When I first decided to study abroad in London, I knew that I'd want to walk away with a wider understanding of the United Kingdom as a county. It's cultural, geography, and history. As such, I stacked my academic courses on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This left the weekend open for international travel and Wednesdays open for United Kingdom day trips. I set about making my list of where I'd want to visit in the country. The United Kingdom itself is divided into four distinct geographic and historical parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. I primarily spent my time in England and Scotland during the spring of 2018, but I hope to one day spend time in both Wales and Northern Ireland. Here are the United Kingdom day trips that I took during my free Wednesdays in addition to traveling to 17 countries during my semester abroad. 1. Oxford Oxford was the first day trip I took. It's an easy train ride from London, and it's situated only 55 miles west of Central London. I took the train out to Oxford to meet my Georgetown friend, Bailey, who was studying at UCL for the semester. During the hour-long train ride, I sat next to an older gentleman who (somewhat strangely) offered me two free tickets to Bath that he just happened to have with him. I accepted the free tickets but declined his offer to continue contact, which I suspect was his true intention. This funny side story is relevant only because it prompted me to visit #8 on this list — Bath — because I had free tickets from this train ride. More on that later! We were only in Oxford for the day, and we had the following on our radar to see. Oxford University - the oldest English-speaking university in the world Bodleian Library - one of the greatest libraries in the world with every new book published in the UK here (similar to the Library of Congress in the US) Radcliffe Camera - the earliest example of a round reading room that is still in use today as the reading room of the Bodleian Library Christ Church College - served as a filming location for the Harry Potter movies Turf Tavern - historic pub that had been recommended to me by Georgetown students who had studied here over the summertime Hertford Bridge - often called the Bridge of Signs - distinctive design makes it a city landmark 2. Windsor Windsor is another great day trip from London, especially if you enjoy royal history, because it's only 25 miles (45 minutes) outside of central London. Most recently, it was where Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, were married at St. George's Chapel. The Queen spends most of her private weekends at Windsor. She also takes up official residence there for the month over Easter. This is known as the "Easter Court." Queen Elizabeth II is also at Windsor for one week each June while attending Royal Ascot and the service of the Order of the Garter at St. George's Chapel. This was another trip that I took with Bailey who also enjoys royal history. We toured the castle and the grounds at Windsor Castle. One memorable moment was seeing Queen Mary's dollhouse, which has been on display at the castle since 1925. It was created as a 1:12 miniature royal palace or townhouse as a gift from the nation to Queen Mary. I also had the opportunity to see St. George's Chapel which is where King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mum), and Princess Margaret are all buried. They are the parents and sister of Queen Elizabeth II. 3. Edinburgh During the first weekend in February 2018, I went to visit my friend, Shannon, who was studying at the University of Edinburgh. It was a chilly, laid-back weekend, but I still got a good feel for the city. I took a 4-hour train up to Edinburgh on Friday morning and left on Sunday evening. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Edinburgh as a day trip from London as it's far enough that you want to at least stay over for one night. However, the train ride was so easy that I feel confident it should be included in this list of easy UK trips. Here are some of my favorite sites from Edinburgh: Victoria Street Edinburgh Castle The Royal Mile Arthur's Seat Greyfriars Kirkyard The Elephant House 4. Harry Potter Warner Brother Studio Tour If you're a Harry Potter fan, it can be incredibly exciting to visit London, Edinburgh, and anywhere else in the UK that has been referenced in the seven-book series. I had been a fan since childhood and wanted to do the studio tour while in London. By a lucky coincidence, Bailey (also a big Harry Potter fan) was given two tickets to the studio tour, and she asked if I wanted to go with her. I enthusiastically accepted. The studio itself isn't in the center of London. It's in Watford, England, and it requires a bus ride out of the city. On the morning of the tour, I took the tube to the meeting spot for the bus and quickly found myself lost. I hadn't left myself enough time to find the bus, assuming that it would just be evident where to meet once I had exited the tube. The b
