Day 6 of Blogmas has arrived and I thought I would talk about my trip to London this week. I absolutely love London and wish I could visit more often – there’s just something about it that makes me giddy with excitement. There really is no where else like it.
With the prospect of graduate employment looming over our heads, myself and my course mate Susie decided to attend the this year’s ‘Careers in Psychology Conference.” This is an event run by the British Psychological Society and we even managed to do a spot of sightseeing around Christmas London afterwards.
The day began with the ring of my 5:30 alarm – yep I do mean 5:30 in the morning. I then walked down to Sabrina bridge to meet Susie and we made our way to the train station, collecting a Maccies breakfast on the way. I don’t know why, but I was expecting the sun to be rising when I left the house but it was pitch black and super spooky. We caught the train to Birmingham New Street and then changed for our line to London Euston Station.
When we arrived in London, a little after 10am, we utilised the tube to get us where we needed to be. The conference was held in the Tower hotel which, as the name suggests, is opposite tower bridge on the River Thames. You can now use apple pay to get onto the tube and it is honestly the easiest thing ever. You just tap as many times as you need to, without fussing with tickets, and it adds up the total and what is the cheapest deal for you at the end of the day!
We registered at the hotel and then attended the two morning talks. The first was from a clinical psychologist talking about her field and experiences and the second a Q & A session with a panel of psychologist from different fields. Both were really interesting and helpful. After a lunch break we then went around the stalls that were set up and talked to the various representatives. It was great as it gave us a really good idea of where to look for jobs relevant to the field and how to get your foot in the door.
However, by midday we had done everything we needed to at the conference and our train home wasn’t until 5pm. Naturally, we decided to be typical tourists and do some sightseeing in the capital. After some pics by tower bridge, we jumped on the tube to Buckingham Palace. The flag was flying so we knew Queen Elizabeth was in and I just love visiting the place, it’s so pretty. We also past the Victoria Palace theatre where Hamilton is playing at which point I lost it. I want to see that show so badly!
We then went for a walk down the mall towards Trafalgar Square to see Nelson and the lions before getting back on the tube to visit Harrods. When I told Susie I had never been to Harrods she couldn’t believe it. I’ve heard all the storied about how it’s this magically world of retail, especially at Christmas and it couldn’t have been more true.
It is literally the biggest place I ever been – they have everything you could ever possibly think of right there under one roof. Of course we headed straight to the Christmas section which was just as magical as I had hoped! We then wandered around the various sections, completely gobsmacked with what was on offer around us. I couldn’t afford a single thing in the store but it was worth just to experience being in Harrods.
Then it was time to start the long commute home. A tube, two delayed trains, a walk back to campus in the heavy rain and a dance rehearsal later I was finally in bed. It was all worth for a fantastic day in one of my favourite cities.
Happy Blogmas,
Meg xo
