Hot. That’s how our London trip started, in the shape of Pietro, our bus driver to Stuttgart. Having landed in London, we couldn’t wait any longer to finally live the “Big City Life”. And it stayed hot. To our surprise, we weren’t greeted by rain but by an unprecedented heatwave which accompanied us throughout the whole week. The first images impinged themselves on us while riding the London Eye and were deepened by a breathtaking sunset.

During the next few days, we had the opportunity to see amazing places and shows around London, such as Shakespeare’s “As you like it”, the National Gallery, the Tate Modern, Greenwich, Camden Market and the famous musical “Wicked”. Luckily, none of us fainted during our rides in the suffocating tube. Thanks to Mrs Loemke and Mr Heckel for always keeping us entertained. It was an amazing time and the images are deeply impressed on our minds. (Toni & Vicky)

Our hostel was located in Willesden, a twenty-minutes-ride on the tube to the city centre of London. Four students shared a quite small but easily sufficient room. The staff was great and the large porch with a comfortable hammock contributed to the relaxed atmosphere. (Ahmet)

Camden Lock Market was a very interesting experience because there was something there for everyone. Lots of different food stalls from many different cultures, unique souvenirs, the usual high street brands, and punk shops next to artisan handcrafts. Even though it was expensive to shop and the sun was boiling down on us, we still had a lot of fun exploring the market and its atmosphere. (Julia)

Before entering Shakespeare’s Globe, we had an hour and a half to spend. Some of us decided to visit the Sky Garden on top of the 160m high building at 20 Fenchurch Street, better known as the Walkie Talkie. When you step out of the elevator, a breath-taking experience awaits you: You stand in a garden with flowers and trees under a massive glass roof with a 360-degree view of London! (Patrick)

When we had the choice between booking a seat or being a groundling at Shakespeare’s Globe, I chose the much more expensive ticket for a seat. After a long exhausting day, I was really happy to sit down, but it was very difficult to understand what the actors were saying acoustically and so it was hard to follow the story. As a result, I decided to join our two groundlings for the second half and experience the perspective from a central position in front of the stage. It paid off very well. I understood everything of the perfectly spoken lines by the actors and it was funny to watch the facial expressions and gestures from a very short distance, which had not been possible from my seat. Eventually, I loved the story of the play and I really liked the interpretation. It was filled with current topics and jokes and it was amazing to realize how up-to-date Shakespeare is. I definitely recommend being a groundling at the Globe. (Serafin)

Expectations were high on entering the Apollo Victoria Theatre for the musical “Wicked”, with everyone having donned their finest garments. Those who had never been to a musical and even those who weren’t excited that much, were flabbergasted when the show started. Easy to understand and dotted with typical British humor (“the blonde brain”), the musical was a wicked experience for everyone. (Philipp)