Into Wonderland

Julianabonomo on December 14, 2021

Yesterday was our first full day out in London. I started the day bright and early walking around South Kensington, and eventually landed at a coffee shop called Guillam coffee house. One thing I’ve been looking forward to in London is the food. The city is full of authentic restaurants, cafes, and pubs. This may end up being a money pit for my wallet, but I’d like to think it’s worth it for the week. I had a fantastic flakey and fresh pistachio croissant, and a latte at Guillam, which I’d like to think is the way you should start your day everyday.

By 9am the entire group met up outside of our dorms and headed to the Victoria and Albert museum; our first museum we will be seeing during the trip. It is the world’s largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design. When I first went in, I noticed that the Victoria and Albert museum had a temporary exhibit based on Alice and Wonderland. Being that this was my favorite childhood movie, I was so excited to be immersed in this art. As we made our way through the museum, I specifically found the jewelry interesting, as it was very intricate, and extremely diverse in style. When making our way through different exhibits, one Philly based artist that is a  peer of our own professor, Mark willie, created a necklace that is currently on display in the Victoria and Albert museum. Jan Yager, the creator of this piece designed a necklace in 2001 that was made out of gold and plastic. This piece of jewelry is a chain made out of pieces of crack cocaine vials. It was very unique to have a connection to Philadelphia within the museum. Throughout our visit at the museum, there was a lot to see and take in.

After a few hours in the museum, me and my classmates made our way to Trafalgar square, which is in the city of Westminster, central London. This is a popular area for dining and shopping, both of which I was extremely excited for. (My wallet however, was not.) Me and one of my classmates spent some time around Oxford street shopping. This was the busiest area I’ve been in since before COVID-19 in a city. It reminded me of Christmas-time around Times Square in New York City. 

I have to say my feet are hurting after a day of walking over ten miles, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. 

A Message from the Office of Global Engagement:

The safety and security of Drexel students is a priority for the University. As part of the efforts to support Drexel students that are studying abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Global Engagement has conducted a rigorous review of programming and provided additional support to participating students with customized pre-departure orientations and regular check-ins during the required self-isolation period and the term.

Published by Julianabonomo

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