After two days at sea, our third was really a canal day as we spent the bulk of the time transiting through the Panama Canal. Our journey began last night when we anchored outside the canal for refueling. That was a decent and lengthy process, but meant that we had a stable ship all night!
We got up a little after 5:00 to be sure not to miss any of the crossing (although we did miss going under the Bridge of the Americas). We entered the first lock of the Cocoli lock a little after 6am, and it took us until after 11 to get out of it. Within the big lock, there are three locks where the water gets progressively higher. I’m not sure why it took so long and we got held up, but the process did take a while. It was interesting to watch the locks open and close, and observe the water level rising. We had a tug boat in front and behind us guiding us through. The ship opened up the crew area up front to have as a place for viewing so it meant that we could watch the locks opening from there, and closing from the aft side as well!
Waiting in the first lock
The day before the transit, I participated in a poster making event to celebrate the inaugural crossing of this particular ship. I opted to decorate mine with a Finding Nemo theme, and got to take some photos with it in front of the canal today. It was a fun way to celebrate the event, and to take home a personalized creation!
Taking inspiration from Disney to celebrate an inaugural Panama Canal crossing
As we exited the Cocoli locks, we were greeted with flashes of lightning and thunder, which quickly turned to rain. Luckily, we were into the lake section, so we felt we could retreat to the inside of the ship momentarily. It made a difference from the blistering sun from the morning, but it kept the 90%+ humidity up throughout…
One of the many bridges under which we sailed
Around 3:30, we began entering the second set of locks: Agua Clara. Unlike the Cocoli locks, this set descends into the Atlantic Ocean/Caribbean Sea. In three locks, the ship descended the 80m it had risen initially, to meet back up with the body of water on the other side. The three Agua Clara locks moved much quicker than the Cocoli locks, and by 6:15 in the evening, we had transited the entire canal. We managed to do it entirely in sunlight, which meant we could see the whole process, which was pretty cool.
Exiting the final lock at sunset
It’s pretty neat to be able to say I’ve crossed the Panama Canal now, and have gone from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean almost as fast as I could by plane, but by water. We now sail onto Oranjestad, Aruba as our final destination on this cruise!
Our day at sea took us from the coast of Mexico, all the way to Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala. When we got off the ship, we were greeted by a tourism office where we got our passports stamped, along with our own worry dolls and traditional lucky bracelets. It was exciting to get a passport stamp since usually you don’t get that during cruises. Since the city is primarily a docking place, we decided on an excursion to Antigua. We opted for “Antigua on your own” so that we could have free reign of our time once we arrived.
Antigua is located about 90 minutes from Puerto Quetzal so we boarded our bus and off we went! It ended up taking us almost 2.5 hours because of traffic and construction backups, but we eventually arrived. Antigua is at 5000 feet so the mountain climbing, combined with the fact that the big buses aren’t allowed in the city, means that the journey in certainly takes some time. We pulled up to the Jade Museum and Factory before setting off on our three hours’ free time. The town is full of people selling things on the roads, as well as colorfully painted walls.
Our first stop on our self-led walking tour was to Casa Santo Domingo. What used to be a monastery, has now been turned into a hotel that tastefully (and beautifully), surrounds the ruins. There are Macau’s perched on branches throughout, and the hotel looks very nice. In addition to the ruins, you can visit a fine chocolate store, a silver museum, and a church. It’s a beautiful space and well worth a visit if you’re in town.
From there, we walked four blocks (blocks in Guatemala seem sizably bigger than in the US) to the Central Parque before walking a bit more to the Santa Catalina Arch. The street was pedestrian as it was Saturday, so it was pretty easy to walk along the way on either side of the arch.
We wandered into a small textile marketplace on the way up to La Merced. We stopped in the church momentarily, before once again heading off in a new direction (we definitely did our fair share of walking in Antigua). We ventured towards the market but by the time we got there, we were a little close for time to spend a lot of time there, so we opted for the Central Park as our last stop. There’s a nice fountain in the middle of the park, and I can never pass up a good fountain! We left Antigua just as it started to rain, so it was all around perfect timing.
The journey back was thankfully shorter than the journey in, so we had some time to browse the handicraft market located on the pier before getting back on the ship. I love all the colorful things you can buy, and seeing all the options of color patterns.
The evening’s entertainment was a performance by Bernadett Nyari, a violinist from Hungary. She performed some great songs and it was a fun time, especially as I’m not usually a person who actively attends musical performance. A simple dinner was all we needed after a 12,000 step day. We now begin four at sea days, where one will include the transit of the Panama Canal!
Following a day at sea, we arrived into Acapulco at 7 in the morning. The skies were gray with some sprinkles as we disembarked, getting ready for our excursion of “historic, picturesque, and cliff divers” (I know, the title doesn’t totally make sense but that’s what it said on my ticket). We boarded our bus and set off for La Quebrera to see some cliff divers.
Bienvenidos à Acapulco!
Unfortunately, the rain picked up while we were driving to our destination so when we stepped out of the bus, we definitely got wet. The cliff diving show is all outside with little cover, so we had to let ourselves get progressively more wet as the various divers took off from the cliff in the distance. We watched around seven divers flip, pike, and dive off the cliff into the water, and all of them definitely felt slightly dangerous. It was fun to watch a show of the diving, even if it was raining pretty heavily…
Spot the cliff divers atop the cliff!
We were ushered into a nearby store for some shopping and drinks, which was welcome if only for the reprieve from the rain.
After drying off, we reboarded the bus, which took us to the Old section of Acapulco, and the San Diego Fort. It’s a star shaped fort, complete with several artifacts from the deep pirate history that affected the fort. The fort also contains the historic museum of Acapulco, so you can learn about the area as well.
Our last stop was to leave the old area of Acapulco, and head to the new quarter. It’s there that the million dollar houses are located with the million dollar views, in a place called las brisas. We had to get off the bus to get on smaller vans to get us up the steep hills which took us to the chapel of peace. Just outside houses a beautiful view of the bay and we could even see our ship!
Our ship peeking out from the corner
We drove back to the pier where the sun briefly showed its face as we got back on for lunch. There was a mariachi band playing during lunch as well, which was fun to watch. I participated in the daily trivia of famous places, and managed to get 17/20! No prize this time but I still quite enjoy participating in them.
The evening’s entertainment was a performance of Footloose! It was a sold out show, and a lively one at that. Being the theatre nerd that I am, I can’t complain about getting to see a show while on holiday, especially one with so much dancing. Dinner was at the speciality restaurant: Q, Texas Smokehouse. It’s a country style BBQ place with many meat, potato, and typical bbq options. It was absurdly filling, but it all tasted good.
Even with a large amount of rain. I still had a great time in Acapulco. We embark on another day at sea tomorrow before arriving in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala! I’m excited to visit a new country for me and to experience the city of Antigua.
P.S. does anyone have any helpful tips for stopping bug bites from itching??
The third port of call of Mazatlan has been the hottest and most humid so far. Stepping off the ship was like stepping into a wall of steam. It was an early start with our excursion meeting at 8:15am. Even with a bit of a delay, we were still off the ship before 8:45am, and getting herded onto a “taxi” to take us through the dock (an under five minute ride but we weren’t allowed to walk it). As soon as we exited the pier, our excursion of “walking tour of Old Mazatlan” began.
We took a taxi from the pier to the starting point of our tour: the cathedral. The stained glass inside represents the colors of Mexico, plus yellow for the Vatican. It’s a fairly simplistic interior, but of high importance to the town, so worth a visit if you’re in the area.
The exterior of the cathedral
We walked from the cathedral to a large market nearby, complete with stalls for souvenirs, produce, and various kinds of meats. Mazatlán is the number one tuna producer in Mexico so it stands to reason that the sea-life section was full of several different kinds of fish in large quantities. It was a bustling place, but I’ll say that the heat made it a little uncomfortable.
As the day heated up, so did our walking. We next arrived at the Angela Peralta Theatre, a beautiful theatrical building both inside and out. Plus, it had AC! Taking our reprieve from the heat, we also got to stand on stage and imagine how a full theatre would be during an operatic, or cultural, performance.
The second facade of the outdoor lobby at the theatre
From the theatre, we sweated our way to a store with an open bar for us (one water, soda, beer, or margarita) on the malecon. It was a jewelry store so our 20 minute break was mostly spent outside in a shaded alleyway trying to avoid the heat (I know I keep mentioning the heat, but I truly can’t do it justice, I think I sweated out my entire being multiple times).
Strolling along the malecon
After our brief refreshment, we idled down the malecon (boardwalk) in full sunlight towards more views of Mazatlan Bay. We got to watch some cliff divers before walking to our final meeting point: a restaurant where we waited for a taxi to take us back to the ship.
Colorful houses along the streets of Mazatlán
We arrived back at the pier and due to the ever increasing heat, we opted to just stay onboard. Since we had time before our departure from port, we tested out the pool. That, of course, included the two water slides onboard. The Aqua Racer is the more calm of the two, being an inner tube slide that takes you down one floor through lighted tubing. I found it a little tame, but an enjoyable descent. The Ocean Loop, however, is much more intense. You begin standing vertically waiting for the platform beneath you to drop out from under you, hurtling you through the slide out to the end all in under five seconds. I did this one twice but I’m not sure if I’ll return to it, it was a little too much for me but I can see how for more intense thrill seekers this would be one to do as many times as possible! When the sun is out though, it’s absolutely lovely to sit out on the deck, or in the pool. Be sure to wear shoes when walking though as the deck gets quite hot in the sunlight!
After such a busy day, a chill evening was well welcomed. We participated in a British Icon trivia, but didn’t fare too well considering some of the icon’s were from several centuries ago and I couldn’t identify them from photos alone! Tomorrow is an at sea day before our last Mexican stop: Acapulco!
Second port of call: Puerto Vallarta! We were greeted with much sunnier skies this morning than yesterday, which was definitely a good sign.
We docked at 10am and started our excursion, “Las Caletas Hideaway” at 11. We started by walking about 15 minutes to a smaller ship, which would take us the hour journey to get to our isolated afternoon getaway. The mood was set immediately with a bar serving rum punch and lively crew getting us ready for our few hours away from the ship.
First views of our afternoon hideaway
Las Caletas was once the private home of the famous film director John Huston, but is now an exclusive beach hideaway filled to the brim with activities. As soon as we arrived we had a beachside lunch buffet in the sun. After filling up, we explored a little, wandering along the beach to a 3:00pm cooking lesson. We made guacamole, while our other classmates made pico de gallo, and salsa. Of course we got to dive into them all afterwards! It was fun to make guacamole with my own hands, and learn some new efficient ways to open avocados and cut tomatoes! I’ve got a recipe to add to my mental cookbook, and can say I made guacamole in Mexico!
Our cooking class’s end results!
After eating yet more food, we strolled down to the beach to take advantage of the perfectly temperatured water. I wanted to try the teen adventure area with a zip line and water slide but by the time I trekked over in that direction, it was closed, so I had to make do with just the beach itself.
Ultimately, I feel like I just scratched the surface of all the things to do in Las Caletas. There was the whole teen zone, an orchid garden, and an entire ecological area through which you can hike – plus a spa! There’s an evening show as well but our ship wasn’t in port long enough to get to that. Another visit perhaps? The trip back was much the same as the way there, but with enthusiastic crew performing for us as we pulled into port.
Saying adios to Las Caletas!
Our evening’s entertainment consisted of a performance of “The Beatles Revolution,” which was a continuation of the earlier performance in the cavern. It went through several of the top hits, complete with costume changes and video montages. It’s always a fun show when it’s a full theatre and everyone’s into the show.
If you venture to Las Caletas, I recommend planning our your activities to make sure you get to what you want to experience, and bring plenty of sunscreen, and bug spray. I ended up with a multitude of bug bites and I wish I’d had a spray to prevent them – Incessant itching is no fun. Next stop: Mazatlan!
Cabo, and the Mexican riviera welcomed us with rain and high humidity. From the beginning, our day was a little thrown asunder as many shore excursions were cancelled due to the weather, including the one I had planned to experience. Instead of learning how to take “picture perfect” photos of Los Cabos, I discovered Todos Santos, a mission about 50 miles North of Cabo.
Since ships can’t actually dock in port in Cabo, you have to tender onto land. It took us over an hour to actually get clearance to leave on our tender for the shore excursion, so our departure time got pushed back severely. After tendering in, we were ushered to the bus that would transport us to Todos Santos. The drive took a little over an hour, and we had about 30 minutes to explore before we had lunch at the Hotel California (if you’re thinking that sounds familiar, yes, it is rumored to have inspired The Eagles’ hit song).
Welcome to the hotel California 🎤
Our excursion included a delicious Mexican lunch at the hotel, complete with enchiladas, beans, guacamole, and a tamale. Following lunch, we took off to the nearby cultural center, to learn about the mission of Todos Santos. Our little walking tour covered local art galleries, as well as the mission’s church.
We were given an hour of free time after our tour, but seeing as we had been hearing thunder for the past couple of hours, it wasn’t the most pleasant time to be outdoors. As it started to rain, we quickly took a dash inside until our bus was ready to depart.
The streets of Todos Santos lined with papel picado to celebrate their local saint’s week
Unfortunately, due to the delay that occurred earlier in the morning, we had no time to do anything in Cabo itself. As soon as our bus pulled back up to the pier, we boarded the last departing tenders and got back on the ship as it prepared to leave. Having been to Cabo before, it wasn’t the end of the world, but it was a little disappointing to not get to experience the port at which we actually arrived.
It was a chill evening otherwise, and next stop is Puerto Vallarta tomorrow!
It’s been a while since I last went on a cruise, but as I hop back onboard, I’m doing it for a two week, 16 day repositioning cruise of the Panama Canal! This particular voyage is taking place on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Joy, and hits six ports, along with sailing through the canal. It’s going to be quite the adventure, and I’m looking forward to seeing some new places and experiencing the canal itself.
The ship itself is larger than any I’ve been on before, having 20 decks, with the upper ones housing laser tag, a speedway, and mini golf… all amenities which I may or may not check out during my 16 days of sailing. There are all the various restaurants for meals, and of course, the pools – although I will say that I’m a little disappointed in the actual size of the pools on this ship. Although they’ve got some cool water slides (more on that later perhaps), there’s very little actual swimming space.
Getting ready to set sail!
Our embarkment day began quite early due to a 6am flight to LAX (absolutely a horrid time to have to be ready to take off in my opinion). After arrival at the airport, we met an NCL rep, and waited for a shuttle coach to take us to the pier. Traffic was, of course, a mess (classic LA) so it took a decent amount of time to get to the pier itself. Once there, we went through all of security, got our room keys, and headed off to get onboard! We couldn’t get to our stateroom immediately, so we opted for some lunch at the garden cafe buffet. The amount of food options is frankly stressful, since there’s really a bit of everything. At least it means you can try something different every day 🤷🏼♀️, only means that for someone like me who can rarely decide what to eat on a daily basis, that I’m overwhelmed by the options!
There was a mandatory life boat drill before the boat actually left, but other than that, the first day was mostly filled with raffles (every place wants to get you in the door) and getting settled into what will be a fairly lengthy sail. Having 20 decks, there’s lots to explore, including an observation deck, spa, fitness center, pool deck, and all the restaurants that are placed throughout the ship.
At sea days are never the most exciting, and unfortunately this voyage has many of them. The first full at sea day was pretty calm, both in the water and on board. I participated in “band emoji” trivia, and having only gotten two questions wrong, won an NCL sticky phone wallet! I was pretty proud of myself considering I’m not super musically inclined… I even checked out the gym so now I can check off working out on a not entirely stable plane from my list of things to experience.
Every evening, you receive a “freestyle daily,” with a detailed schedule of the next day’s events. You’re never short of options of things to do, either organized or of your own planning. It makes ensuring you can get to all the events you want to attend easier seeing everything lined up on paper for the whole day in one place.
There’s different entertainment every day as well, for a variety of all interests. The first night we only went to the welcome show, but the following night, we went to a “Beatles: the early years” concert complete with the four Beatles in the cavern – a smaller location built to replicate where they used to play in Liverpool. It was a lively and fun show, who can’t bop along to those classic songs? Live shows are a great way to spend some time and there are certainly plenty of them on this ship.
The first port of call on this trip is Cabo San Lucas on day 3 of the voyage! It’ll be nice to get off the ship, even if only for a bit to be back on land!
Seeing as everyone always assumes I’m from Canada when I say I’m from Vancouver, it seemed only fitting to visit (the other) Vancouver up North in British Columbia. I only spent two days there, but had beautiful weather so I really couldn’t complain!
After driving up (and getting delayed at the border crossing), I went straight to the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition), the summer fair that lasts five weeks up in Vancouver. There’s plenty to see in the fair, and ample opportunity to spend a full day exploring (although not ample parking spaces). I got to see the animals in the barn, and roam around the several food options (my personal favorite being the butterbeer ice cream)!
Happy as can be with some butterbeer ice cream
Additionally, there’s a giant Playland, which contains rides of all kinds: roller coasters, intense drops, a log flume, and rides for children as well! I rode some of the rides but unfortunately, the queues were fairly lengthy so I decided to spend my time elsewhere to take full advantage of my entrance ticket to the PNE itself. They have a place where you can “stomp with the dinosaurs” and see full size semi animatronic Dino’s outside (the enthusiast inside of me was THRILLED). There was also a fun little exhibit called “SNAP HAPPY” that had multiple photo opportunities with cool backdrops or settings, and it was a good way to get out of the heat as well!
Since Sunday was spent at the PNE, Monday was spent seeing more of the city itself. I walked along the Harbor, and down to Canada Place, where you can see all the cruise ships as they dock and load. You can also watch the seaplanes take off and land (and maybe even book a trip yourself if you feel so inclined). Walking down to Canada Place, you can walk along Canada Trail and see all the different territories and cities within the country, to see just how far it stretches.
I also tried out FlyOver Canada, which is very similar to Soarin’ over California in DisneyLand. It’s an eight minute “flying” journey that takes you all over Canada, complete with wind, mist, and smells that make you feel like you’ve seen more of the country without moving from your seat! The photography is stunning, and without a long wait (the entry times are ticketed), it goes so smoothly.
Seaplanes out in the harbor
From the Harbor, I took a quick 15 minute walk down into Gastown to see the Steam Clock. I’m not entirely sure how it works, but it’s fun to look at, and watch the steam come out the top – plus, it blows its horn on the quarter hour (I assume)!
Steam clock in Gastown
There’s a lot to do in BC, and with limited time, I obviously wasn’t going to see it all, so the next thing on the list was Stanley Park. A massive stretch of park, where you could also spend a whole day. There are totem poles, the nine o’clock gun, a lighthouse, Siwash Rock, and an aquarium, amongst other things. There’s a walking trail all around the park, but I think it would be difficult to walk into the park: your best bet is to either drive in (and pay for parking) or take the bus. From there, you can go where you please!
Lions gate Bridge from Stanley ParkSiwash Rock along the walking trail
My last half day was short since the drive from one Vancouver to another takes a decent amount of time. I walked up to Robson Street, the high street of Vancouver, and soaked up some sun. The only thing I had to ensure I did was have something from Tim Horton’s (part of that may or may not have stemmed from its mention in Come From Away)! I got myself a hot chocolate, and was thoroughly pleased (not to mention the cute maple leaf on top of the lid)! I also made sure to grab some Timbits as well for the road, and can now saw I’ve tried the famous Canadian institution that is Tim Horton’s!
Vancouver skyline from Stanley Park
Canada, a place where it’s too cool to leaf (get it? Because of the maple leaf of the flag 🇨🇦?)
This summer I decided to try something new, and to work for a language school abroad. I spent six weeks of my summer in London, and the only way I can describe my time working is non-stop. If you’ve ever worked a residential summer camp, you know where I’m coming from, but it really feels like the work never stops (since the days are so much longer than in traditional summer work). I was remarkably unstressed about the constant chaos, which is shocking for me personally, but even with all that chaos, every day was a new day, which is definitely exciting for me. There’s really no way to become complacent while working as an activity leader, especially when in London. I was happy to just be in the city, regardless of all the stress that came along with the job itself.
Showing off the city the best way I know how: with a pose (and some sun)
In my six weeks, I led excursions to Regent’s Park, St. Paul’s, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Camden, Oxford Street, Islington, Leicester Square, The Natural History Museum (just to name a few), as well as weekend trips to Brighton, Oxford, and Cambridge. I’m not going to lie, taking 200+ kids out and about, or on the tube, is a challenge (and I can only imagine everyone else’s horror as they saw us descending onto the platform in our red shirts with a plethora of children). I can 100% say that I was grateful for my previous knowledge of the tube, and of London, in those situations. It’s a different kind of worry to imagine leaving someone on a busy platform in Bank station, than it was to my concern of children playing nice with each other on the playground in France.
The most exciting excursion for me in the six weeks though, was my trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour (work perks, am I right??). I was lucky enough to go two years ago when I studied abroad in London, but I haven’t been since, and they’ve made a decent number of changes. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, and you have enough time to dedicate for this adventure, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is a little far out as you have to go to Watford Junction (zone 9), but you can get there with an Oyster card, and it’s definitely worth it. You have to buy tickets in advance, but getting there is pretty simple. Check out my blog post here if you want to read more about it!
Through my six weeks, I was able to see both things with which I was very familiar in London, as well as some new things I’d never seen before. Seeing London again with the eyes of an Activity Leader puts the city in a different light, but it’s hard for me not to enjoy an excuse to explore my favorite place. Working at a summer camp is by no means an easy task, and it certainly isn’t a working holiday. There was more time on than off, and most of the time when I left accommodation, was for an excursion or activity, not necessarily for my own pleasure (unless we count trips to Poundland or Sainsbury’s for some Haribos). That being said, the six weeks absolutely flew by, and most of the time, I didn’t feel any more pressure or stress than I would’ve done at home (although part of that could just be my being in a city I love, and getting to go out into it as part of my job). I didn’t have to reserve time on my days off to go explore certain areas, because I got to do that during the day with my students, and even better, show them what parts of the city I enjoy most.
View from Primrose Hill during Golden Hour (gotta get those good instagram shots obviously)
THE THEATRE
As anyone who knows me knows, the theatre is one of my favorite things to do when I’m in London, and even though I didn’t have the most free time during my six weeks, I was still able to see at least one show a week. I had a brilliant time, and I’m so grateful for all the theatre I was able to see, especially considering that I was able to manage it along with my busy working schedule (always have to make time for theatre though, don’t I? My priorities are clearly in order). I feel it is my duty to the theatre community to talk about the shows I was able to see, especially since, my weekly show(s) definitely helped me cope with the stress of my job. I love spending time down in SoHo, and the theatre district, and my only wish would have been that I had been able to see more in my six weeks! There’s no point addressing every show I saw, so I’ll give you the highlight reel:
Waitress: Absolutely beautiful musical, and I’ve wanted to see it for a while, so I jumped at the chance to get myself some rush tickets. I’ve definitely been listening to the soundtrack since I saw the show on my third day in London, so it’s had a lasting impression. It’s a musical about pie, so it’s only fitting that I say that it was even *sweeter* than I thought it was going to be. (p)I(e) liked it BERRY much, and would happily see it again and again and again!
Present Laughter: A Noel Coward play at the Old Vic, I went in knowing very little about the storyline (which is an ongoing theme this particular time around with the shows I saw). It’s a brilliant show, hilarious, and the acting was superb. I wasn’t prepared to laugh as much as I did, but this was entirely a show that I wouldn’t have minded seeing again. A particular highlight was getting to see Andrew Scott act again, and see his comedic prowess on the stage.
Small Island: One of the two plays I saw at the National Theatre, and the first play I’ve ever seen in their Olivier Stage. I was lucky enough to snag a ticket last minute (and entry pass no less), and I’m so glad I did. The play is about the Windrush Generation, and four stories that intersect both in Jamaica, and in England. It’s just the right blend of humor, and sadness to make a touching play, and one that didn’t even feel as long as it was (which is always a good thing).
Midsummer Night’s Dream: I saw this particular production at the Bridge Theatre, where I had “pit seats,” meaning I stood for the entire production. However, unlike at the Globe where standing is stationary, this arrangement meant that standing audience members were told when and where to move at certain points in the show. The only negative with this is that being a short person, sometimes my view was obstructed by less height deficient humans. It was a lively production, and was seamlessly accentuated by a jamming soundtrack, which livens every Shakespeare production (personal highlights were also the inserted one liners, including “unlock your calendar, I beseech you”)
*Ticket tips*: In case you’re wanting to see some theatre in London without spending a lot of money, there are a couple of ways you can go about it (which are the ways I did to see all the shows I did while I was there). Firstly, you can download TodayTix. Using the app, you can see a ton of shows available on the West End, their prices for any given day, and if they have rush or lottery available. I can’t recommend rush enough, it’s actually how I saw all but the two shows at the National, and one other show in my six weeks. With rush, you can see shows for anything between £15 and £25, and generally, pretty good seats as well! You just have to be on your phone and ready to go for 10am, and keep trying even if the app says all the tickets are in someone else’s basket. For the National Theatre, if you’re under 26, be sure to be a part of Entry Pass, where you can get tickets for £7.50 for any show (there are a select number of tickets at this price of course). However, if you’re a student, you can also get discount tickets around an hour before the show starts, and you can get good seats and an even better price! Day seating is also available for many shows, which can get you discount tickets, however, I did not do that for any of the shows this time around (although believe me, I have in the past).
Curtain Call at Waitress (don’t worry, photos were allowed)!
Going back to London is a two fold “blessing” because it means that I already feel comfortable there, and know what I want to see (and what I’ve already seen too many times, or my personal favorite, some of the best places to nip in to use the restroom), but it also means that I get to explore new things as well, since it’s a city of ever-growing things to see and do. I, of course, got to eat my favorite scones at the V&A, and return to Primrose Hill to see the sunset over the skyline. I wouldn’t say that I was able to see many new parts of London, but I allowed myself to try Prawn Cocktail crisps (which I was firmly against when I lived here but now, I’m all for them… what can I say, don’t knock ’em until you try ’em!), and I enjoyed Pimm’s in a tin from Sainsbury’s whenever I could find the time. I got to spend the summer in London, which in my couple of visits, have not been the months where I have ever found myself in the city. I experienced the central line in peak heat (have to love living through a 100 degree plus heat wave – 38 for those of you Celsius speakers), and sweated out my entire existence on the Southbank in the heat, but more importantly, I got to see London in the sun, which is always a beautiful sight to see.
The ever recurring question, is would I do the six weeks again next year? I would, of course, take any opportunity to return to London (seriously, I’m open for those jobs, friends), and it is definitely a possibility that I would take up similar work in the future. Working in a residential summer camp is an experience like no other, but I can with certainty say that the pros outweighed the cons – for me at least – , and I came away having had a good time. After all, how could I really complain when I got to spend the bulk of my summer in London?
Another weekend trip (and a short blurb about it)! This time I got to spend half a day in Oxford. Having already spent some time in Oxford when I was studying abroad, it was nice to return to the city already knowing some of the area. I love walking around the streets and stumbling upon different colleges, and being a lover of British crime shows, stumbling upon areas that were used as filming locations in those very shows (as well as Harry Potter of course).
Christchurch college, famous for many things including the sorting hat scene from Harry Potter
The day started with a quick walkabout to see the main sights, including Oxford Castle, Christchurch, and the Radcliffe Camera. I still haven’t been in Oxford Castle, but it looks like it could be interesting inside having once been a prison, and castles are always fun to explore. Christchurch is the oldest college in Oxford and was the shooting location for the Great Hall scene as well as the Sorting Hat scene from the first Harry Potter film. It is surrounded by lovely greenery, which makes for a pleasant view. Much as in Cambridge, you can enter the college for a fee (which I have done in the past), but it’s quite nice just to see the architecture from the exterior.
There’s a covered market worth exploring full of food and cute things to purchase, as well as the old feeling streets which are perfect for wandering. The Radcliffe Camera, is a nice square, where many scenes from the iconic crime shows Endeavour, Morse, and Lewis are shot. The Camera is surrounded by colleges, and feels far away from the bustling high street that lies nearby.
Radcliffe camera
Walking along from the Camera, you’ll find the Bodleian Library, with a square that dates from who knows when (sorry, latin numbers are not my strong point). There’s also the Bridge of Sighs, modeled after the iconic one in Venice, and right around the corner is the Weston Library, which contains free exhibits. When I was there, it was an exhibit on 3D figures (again with the math), and one on mapping Oxford and the surrounding areas. The free exhibitions change every so often, so it’s worth a visit for a cool place on a hot day, or just as a way to learn something new while you’re in this highly academic city!
References to Endeavor spotted in the streetsBridge of Sighs
Not Your Average Giraffe 