Arriving at one of our partner Universities in London feels a bit like detrain the Hogwarts Express. The old veneer of the Greenwich University looks amazing.
In addition to that it’s directly next to the Thames on one side and borders on Greenwich Park on the other side. The great appereance is completed with the traditionel events of the eagerly working student union. In the first two weeks there were a lot of Freshers Events like sport trial lessons, welcome meals and of course the Freshers Fair and a legendary Pub Crawl. And all these events happened without any cloudy sky.
Still now in October the English weather is converse to the assumptions we have in Germany. Okay, it is getting colder now from day to day but all students here can still enjoy a relaxing nap on the great green lawns of Greenwich Park while squirrels running around. Speaking up squirrels, while they aren’t a big attraction there a oodles of city foxes in the streets of London. When the sun went down they stray through parks, pedestrian areas and diverse dooryards. Three months won’t be enough to see all the attractions and hidden places in London.
But as a start we went to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour. It was amazing even for students who weren’t that big fans of the famous London wizard. You could see everything from the great hall to all props of all eight films.
To get an impression of the workaday life here in London you just have to visit central London. It is overwhelming. Of course you know the big red double-deckers but there are a lot of them. Everywhere. And then there is the left-hand traffic. The first weeks you have to be lucky to survive in the morning or home-going traffic. The time you think you just got it now and you cross thoughtlessly the road you hear another horn again and notice that you still have to watch twice or better thrice.
Touristic places like London Eye, Tower Bridge or Big Ben do also have their magic. In the middle of a very busy city are a lot of old imposing examples of structure. If it’s rainy (which it wasn’t often like I said proudly before) there is the chance to visit all the famous museums here for free. The Tate Modern, the Museum of London and the National Gallery are worth visiting. While struggling through the busy traffic it is unmistakable that London is a city in constant change. There are a loads of cranes outstanding the skyline. Although London is the most international city in Europe the public transit stops at around midnight.
This is why the thousands and thousands of taxis here making there money despite a lot of competition. All the students here make a great use of Uber, the taxi app which is less expensive and you normally have to wait at most five minutes.
If you are interestens in sports regardless of wether doing it or watching it, London is the city to be. You have the chance to practise every form of sport in an University team. Very popular is Hockey, Football, Rugby, Rowing and Ultimate Frisbee. Also shooting some Golf balls in the skyline of London is no problem. With some beers beside its much fun for eveybody.
But also watching sports in London is no problem. There are a lot of events happing here. Tennis masters, Premier League matches and also Cricket is interesting to watch. London is a city of boundless possibilities except for going home late by public transport and bike safely. We’re looking forward to more of the interesting and student including lectures as well as a big Halloween events (it’s really beloved by Brits) and of course a heartwarming Christmas time.