Indiana University

Indiana University School of Journalism

Summer in London: A tourist in your own town

Thirteen honors students from the School of Journalism are spending their summer in London, working in British media and studying British culture.

Being a tourist in your own (temporary) town

May 26, 2008
Lauren Brucker

Lauren Brucker
Courtesy photo
Lauren Brucker enjoyed traditional high tea at the Orangery, famous for its tea cake.
Just as many L.A. natives don’t frequent the Hollywood Walk of Fame, we’re finding it hard to do touristy London things while living in London. So this bank holiday weekend, we made it a point to be absolute tourists in this city where we’ve become so comfortable.

Saturday, a couple of us headed out for a true ladies’ afternoon. We began by walking around Kensington, a beautiful area of London full of demure Londoners enjoying the delicate beauty of the area. I spend most of my time in Islington, where our apartments are located. If I am not in Islington, I am working in the City of London or studying in Bloomsbury. Our lives are so scheduled that it is so pleasant to spend the greater part of the day at one of London’s most famous parks.

When the clock struck three, we lined up to get a table for high tea at the Orangery at Kensington Park. I now know why the British make it such a point to sit down for tea each day. We savored finger sandwiches, scones and good conversation. I ordered a rose tea, which tasted like a mix between strawberries and springtime. Before we knew it, we were served the Orangery cake, sweet and bitter, white and fluffy, lined with lemon icing. We glided out of the Orangery feeling completely piggish, yet lady-like at the same time.

Saturday was another cultural adventure; however, this one tested our intellect instead of our palates. It was our first London rain, the perfect afternoon to escape to London’s art galleries and museums. Each person had a different interest, so we split into smaller groups.

I chose to go to the National Gallery and the British Museum. Seeing the works of Renoir, Picasso, Manet, Monet and Degas was amazing. Though the National Gallery’s selection is smaller than the Louvre, the Getty and the British Museum, each selection was unique and inspiring.

The British Museum is a bigger undertaking. So, because we have the luxury to go multiple times, we decided to look at one or two sections and then head back later to see the rest.

The first room we walked into was dedicated to living and dying. In the center of the room was a quilt jeweled with medical pills. Surrounding the quilt were different art pieces centered around the theme of life and death. There were statues from the Andes and carvings from Native Americans. The next room was full of sarcophagi and Egyptian pottery. Though we’d only had a peek at this art haven, it was time to go. Looking at art while exhausted is worse than not looking at art at all.

I am heading to another museum tomorrow. But that is what I love about being abroad. I can be a tourist one day and enjoy the parks and city life of London the next. It really is great being in the limbo land between tourist and resident. Push yourself enough to see everything, relax enough to enjoy it and you’ll truly get what you came for.