Un-Locking Another Side of London

Our second full day in London began at 9:00 AM with an excursion into Camden Town, where there is no shortage of artisans, pop-up food stands, and hippie-esque stores! There could not have been a better place to take a bunch of teens! Meg said she visited this area ten years ago with hopes of returning again on a London trip with a group of her students…but her trip happened 3 weeks after 7/7, the London subway bombings of 2005, and she never got to go. Thankfully, Bailey, Colt, Nate, Maddy, Annabelle, and I got to experience this culturally rich community. The unique aspect of this area is the Camden Lock, which is essentially an elevator for boats…Meg explained how it works and she and I stood and watched one of drivers manually open and close the mechanism. It was quite fascinating!

After our lovely morning in Camden Town, we met up near the Globe Theatre where we participated in a workshop with a man named Colin who was one of the educational artists of the theater company. Our group learned so much from his many years of experience with theater. He was able to transform complex acting concepts into simple movements and gestures that made the learning experience fun, interactive, and applicable to our work! In addition, we were lucky enough to hear a play in the Globe which was THE coolest experience!

In the afternoon hours, several of us went to the Hayward Gallery, a hands-on art exhibit where the public interacts with the artists’ work…Brooke and I agreed that was certainly ten pounds well spent! Then, we stumbled upon an outdoor book market where Kathleen bought a few vintage books and Bailey was more than happy to find an entire section dedicated to Doctor Who books. The entire day I got to take lots of pictures of the scenery and different sights that inspired me! We also got to traverse on foot for most of the day, which was the ideal way to see the city of London!

#studentpost #London