Today was our last day, and there was no better way to spend it than in London! We started off the day by visiting the Florence Nightingale Museum, which celebrates the life and legacy of Florence Nightingale. She is often considered the founder of modern nursing, so it was very meaningful to learn more about her life and contributions to healthcare. The museum highlighted her impact on nursing, patient care, and hospital reform, showing how her work helped shape the nursing profession that we know today. As a nursing student, it was especially interesting to see how her influence continues to be felt in healthcare around the world.
The museum explored Florence Nightingale’s early life, including her family, friends, and how she broke away from many of the expectations placed on women during that time in order to pursue a career in nursing. It was interesting to learn about the challenges she faced and the determination she showed in following her passion for healthcare.
The museum also highlighted her role during the Crimean War, where she worked with the British Army and helped improve conditions for wounded soldiers. We also learned about Mary Seacole and Alexis Soyer, who both contributed to improving care during the war. Another interesting part of the exhibit showed how military nursing has continued to develop and evolve since Florence Nightingale’s time.
The final section focused on her work after the war, including her contributions to statistics and public health. I found it especially interesting to learn about her use of data to improve healthcare practices and influence hospital reforms. The museum also highlighted the creation of the Nightingale Training School at St Thomas’ Hospital, which helped establish professional nursing education and had a lasting impact on the nursing profession around the world.
One thing I thought was really cool was seeing Turkish Lantern of Florence Nightingale, which was used in Scutari during the Crimean War. It is believed that Florence Nightingale carried this lantern with her as she made her nightly rounds through the hospital wards, checking on and caring for injured soldiers. This is what led to her famous nickname, “The Lady with the Lamp.” I thought it was really interesting to learn about the story behind the nickname and even more exciting to see an artifact connected to such an important figure in nursing history. As a nursing student, it made the history feel much more real and meaningful.
After the museum, we were on our own to explore London! Our first stop of many was Big Ben, and it was so beautiful to see in person. I had seen pictures of it before, but seeing it up close was much more impressive. The architecture and details were amazing, and it was exciting to finally visit such a famous landmark. What made the experience even better was that the weather held up all day. After dealing with rain earlier in the week, having a day with good weather made exploring London much more enjoyable and allowed us to spend more time outside taking in all the sights.
We then took a walk to Buckingham Palace. It was so beautiful to see in person, and I especially loved all of the gold accents throughout the gates and surrounding areas. The details were very impressive and made the palace look even more grand and elegant. I also enjoyed seeing the guards because I had never seen them in person before. It was interesting to watch them and learn more about the traditions associated with the palace. Overall, Buckingham Palace was very beautiful to look at and was definitely one of my favorite landmarks we visited in London.
We then grabbed some food and made stops at two famous bridges, London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Both were really cool to see, but I especially liked Tower Bridge. The architecture was beautiful, and it honestly looked like something you would see in a fairy tale. The towers and details made it stand out from anything I had seen before. It was not only pretty to look at from a distance, but we also got to walk across the bridges ourselves, which made the experience even more memorable. Seeing these famous landmarks in person was definitely one of the highlights of exploring London.
Lastly, one of the biggest highlights of the day was riding the London Eye. The views were absolutely beautiful, and I loved being able to look out over the entire city of London. Seeing all of the famous landmarks from above gave me a completely different perspective of the city and made me appreciate just how large and impressive London is. It was definitely an experience I will remember for a long time.
To end our night, we went to see Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which was amazing. The music, costumes, sets, and performances were all incredible, and it was such a fun experience to watch. It was the perfect way to end the trip and celebrate all of the memories we made throughout our time in England. I could not have asked for a better final evening, and it was a wonderful way to wrap up an unforgettable experience.
