London, Bath & Bristol

January – March 2022

I have mostly focused on school to start the year, but once a week I like to find different places to study around London. I enjoy combining student life with tourist life. It is also beneficial to learn more about where you are, especially when that place has been so influential in historical global events (this is in English after all). 

On my way to study at the British Library, I inadvertently came across Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station. 

At the British Library, they have a room full of historical documents, below is Shakespeare’s first folio. For centuries English was seen as a peasant language, with French being the language of politics, education and sophistication. Writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare helped to give English more legitimacy and respect. Colonialism also contributed to why it is now the global language. 

The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, was a pioneering document for human rights and individual freedoms. 

I had another nice study session at the Wellcome library and museum. 

I was absolutely amazed by Cirque de Soliel! The Royal Albert Hall is a phenomenal venue. 

We had a great weekend debating at the London International Model United Nations. About 800 delegates were present from all over the world, mostly Europe. I was representing Austria on the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as we debated supply chain resiliency. 

A few of our best delegates from the University of Greenwich. 

It was hosted at King’s College London. 

We had a Gala after the debate. 

For another one of my student tourist days, I headed to central London and had lunch at the Sherlock Holmes pub, while I listened to Sherlock Holmes read by Steven Fry. 

The Ship and Shovel, London’s only pub in two halves. 

I happened to come across the Korean cultural center, where I was able to pick up some helpful information before I move there in August. 

The National Gallery is phenomenal! Masterpiece after masterpiece with works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Van Gogh to name just a few. Like most museums in London, it is free, which is amazing. 

After the National Galley, I really changed things up and went to a Banksy exhibition. 

Covent Garden is a nice area of London with a market. 

Not pictured is the opera singer in the corner. 

Being a big Harry Potter fan, I really enjoyed checking out the studio tour. Most of the guests were my age. The first movie came out on my 10th birthday and I was so excited for it. There is a lot of money to be made on nostalgia. 

This is the first room you walk into. 

These are the sets they really used when filming the movies, this is the Slytherin common room. 

Turns out they do not take Visa at Gringotts. 

They used this model for filming Hogwarts. 

I hope this picture does not make me look too cool. 

On anther student tourist day, I went to see St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, who also designed what is now the campus for the University of Greenwich. 

View from St. Paul’s. You can see The Shard on the right and Tower Bridge. 

Below St. Paul’s lies The 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. Where it not for him, I may know French. 

Admiral Nelson also rests below St. Paul’s. He too contributed to this blog being written in English, with key naval victories in the Napoleonic wars against the French and Spanish.

I had a great lunch at the Ivy Asia. 

This totally freaked me out when I walked in. 

Stopped by the Museum of London. Did you know that when the Romans invaded Britain almost 2,000 years ago they had elephants in the army? Imagine how crazy that must have been for the peasants to see. 

On a Monday morning, I woke up and saw that the weather for the whole week was going to be lovely for the first time in months. My classes were all online, so I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Bath and Bristol. 

Bath is called so because of the Roman Baths that were built there on grounds where the Celts used to worship and heal. 

Bath is a lovely small city with an interesting history. This is a view from Bath Abby. 

You can climb up to the bell tower and see the centuries old bells that are still in use. 

The Bath Guildhall Market. 

Pulteney Bridge 

I took a trip to the charming little town of Castle Combe. 

Back in Bath, they have lovely hikes you can take around the city. I was amazed by this centuries old stone wall holding up this field. The ground to my right was at shoulder height. 

Prior Park. 

A records and flower shop.

A 10 minute train ride from Bath takes you to a very attractive train station in the larger city of Bristol.

As a city on the water, it is fitting they pay tribute to the god of the sea, Neptune (Roman name, the Greeks called him Poseidon). 

The SS Great Britain was a great innovation in shipbuilding. She has an iron hull with a steam powered propeller. At 322 ft. she was the largest passenger ship of her time, in service from 1845-1886

This is the same dry dock she was built in. It is called a dry dock because they block out the water while they build/repair the ship and then flood it once they are ready to go. 

Second class ship life. 

First class ship life. 

The SS Great Britain was designed by the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who also had great innovations in tunneling, train design and propeller technology.  

The place to be after 5. 

Love locks. 

The Bristol Cathedral and Raja Ram Mohan Roy. 

Gloucester Rd. is the longest road of independent shops in the UK. It took me about an hour to walk one way. 

Lots of street art along the way. Banksy is from Bristol, but I did not knowingly see any of his work here. 

Bristol is a fun city.