The English 361 class of Literature on Site arrived in London around 11:30 p.m. that first Friday of spring break, so their real fun didn’t begin until next day.

The students went to the Portobello Road Market, which is one of the world’s most famous markets; it’s internationally renowned for its second-hand and antique sections. The antique shops begin at the top of the road and are fairly pricey. As you move down the road, there are more general stores, and then it eventually becomes a food market. Further on, there are places where people are making and selling their own stuff. The market ranks in the top-ten most visited tourist sites in London.

“One of the coolest parts of the trip was talking to the locals and gathering their opinions about America and the rest of the world,” Western student Christopher Shove said. “And after being there, it’s definitely broadened my general perspective.” One of his favorite parts of the trip was going to Stonehenge.

“I actually got to touch the stones,” he said. “If you call ahead of time and setup a reservation, then you’re able to touch them.”

Some students were even able to see the sunset inside the circle, which was every exciting for them.

Shove said that one thing he noticed about London is that it’s a lot cleaner because they employ a lot more people to keep it clean. For example, they have sidewalk sweepers and street cleaners that go by a couple times a day.

Western senior Matt Baylor agreed with Shove. Although he didn’t go on the trip to London this time, he has been before.

“What’s weird about it is that it’s really clean, but there are no trashcans anywhere, like they’re really hard to find,” Baylor said.

The class also went to two museums. One of them was The Charles Dickens’ museum, which was Charles Dickens’ actual home. The trip to this museum was a nice touch for the students, as they are currently reading “A Little Dickens” in class.

The other museum they went to was Shakespeare’s Globe, and while they were there, they got to see a rehearsal production of “The Merchant of Venice” being put on by children between the ages of 10 and 11.

The class also went to a Restoration Comedy called, “The Man of Mode” in modern dress and setting, and they saw the musical “Billy Elliot,” which is based off an English film.

“That was a musical that the students and I loved,” said Karen Fulton, the instructor of the “Literature on Site” course and director of the study away program at Western.

If you didn’t make it to London this spring, keep your eyes open for it the next time the class is offered.

*Accompanying this article is a Flash slideshow.