London Fun

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It has been over a month since we have been back from our European adventure, but I wanted to share it with you, it's highlights and how it affected us.

I was last in London when I was about 14 and I was with a group at the time (People to People Student Ambassadors to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) so I was looking forward to a bit of freedom. Ronnie had never been to Europe and has always loved everything British, so we knew this was going to be great. We got a wonderful deal online for 7 nights in a 4 star hotel and airfare for $1100 per person. As you may or may not know, the British pound is MUCH stronger than the dollar and so when you see the price as 1 pound...it is really 2 American dollars. Because of this, we ate every meal (except tea time and one pre-show Italian dinner) in a pub. In fact I think the pub culture was one of my favorite things. The beer is thick and the food hearty, but the people are always in a good mood. We went to many museums such as the Tate Modern, The British Museum, The Portrait Museum and The Charles Dickens's House, but my favorite was the British Library. We were able to see Buckingham Palace...well, it's gate...Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, St. James, Westminster's Abbey, Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral and even a West End Play! (Les Mis)

Our trip was wonderful and exhausting...but one of the most surprising things to me was Ronnie's reaction. He was expecting more of a culture shock and a little sad when he didn't experience it. England is after all, our mother and so many of our cultures come from there. To him it was wonderful but also, very similar to a very old New York. I could see that.

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