London Excursion

Saturday, 17 July

Saturday promised to be one of the most exciting days yet, with the first excursion of the course: a trip to London. Coach departure times meant an early start, with bleary-eyed students waking up at 7:45 to wolf down some breakfast before clambering aboard the busses for the journey to the capital. Spirits were almost as high as the AC, and all were excited to explore a different city and get a taste of London life.

Before long, we had arrived at the British Museum in central London, where students set off to explore some of the exhibits. These ranged from ancient artefacts from Greece, Rome and Egypt, to displays of contemporary art from the Arabic world. The museum, centred around the glass-roofed Great Court, was established in 1753 as the first public national museum in the world. It remains controversial to this day, however, due to the uncertainties of ownership of many of its artefacts which were brought to the museum during the time of the British Empire.

Having perused the museum, students gathered outside in the glorious sunshine for a leisurely walk to Oxford Street. The afternoon then offered a chance to sample some of London’s finest eateries and explore the shops of one of Europe’s largest shopping streets. A few hours later, students returned with shopping in hand to board the busses back to Cambridge.

Once back at Jesus College, the catering team put on a delicious outdoor barbeque for all of us. Students shared their experiences of London over plates of hot dogs and burgers on the lawns in front of the cafeteria. Later in the evening, we gathered for a games night in the historic Webb library. While some students stayed in to play board games, others made use of the expansive college grounds for a game of hide and seek.

Students went to bed with happy memories of the day, looking forward to another excursion to come tomorrow: a trip to Oxford with the promise of a formal lunch at St Edmund Hall.

Alex, Mentor at Jesus College (13-15), Session 2