A Club, A Light Show, And A Famous Urinal?

It all makes sense, I promise!

The past three days in London have been some of the busiest, and the most interesting so far! On Thursday, the 14th, I began the day by attending my final registration appointment at the University of Westminster. I was able to change into a Thursday morning class so I have my Fridays free, and they gave us free t-shirts! Overall, it was very successful and I’m glad I’ll have more time to travel.

Thursday also market the first club outing (sorry, family members reading this). We went to a place called Bar Rumba right near Oxford Circus to celebrate the birthday of one of the girls in the Fordham program. If you get there before 10:00 pm you get in free, so we got there right before! For better or for worse. It was nice to not have to pay an entrance fee, which can sometimes range from £3 – £15 depending on where you are going and when, but we definitely got there waaaaaay too early. It was only Fordham students to begin with, but it ended up actually being nice to just spend time with friends and get to know other students in the program. The club was more like a bar with low ceilings and a dance floor. I don’t know if we’ll be going again anytime soon, but it was a good first try!

To be honest, the best part of the night was probably getting home. We had to walk a few blocks to get to our night bus, and some of us had neglected to wear jackets (not me, I promise!). We finally got onto the bus and headed up to the second floor just in time for us to go around a huge roundabout. Needless to say, we were holding on for dear life! We survived unscratched and made it home and to bed.

The next day, Friday the 15th, was amazing. Why? Well for one, I planned out my first trip!!!

Drum roll please….

…..

COPENHAGEN!

We’ll be heading out on the 22nd in the morning and flying back on the 24th at night! I don’t have class until Monday evening, so plenty of time to sleep. I could not be more excited.

After booking our flight and lodgings, my friend Annie and I headed to the Tate Modern. We took the tube as close as we could get, then walked along the Thames and across the Millennium Bridge to get to the large, industrial looking museum. Like most London museums, entry was free so we headed in. The first piece was a large installation consisting of a bunch of triangle shaped planter boxes that were filled with soil from different parks, gardens, and areas of London. Most of the planters were green with life, even though nothing had been planted in them! The soil is watered and there is plenty of light, so whatever was already in the soil grew naturally.

We saw many pieces, and I particularly liked that the Tate Modern really focuses on telling a story with their galleries rather than just by time period or by artist. Here are a few of my favorites:

Little to my knowledge, the Tate Modern has one of the world’s most notorious pieces of art: Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain”. Annie and I were wandering along when we turned a corner and boom- there it was! A piece I had read about, studied, and laughed about was right there in front of my eyes. It’s not everyday you can fangirl about a urinal!

Just when you think it can’t get better, it does! Annie and I met our other friends in Covent Garden at Wahaca, an amazing Mexican chain. We got some chips and guac, a few drinks, and tons of delicious food because essentially you order small, cheap plates and they get served whenever they are ready. I got a passion fruit margarita, pork tacos, and a chicken quesadilla. All delicious. What also was cool is that you can pay through their app which makes splitting the bill an absolute breeze!

After Wahaca, the real fun began. This weekend was London’s first ever light show: Lumiere. It was honestly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. All around London, wether at King’s Cross, Westminster Abbey, or Piccadilly Circus, there were art installations that all used light. There were projections, sculptures, interactive pieces, everything! It was a great way to see London at night and some amazing art. If it ever comes back to London, I would highly recommend going.