I Love London: The media student

London has so much to offer that you’ll be spoilt for choice – there are thousands of courses available in some fantastic locations across the capital. To help you get the most from our beautiful city, here’s London academy of media, film & tv student Donald Chen’s personal tour…

‘When my wife and I landed in London in October last year, we fell in love with the capital straight away. We enjoy the blue sky,  fresh air, friendly atmosphere, rich historical heritage, and abundance  of parks. London seems to be a place of learning, developing  and opportunities.

My wife and I are nature lovers and I’ve always enjoyed walking. My favourite route is walking from Notting Hill, via Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Wellington Arch, Green Park, Buckingham Palace and St. James Park to Westminster. Walking is the best way of appreciating the beauty of London and I never get bored of it because every time I walk, I discover something new.  

Packed with memories
I enjoy admiring the trees in Kensington Gardens, the calm water on the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park in the morning, the quadriga statue on Wellington Arch silhouetted against a bright blue sky and taking in the fresh air along the way. I’ve walked on rainy days and sunny days, and the changing views along the route have never disappointed me. Most of the time I carry a backpack with my camera equipment in, as I keep taking pictures on my travels. I have no idea how many pictures I have taken altogether, but my 500GB external hard drive is full!

Lucky Londoners
With London, you never know what you are going to get. Maybe you’ll find a book that you have been longing for in the corner of an old bookstore, or you’ll receive inspiration from the exhibits in an art gallery. There are so many other places in London where I like to spend my time, like the 42-hectare London Wetland Centre and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

As a photographer, coming to London was a blessing and I seized the opportunity to take lots of pictures here. The course I took really helped me to learn more about photography. The last year has passed so quickly and there are so many places that I haven’t visited.

London has so much to offer, and I will keep exploring as I just love it. I feel lucky to live here – I hope all Londoners realise how lucky they are.’

Did you know?

• Covent Garden is really a spelling mistake! The area used to be the market garden for what is now Westminster Abbey monastery and convent.
• The Palace of Westminster was sited by the river so it could never be totally surrounded by a mob.
• Before the 17ft statue of Nelson was erected on top of the Trafalgar Square column in 1842, 14 members of the committee who had commissioned the work held a dinner party on  the 170ft-high plinth.