Ciao! It’s day 8 of my European adventure, and time has escaped me. I feel as if I have been in another world. A world of kings and queens of old, of medieval horse races and cobbled streets. As I write this, I am sitting on the roof of our hotel, overlooking the Tuscan countryside. I am the lucky girl who gets to wake up to this view every morning and watch the sun rise over the deep red brick of the city.
Before I get too ahead of myself, however, let me back track over the past couple days. After a 3 hour flight from Dallas to D.C., and another 8 hours flight, I made it to London, where I was to spend the next 2 days. Never in the history of my life have I felt so incredibly energized yet so miserable from exhaustion. I had gotten very little sleep and then was told to wander the streets of London until later that day. Talk about an experience. We stayed in Kensington, which is one of the cities within London, and simply wandered the city until we had nearly collapsed from exhaustion. However miserable we may have been, though, it was absolutely fantastic. Having never been to London, I loved simply walking the streets lined with bookshops and restaurants, watching the cute little cars whisk past us…almost hitting our group in the process, and just taking in the hustle and bustle of the city. After what seemed to be the longest day of my life, thanks to a 6 hour time change, we were finally able to collapse into our beds and shower before going out again for the evening. Wandering the streets again, looking for some place to eat that was not overwhelmingly crowded, we finally settled for a genuine pub. I don’t even care how lame it may be to say this, but I now completely understand why pubs are so popular. I also had the honor of ordering my very first beer…and that was an awkward/exhilarating moment that I will never forget. The next day, my friends and I were able to spend the entire day exploring London. I will never forget the feeling that I received while standing in front of Westminster Abbey. It was so unreal, so incredibly huge and gorgeous and so full of history, and little old me was standing right in the middle of it all! We, of course, visited Buckingham Palace, where I couldn’t help but pretend to wave to Kate and William, and then moved on to the Tower of London where we truly learned all there was to know about the royals. Such an amazing experience, I can’t even explain it. I have always loved stepping into a different time, and although certain parts of London made me feel as if I were just in a different part of the states, many other parts made me feel like I was a part of history. One of my favorite parts of that entire day, however, was riding the tube. Growing up, my favorite book was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. While standing at the platform, waiting for the next train, I imagined myself being whisked away to Narnia. Obviously, I am a pathetic 20 year with the imagination of a 10 year old, but the feeling of being whisked away to another place just seems to magical, and that is exactly the feeling I received on the tube. I loved the hustle and bustle, and the millions of people cramming into the tiny car which took us to a new part of the city within minutes. It was intimidating, of course, but it was the definition of adventure. By the end of the day, I felt like a true Londoner…until I looked the wrong way when crossing the street and was almost hit by a taxi…flashback to the reality of being a crazy American. However, all in all, my trip to London was amazing. I loved witnessing how a culture so similar to our own could still be so different. I loved walking streets that smelled of history. Lastly, I loved simply being out in the fresh air, walking the streets, and learning something new about myself with every step.
