Today started early in the morning at around 7:30 again. Half of us made it to breakfast bright and early, while the smart ones slept in and met us for the tour guide at 9. Some of us found the Greek yogurt served with honey which was probably the best part of an otherwise hit-or-miss meal. Once we all finished, we regrouped… except for Dhruv who had to stay . To start our journey, we hopped on the bus number 9 to Hyde Park corner station, then the 414 to Marble Arch (which we almost missed because we got on the wrong bus initially!). Afterwards, we went down to the underground, got on a few (read: a lot) of wrong trains, and made conversation with an absolutely jacked stranger about how much he benches (200 kilos!!). 3 trains later, and after a few briefings about the brand new Elizabethan line which we tried out, we all ended up at the fancy Canary Wharf train station which had tons of both ‘Canary Yellow’ decorations and memorable photo opportunities.
We arrived at the center of the London dock—one of the largest and most influential ports in the world. Interestingly enough, containerization (brought into commercial practice only decades ago) reduced the number of dock workers from 100,000 to just 300 today! Really shows the power of mechanical and transportation engineering to change an entire workforce (A&M Engineering, anyone?). We then took a short walking tour of the area and saw some modern artistic pieces. Then, we split for a brief ten-minute break. Tejas and Nikhil went to a tube-like structure between the station and the skyscrapers to take pictures, while Anish and a few others went to get coffee and pastries. Once we met up again, we took the Elizabethan line back to Liverpool Street to visit a cluster of skyscrapers and a residential center of the city. We learned how airspace regulations, city building codes, and historic view preservation efforts limit the construction of skyscrapers to small, isolated areas away from the path of incoming air traffic. As a result, we were in the center of some very interesting, crowded architecture. One of the buildings had a so-called “cheese grater” form of transportation where elevators lined a layer outside the main building so as to not take up any space on the floors. Also, we saw a building aptly named “The Gherkin” (pickle in American terms) which stood out for its really unique shape.
Next, we journeyed down a few blocks to a primary residential center where we came across the Barbican—a tower at the entrance to a castle. Finally, as we were walking along a beautiful garden area, we ran across some very aggressive ducks that tried biting Caitlin! Though cute at first sight, these ferocious creatures were not meant to be messed with.
At around 1:15, we made it back to the Imperial college and headed for a presentation on theatre (its history and impacts) right after heading back to our dorms. We also took our Imagination House books for a meeting we would have with Mr. Lee Walker at 3. Though many of us were tired from quite a busy morning of transit and walking, we were surprised to see that we had a better-than-normal packed lunch. There was some quite “exquisite” chicken shawarma which was leagues better than the sandwiches served back at York. We also had vegetarian sandwiches and spicy crisps served with a proper can of spring water. Vibha and Marie went to the farmers market and picked up some local food and fresh fruit from truck vendors. Right around when we finished eating, Mrs. Wilson presented on theatre; then, we started up a Zoom call with Mr. Walker and Mr. Will Wynn (former mayor of Austin!). A few notable questions asked were about Mr. Walker’s imaginative process and how he included his philosophy of curiosity throughout his endeavors, as well as explaining his morals and how he maintained them in the cutthroat business world. During the remainder of the evening, we attended a showing of Les Misérables which was one of the most entertaining experiences of the trip. Taking a single train to Piccadilly Square (depicted in the COD: MW game), we got off after four stops and walked to the showing area. From the get-go, the theatre’s inside was ornate, and the showing room had a historic atmosphere. Though slightly crowded, everyone managed to find comfortable seating. The story has multiple twists and turns, and it is absolutely worth watching a live performance or reading the play for the full tale; however, in a sentence, it depicted the story of a criminal-turned-hero and his adopted daughter evading the police, hoodlums, and the chaos of the French Revolution of 1832. The music was impeccable, and the acting even more so. At points, it seemed like actors and sets just teleported into and out of the stage as every single scene was so well done. Most of us agreed that the whole experience was a 9.5/10 (save for the late showing time which resulted in a couple of us dozing off). Nikhil also met an individual that he knew from South Texas who was on an exchange program for his performance studies degree. To round off the night, we all took (a very crowded) train right back to the dorms, where most of us immediately retired to doze off in preparation for a busy day tomorrow.
This is your London crew signing off for the night. Catch us tomorrow for Oxford and more!
Nikhil and Vibha