London: Recap of First Few Days

Friday June 20: I Left LAX at 4:30 with Eric, Shadi, Jackie, and Lovette. After a few drinks at the airport bar, we were ready to embark on our adventure. Once in the air, the five of us enjoyed the complementary alcoholic beverages and had a very smooth and peaceful flight.

Saturday June 21: We arrived at Heathrow Airport at about 10:30 am local time. After we went through immigration we gathered our luggage and boarded the tube. Unfortunately for Eric, one of the females I traveled with (she will remain nameless) brought her bowling ball with her.

That night we met up with other members of the program and went to a pub called “Bear and Staff” where we were introduced to English Ales such as Strongbow, Stella, and Boddingtons. One of us had a relatively minor run in with the bobbies. However, thanks to the oral argument skills he/she learned during our Moot Court competition, nothing came of it.

Sunday June 22: Still jetlagged, we woke up and had breakfast in our dorm. The previous day we noticed that our rooms came with 3 hangers and 1 flimsy towel. Therefore, Jackie, Chad, Mariana, Shadi, Eric, Nir and myself set out on a quest to find hangers and towels thinking this would be relatively easy. However, we failed to realize that because of Queen Elizabeth’s decree, nothing in London opens up before 12 noon on Sundays. So after wondering around London for two hours, we came back to our dorm defeated without hangers and towels. Our clothes would have to remain wrinkled and our bodies dirty for one more day.

At 1pm we had a meeting with our professors to establish the ground rules. We then went on a sightseeing cruise on the River Thames. Some of us were interested in the landmarks such as the Tower of London and Parliament; however some of us were more interested in the bar located below deck. Professor Epstein gave those who remained up top an informative tour of the sites.

That night we went to the pub “The Court” located a few blocks from our dorm to watch the Euro Cup Soccer game and get dinner. I had fish and chips and I was expecting it to be better. Oh well, I am sure there will be more opportunities. After dinner, we were still jet lagged, and decided it was best to at fulfill our promise of not going out on one school night during this trip.

Monday June 23: Classes began at 9 am and lasted until 1 pm. Immediately after class, I went on a run with Chad and Mariana. We ran about 4 miles around London and saw
St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Courts of Justice, and the London Stock Exchange. It was difficult running with the cars on the other side of the road and being unsure of which way to look when crossing the street. After a few close encounters with some friendly pedestrians and double-deck buses, we made it back in once piece.

Once back, we were determined to continue our quest for hangers. I set out with Chad, Mariana, and Jackie to find these now extremely rare and valuable hangers. Our journey took us to Oxford Street. After realizing that none of the department stores had hangers, one of us (who will remain nameless,) was caught digging through the rubbish bin near the cash register. What was he/she looking for? At this point we were so desperate that he/she was grabbing hangers out of the trash and stuffing them into 3 bags. We then left with our booty. However, we got lost on the way back to the dorm, making a big circle around Oxford Street. We got back two hours later. But, we now had hangers, so it was worth it.

We then went the original Hard Rock Café for dinner. It was interesting to see all of the exhibits of British Rock N’ Roll stars such as Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Not quite Van Halen, but close enough.

Tuesday June 24: After class, Professor Epstein took us on his “Great Dead Bodies of London” tour. We started off at our dorm and went to the University College of London. There we saw the preserved (what was left of it) body of Jeremy Bentham. Mr. Bentham was nice enough to allow us to take a group picture with him.

Professor Epstein then led us to the British Museum to see other dead bodies such as the Mummy exhibits and Lido Man. However, Lido Man was on tour, so we missed him.

That night, Chad, Mariana, Amie, and myself turned one of the lounge rooms on the basement floor into a party. We drank some wine, debated politics, discussed the law, and had a fun night.

Sorry for this delayed post, more to come and sooner.

-MDM