The Curtains Close on Study Abroad

Hello, Blog! Long time, no see. I’m no longer writing these blogs from my flat in London, because I’m back here in the big MA! As promised in my last blog, I’ll be reminiscing on my final couple weeks in London and trying my best not to cry on my laptop keyboard. 

Picking up from where we left off, after my trip to Bath, I had about two weeks to pack as much sightseeing and fun into my trip while writing five essays and getting all my affairs in order for my trip back home. 

December was a big month of theatre and Christmas, starting with my first West End show, The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre. There were so many West End shows to choose from, all with pretty reasonable prices, so it was hard to narrow it down, but I knew I absolutely had to see Phantom, since it closed on Broadway in 2023. The show was phenomenal, and I stopped by Bilmonte to get some pistachio and gianduja gelato, which was just as phenomenal.

I spent that weekend in the library and at cafes, drinking plenty of caramel lattes and chipping away at my essays. I also took a trip to the Columbia Road Flower Market, where I saw plenty of Christmas trees, flowers, books, and pastries for sale. Later that night, I went to the South Bank Centre Winter Market and enjoyed some dumplings and edible cookie dough before heading back to my flat to do more work.

Later in the week, I took myself back to Covent Garden to eat at Mother Mash for my very first traditional pie and mash. Although, it wasn’t completely traditional because I opted for the vegetarian-style pie, which was stuffed with chickpeas and other vegetables, rather than the more common minced beef. After the pie and mash, I got an order of sticky toffee pudding with hot custard. I can definitely see the appeal of this beloved dessert, but it was way too sweet for me to have more than three bites, and I’m saying that as someone who used to add a quarter-cup of sugar to her Rice Krispies in the morning. But it was a great experience, and I would definitely go back!

After the meal, I experienced one of the highlights of my entire study abroad experience. I went to the Kit Kat Club to see Cabaret! I was so incredibly excited to see this show because I love the music, and also because this show was starring Eva Noblezada and Sally Bowles and Reeve Carney as the Emcee. This show was so moving and chilling to the bone, and every single actor and dancer brought their all. Shout out to the pit, too! (Fun fact: Noblezada and Carney both starred in the original cast of Hadestown on Broadway and are now married!)

A couple days later, after attending classes and doing some more writing, I went back to the West End to see Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre. I wanted to see this show because of all the raving reviews I’ve heard over the past few years and the sneakily recorded clips I’ve seen online (oops!), but honestly, this show was not my thing. I like the concept, and the acting, costuming, and set design were all good, but musically, it fell pretty flat. I’m still glad I went because now I’ve heard “Wait for Me (Reprise)” live, which was exactly what drew me to the show.

The next day, I went to the Bridge Theatre to see Into the Woods! Into the Woods is probably my favorite musical theater show, and don’t cancel me, guys, but I really enjoy the 2014 movie (I mean, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Chris Pine? Come on.). Seeing the show live, however, felt completely different, and I was stunned by the production. The costuming and set design were out of this world, and I could not get enough of Cinderella, played by Chumisa Dornford-May. She was such a star and absolutely killed one of my favorite numbers of Stephen Sondheim’s genius, “On the Steps of the Palace.” (Fun fact #2: My brother, Nathaniel got me an Into the Woods vocal selections songbook for Christmas!)

After the show, I went to Covent Garden for dinner—I had pizza from the Seven Dials Market again and an apple crumble with warm custard from Humble Crumble for dessert. I walked from Covent Garden to the All Souls Church in SoHo to go to their Christmas carol service to sing carols and have mince pies and cider. I walked around Oxford Street again to catch my bus, and seeing the Christmas lights and decorations lining the streets put me in such a warm, Christmas mood.

The following day, I went to Smith Square Hall to see The Snowman: Live in Concert. The Snowman is one of my favorite animated Christmas films, and it has a great score, so I loved hearing it in person.

After the movie, I walked around some tourist spots for the last time, such as Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Then, I took a bus to Mercato Mayfair, a large food market set up in a beautiful church. I got a rich, warm hot chocolate, oozing with marshmallow fluff and topped with chocolate shavings. When I got back home, I began the daunting process of packing up my entire room to be ready for my trip the next day.

When I woke up the next morning, I knew I had a long journey ahead. I did some last-minute snack shopping, final cleaning and packing up, and then trudged my load of baggage to King’s Cross station and said goodbye to my life in Camden. 

I took the Piccadilly line to Heathrow Airport (after a terrible misdirection and getting on the wrong train), and made it to baggage check with just three minutes to spare and only fifteen minutes to spare at my gate. Thank you to my guardian angel for getting me through this airport!

After a long flight, my parents picked me up in Newark, and I finally made it to my home, which was heavily decorated and replete with cookies for the holidays.

I’m so thankful to have had such an amazing and fulfilling experience in London, thanks to Wellesley! I’m very excited to be back on campus, and I’ll be writing about my semester thus far in the next blog.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Cheers! xx