A post-thesis treat

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford” – Samuel Johnson

Travel is a common dream shared by many people and it is something I have always enjoyed (even if I’m not particularly fond of flying, quite the conundrum I know). So far I have been to Spain 3 times, Rome once, Paris twice and the subject of this blog, London 10 times. I also have a list of places I hope to visit in the near future, particularly I’d like to see more of Italy and finally visit America. So why do I frequent the English capital so often? I have a great love for cities, a love that was ignited at 14 when I first visited London with my mother and now a decade and 10 trips later it is fair to say a tradition has been established.

Continuing a trend started with my piece on the difference between undergraduate and postgraduate study, this blog post is a kind of spiritual sequel to a piece I wrote for student media a few years ago, which was essentially a travel article on why London is a great destination for arts students. This is still the main reason I enjoy my yearly visits so much; to immerse myself in a cultural melting-pot. We are often told that travel broadens the mind and that is exactly why I love it; I seek to broaden my horizons and break out of the monotony of the every day in search of inspiration. I am happy to report that this three day trip was a success in that regard. As per tradition I was accompanied by my mother, she called it the perfect treat for finishing my MA thesis (thanks for the title mom) and it was through her that I acquired my life long-love for the theatre. I can recall every one of the 10 trips we have made to London simply by thinking about which West End show we saw that time. This trip truly was something special as I finally got to see the hit musical Hamilton. It was every bit as amazing as I had heard. Let’s just say I have been listening to the soundtrack since returning home and I have also been brushing up on my knowledge of American history. On the second night we went to see Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, which is the world’s longest running play (we attended performance number 27,981 at the St. Martin’s Theatre to be precise) I have written an entire post on my love for the mystery genre and seeing the famous “who done it?” has been on my list for some time now.

Of course good food was had and sights were seen walking around the city or taking the underground Tube and naturally I spent more than a little time in one or two great bookshops I have become familiar with from my multiple trips (I may have spoiled myself a little). All and all there is little else to say other than that it was a memorable and fulfilling trip, one that I am truly grateful for (thanks again mom!).

Being so busy with university work for the past 2 years (final year and Masters back to back, it still sounds scary) I have not had a lot of time to cross off any of the locations on the list of travel destinations I mentioned at the start but revisiting the old favourite that is London has reminded me of my love of travel and the experiences it offers. Though I will be equally busy in the coming months seeking employment and preparing for whenever I will be able to return to the academic world to begin my PhD journey (and wherever I will be applying to do it for that matter) I must always remember that there is a large world out there beyond the library to be explored.

Featured image: Photograph of Big Ben from a previous trip