I am a student at the University of Vermont, and this summer I set off with 20 other UVM student's to study abroad in London England for four weeks. The trip itself was a very spontaneous one, I remember seeing a flyer for a program called "Literary London" while i was perusing through my school store deciding whether or not i should splurge for shaving cream or buy a new notebook for class. Despite the surprising nature of my decision my trip to London became of the best choices I had ever made. I loved the culture London had to offer, the obsession of theater, the plethora of parks they had to offer, their love of their history. For four weeks I was head over heels for all things British. However one of my most favorite things about London hands down without question was the Tube Stations.
The Tube Station's were London's Underground System. This system was similar to the New York City Subway system which the exception that London's system is heaven in comparison. While i managed to see a lot of sight in London it is safe to say that I spent a Large duration of my time there underground. The tube was efficent, reliable, and best of all very easy to figure out. Within in a week of being there I had officially considered myself a Tube Master and was ready and willing to take on the challenge of finding any spot in London. With my tube map in tow I was unstoppable, there was no destination out of reach for me.
The Tube became my second home, everyday on my way back to my flat I would immerse myself with the traffic of commuters all on their way home for the evening. We would all read our London Lites or London Papers, the two newspapers London offers for free that are distributed everyday outside every underground station in the city. I would blend into the crowd reading about what Kate Moss had been up to in Notting Hill and how Jude Law's reproduction of Hamlet was doing. I would try my best to stay quiet in hopes that everyone would believe I was a Londonite too.
London is an amazing city with an infinite amount of sites to see and events to offer, however there is nothing more exciting than mastering your first tube ride. When i look at a map of the New York Subway system I can't help but feel a little bit of motion sickness coming on. I sulk in the remembrance of my beautiful Tube station and all it had to offer. I still hear the voice of the British Woman telling all passengers to "Mind the Gap" as they exit the Tube Station. Public Transportation may not be what enthrals all tourists having them all race to the country in a panic to experience the ideal Underground, but it is a welcoming quality that helps make everyone feel a little more comfortable in their day to day travels.
