Monday, June 13 - London Day 1
Hi, Hannah here! After an early wake-up at KJ’s house and a healthy dose of müesli, the Dins headed to Zürich airport and caught our flight to London. We split up and took the Tube, London’s extensive subway system, to our separate lodgings.
The hungry Dins assigned to St. Simeon Hotel (Samson, AJ, Noah, and I) grabbed a “cheeky” Nando’s lunch and fell asleep immediately afterward. One power nap later, we commuted to London’s McKinsey headquarters and gigged for members of the Harvard Club of the UK…and my family, who’d flown over from Boston! Reunited with the recent Din alum Sang-o, the Dins enjoyed an Italian dinner in the city with him and, anticipating an early wake-up the next morning, went right to bed afterward.
Tuesday, June 14 – London Day 2
Bright and early, the Dins arrived at Falkner House Girls’ School, nestled in the beautiful neighborhood of South Kensington, and performed our most kid-friendly songs to the enthusiastic crowd of 7-to-10-year-olds. We had a blast ramping up the theatricality of our choreography, and the kids loved it too!
The Dins’ resident Londoner, Mattheus, was kind enough to lead us on a walking tour through downtown London after the gig. He took us to all the main sights and attractions—the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, and many more—and gave us the insider’s scoop on affordable food and groceries, which our wallets much appreciated. The hotel-dwelling Dins closed off the day with an Indian dinner that solidified my and Mattheus’ claim that British Indian food is exceptionally delicious.
Wednesday, June 15 – London Day 3
The Dins had another morning gig, to the chagrin of our late risers, at St. Paul’s Juniors School across the Thames. Fortunately, the energy of the raucous crowd of 7-to-13-year-old boys, particularly in response to our goofiest number “McDonald’s Girl”, cleared away some of the tiredness.
We regrouped for lunch later on with the esteemed Din alum Sam Schoenberg in Hyde Park, some of us having experienced the Uber ride of a lifetime with a former celebrity chauffeur.
Enjoying the rare (for the UK) sunny and cloudless day, some of us (Mattheus, Elio, Noah, and I) went to the beautiful Kew Gardens to explore a vast collection of exotic plants and walk among the treetops.
After a dinner of fancy Chinese food at the Royal China Club, thanks to the generosity of Felix’s family friends, some of us closed off the day with a concert featuring the prodigal multi-instrumentalist/vocalist and Grammy awardee Jacob Collier. This concert was particularly special because Collier is a Londoner; his fondness for the city certainly shone through his transcendent, jaw-dropping performance.
Thursday, June 16 – London Day 4 / Oxford Day 1
The Dins bid farewell to London this morning; we left the city moved by the kindness of the people we encountered there.
One train ride to Oxford later, we joined the Oxford Gargoyles, Oxford’s only co-ed jazz a cappella group, for a pizza picnic to fuel up for our evening gig. We both performed at Turf Pub, an establishment older than Harvard itself, to a crowd of rowdy university students—energy was high! After enjoying drinks at the pub and socializing with the Gargoyles, we headed to our Oxford student hosts’ dorm rooms for the night.
