Quick Facts about London

For anyone who has not been to London, it is a city not like any other. Walking the streets of London is similar to stepping back into history. Famous landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, The Globe Theatre, and countless others gives visitors the chance to step back in time and walk the streets that Shakespeare and John Lennon did. Brits and visitors also have the opportunity to leave the hustle and bustle of the city and travel to the outskirts of London, which include elite schools such as Oxford and Cambridge, Liverpool (home to The Beatles), Stratford-upon-Avon (home to Shakespeare), and Bath (site of the Roman baths).

Since the city's founding in 43 AD by the Romans, London has developed into an increasingly global city. There are more than 300 languages represented within the greater city, with a population of more than 8 million people. London is the leading country in arts, entertainment, finance, media, higher education, tourism, and transportation. The stereotypical idea of London includes afternoon tea followed by strolls in Hyde Park while the men grab a pint of pale ale at the pub. Although you must have a high tea, visit Hyde Park, and order a pint of beer at Bag O'Nails (pictured below), there are so many aspects of London that visitors miss out on because they are blind-sighted by the idea of London and not the actual city. Therefore, I want this blog to show my readers how to explore all of the wonderful landmarks in London based off of my study abroad experience.

Below are 5 Amazing Fun Facts about London that will give you an instantaneous attraction to London:

1.  The Palace of Westminster is the official name of the Houses of Parliament and is the largest palace in the country.

2. There are many famous leaders that are buried in Westminster Abbey, including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Sir Issac Newton.

3. The original London Bridge was in use for more than 600 years and was covered with heads on spikes for more than half of that time, including that of Guy Fawkes.

4. It is insanely difficult to become a cab driver in London: the test is called "The Knowledge" that challenges those wanting to become a cab driver to memorize 320 routes, 25,000 streets, and 20,000 palace of interest within a six-mile radius of Charring Cross (just south of Trafalgar Square in London).

5. The Palace of Westminster has eight bars, six restaurants, 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases, 11 courtyards, a hair salon, and a rifle shooting range.

There are so many more reasons to fall in love with London, so keep reading my blog to see the other incredible experiences that I have encountered :)

Bag O' Nails, famous pub near Buckingham Palace 

Trafalgar Square

Bag O' Nails is a famous pub located around the corner from Buckingham Palace. It is my favorite pub to go to in London. The atmosphere inside the pub makes me feel like a true Brit. I highly recommend this pub when you visit London. 

Pros and Cons to London

The idea of “studying abroad” stood out to me from the moment I took my first college tour and my tour guide discussed her experiences when she went abroad. She, too, packed her bags and shipped off to London for a semester and had a fabulous time in the city. I was so moved by the way she spoke about London that I knew I wanted to have the same experience that she did. When I decided to attend Fordham, one of the reasons I was attracted to the school was the study abroad program in London. Fordham University has a campus in the middle of the city (High Street Kensington, shown below) and students have the opportunity to apply for an internship at one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms, KPMG. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to embark on both of those adventures.

After my stay in London, I am biased on which city a student should choose when deciding where to study abroad. However, there are pros and cons to the city. London is the perfect location for travelling to other cities. There are numerous airports near the city that allow for inexpensive travel to any European city of your choice. The three airports are Heathrow, Stansted, and Gatwick. If you truly want to immerse yourself in British culture, you can travel to the outskirts of England, such as the landmark Highclere Castle (for any Downton Abbey fans) and The Warner Brothers Studios where Harry Potter is filmed. I wish I had the chance to see Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, and Liverpool, but there is only so much you can do in 4 months! Another amazing aspect of the city is the subway system, called “The Tube”. The Tube is incredibly simple to navigate and is a great resource to utilize when getting to know the city. On every Tube stop, there is a voiceover that states what famous landmarks are in the area where the tube is stopping. In this way, there is never anyway to get lost, you can never fall asleep on the tube, or miss your stop (very different from New York). There are beautiful and engaging museums, such as The National Gallery and the Imperial War Museum that truly bring history to life. That is one of my favorite parts of London: how all of the museums and galleries give history a meaning and show visitors the aftermath of events such as World War II or Princess Diana’s death. My entire semester abroad, I was learning something new with every area of London that I visited. For example, when I visited the Churchill War Rooms, I didn’t realize how much those working for the government had to sacrifice during that time until visiting the bunkers. That experience made me grateful for everything I have and all of the experiences I have had the chance to encounter. I wouldn’t have had that had I not gone to London.

If I’m being completely honest, there are a few downsides to studying abroad in London. To start off, London is incredibly expensive. This is coming from a girl who attends college in New York City. If you thought a grande vanilla latte at Starbucks was expensive in America, just wait until you get to London. For anyone interested in living in London, save up as many pennies as you can. With my internship at KPMG, I was paid in pounds, which was a lifesaver towards the end of my trip! Additionally, London’s public transportation train, called the “Tube”, shuts down at 12:00am. If you are out late at a show or are spending some time with friends at the pub, beware that you may have to wait for a bus or take a black cab instead of the Tube.

As you can see, there are many positive aspects of London that completely outweigh the negatives. Once you get to the city, you will realize just how lucky you are to be visiting one of the greatest cities in the world.