, I was very appreciative of going to the locations of where various discoveries took place. This is a picture of one of the original copies of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin that we got to hold and flip through at the Royal Society. I couldn’t believe that I was holding a book that made such a large impact on society from the time that it was published! From Stonehenge to Flemming to the many contributions from Cambridge, I was thrilled to be surrounded by such important history everywhere we went during the trip.
Tomorrow Never Knows
Once we learned that we would be staying in England for the remainder of the trip due to the rise of Coronavirus cases in France, I was nervous because of the spread of the disease and we weren’t familiar with the details about the remainder of our trip. However, that experience was a great lesson in staying flexible with the plan and making the most of our situation (while being healthy and safe, of course). I really wanted to visit Abbey Road while we were in England, but I didn’t think that I would have enough time based on our original itinerary. After learning that we’d be staying in England for the rest of the week, I was very excited to go see so many of the places that I wanted to visit prior to the trip. It was so great to see the entire group being so flexible and understanding of our situation, as well as making the most of the time that we had left abroad.
Keep on Walking
Some of my favorite experiences from this trip came from spontaneously planned walks around London. That was the best way for me to really dig into the sights and sounds (sometimes smells) of London, which turned into a deep appreciation for the city. During those walks, I would often go in and out of local restaurants, book shops, and record and instrument stores to really immerse myself in the area. This picture was taken while I was walking around Trafalgar Square right before the sunset. I remember looking around and being mesmerized by large statues of lions, the towering Nelson’s Column, and gorgeous buildings with architecture that you don’t see very often in the US, all while the citizens of London carried on with their evening. Moments like that are what I’ll hold onto after the trip and what will keep me coming back to discover more.