Lovely London

Ben and I both studied abroad in London during fall of 2008, and it is still one of my absolute favorite cities. London has a wonderful balance of history, culture, and style that I can't help but admire. Despite being one of the largest cities in the world (ranked 27th, in fact), London doesn't feel large or overwhelming. It's a very friendly place. 

After the MCAT, I strolled through downtown London for a while, sipping hot chocolate and people-watching. Although it was nice being outside, it was also a very cold day, so I quickly decided to find an indoor activity. I popped in an out of several shops and attractions, but two activities in particular completely stole the show:



1. Veolia Wildlife Photography Competition


Consider this a testament to just how nerdy I really am: despite having just taken a four-hour science test, one of my favorite post-MCAT stops was the London Museum of Natural History.

While studying abroad, the Museum of Natural History quickly became one of my favorites. I would walk through the exhibits for hours, learning about exotic insects, the secrets of the ocean's trenches, and animals long extinct. Like most of London's museums, the Natural History Museum has no admission charge, making it a great visit even for a short amount of time.

What drew me to the Museum of Natural History last week, however, was a new exhibit: The Veolia Wildlife Photographer Competition. The exhibit featured the winning prints from Veolia Wildlife Photographer Competition, one of the most prestigious of its kind. Although I only intended to spend an hour or so at the exhibit, I ended up staying much longer, positively mesmerized by the photos. The winning photographs did an incredible job capturing the personality of animals, plants, and places, and by the time I left, I felt as if I had been on a safari all over the globe.

Here were some of my favorites:

while this photograph did not place first in the "animal portrait" category, it
was one of my personal favorites. I love how the angle gives the beachcomber
 tortoise such a large and mighty appearance. 

this might have been my absolute favorite. the contrast between the night lights
of paris and the perky bunnyears is fantastic, and reminds you that wildlife
really can be found anywhere. 

this photograph was one of the winners in the "abstract wildlife" category. while
 I normally prefer photos that are more realistic and less artsy, this does
accurately show the dream-like feel associated with heavy snow. 

can you spot the ibex, located on the ground above the left side of the
lake? this photo makes me wonder if the ibex ever stops and notices
its incredible habitat. 

I can't imagine how thrilled the photographer must have been to
capture this scene. life hangs on this moment. 

what with numbers rapidly dwindling, it's not
often that you see a tiger outside of the zoo. I
love this wild tiger's stare. his eyes are mesmerizing. 

2. The Mousetrap

After enjoying the photography exhibit, I headed to London's famed West End for an evening at the theatre. 

While there were many wonderful aspects to my study abroad experience, one of my absolute favorites was the West End shows. London's West End is equivalent to New York's Broadway, and the musicals and plays offered are of just as high a caliber. While studying abroad, I saw nearly a dozen shows over the course of the semester, and enjoyed every minute of it.

On of the shows I did not catch while studying abroad was The Mousetrap, and for good reason. Unlike many of the other West End shows, The Mousetrap doesn't offer any form of student discount, making tickets considerably more expensive. While the show does have much cheaper same-day tickets, the theatre is small, and the show is often sold out long before the date of performance. The Mousetrap also lacked the fame of many of the other shows. Unlike The Lion King, Mama Mia!, or Wicked, it has no well-known songs or storyline. In fact, it's one of the few West End shows that's not a musical, and the production team has gone to great lengths to keep the plot a secret.

Nevertheless, throughout my time in London, I kept finding myself wanting to see the show. Everyone that saw it absolutely raved about it, and the reviews were always top-notch. In fact, The Mousetrap is the world's longest running show (of any kind) with over 24,000 performances since its opening in 1952. If that isn't reason enough to want to see a show, I don't know what is! 

When I visited the same-day tickets office last Friday, I had no idea what show I would see. I had considered The Mousetrap earlier, but I doubted that tickets would be available. However, between traveling in the tourist off-season and only wanting a single ticket, I was able to score a seat- and at a good price! The show itself was fantastic: laugh-out-loud funny, genuinely suspenseful, and a plot that immediately drew you in. It was murder-mystery at its finest, and the entire audience was surprised as the plot unfolded. If you're ever in London, I highly, highly recommend seeing it. And no, I won't tell you the ending :)

a perfect murder-mystery.