This is the third article in the series, “A Quid for Your Thoughts,” written by members of the MBA 568: Study Abroad in London course. The series captures reflections from students’ study abroad experience to the United Kingdom over spring break of 2024.
Read the first blog in the series here.
Our day began with a guided tour of the Tower of London: a historic castle, fortress, and infamous prison built in 1066 A.D. by William the Conqueror. Inside the walls of the fortress is also the home of the crown jewels of the Royal Family. We were able to see the Imperial State Crown that King Charles wore at his coronation with nearly 3,000 jewels! Across from the Tower of London, we got a great view of the Tower Bridge: a popular London landmark.
Dr. Niederjohn and Dr. Scholz, our course instructors and trip leaders, both have extensive experience living abroad and were able to answer many of the questions we had as we explored the city. They suggested we check out Dickens Inn on St. Catherine’s Wharf for lunch and joined us for steak sandwiches and conversation.
A small group of us hopped on the Uber Boat, one of London’s public transportation options, to Greenwich. Once we made it down the river, we walked around the University of Greenwich and headed towards the Royal Observatory, the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), the Prime Meridian of the world and London’s only Planetarium. We stood on the Prime Meridian Line, meaning we were perfectly in the middle of the East and West! From the top of the hill, we enjoyed a view of London’s cityscape.
Our project is entitled “The Economics of Tea”. We used the boat transportation over to the Twinings Museum and Tea Shop: London’s oldest tea shop! We browsed the extensive collection of tea, learned about the history of the Twinings Tea Brand, and collected some key information for our project presentation coming up later this week.
The whole group met up for dinner at Byron’s Burger Restaurant, then walked through Covent Garden, a collection of shops and an entertainment hub in London’s West End. After dinner, we walked through Leicester Square and listened to a Swedish street performer perform a classic ABBA song, one of the UK’s favorite bands. Finally, we hit Piccadilly Circus, London’s equivalent to Times Square.
After a long day of adventures, we took the Bakerloo Tube Line back to our hotel that sits a few blocks from Hyde Park. We cannot wait to see what the rest of the trip holds!
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This course is one of the student offerings of the Concordia University Free Enterprise Center. Students met on-campus for the first eight weeks of this semester learning about the economy, government, politics, and culture of the United Kingdom. The course concludes with this trip over spring break to London with a day in Cambridge at Westfield House.
Concordia offers 500-plus study abroad programs in 48 different countries. Students have the opportunity to see the world and experience new places and people, while earning their degree from CUW. Expand your horizons and perspective, and gain professional benefits from exposure to new cultures.
—This story is written by MBA and undergraduate students Anna Young, Kate Roberts, and Lydia Keehner at Concordia University Wisconsin. We are currently on a week-long trip to the United Kingdom as part of our MBA 568 business course.