Today we spent the day
with Rachel, a tour guide from the same company as the tour guide from Dublin.
She was very energetic and knowledgeable. I can honestly say that I learned
about history on this tour. She educated us on King Henry the 8th and his six
wives, his break from the Catholic Church, and his later years of life. We
learned about the battle involving the English, the French, and the Spaniards. Rachel
showed us the lions that were casted from the captured guns and cannons of the
French and Spaniards, but also went into detail about the strategy used by the
English to win the battle.
We saw Buckingham Palace,
Big Ben, and West Minister Abby. Growing up I would frequently see these
attractions on television and other social media platforms, but seeing it up
close was different. I can honestly say that so far London has won as the
best city on this trip (although I haven't been to Paris yet.)
One thing I thought was
interesting was the subway system. It's so simple that anyone should be able to
use it with ease. New York may want to take a look at how London has made
traveling do simple.
After the tour Rachel
lead us to a restaurant that sold its menu items at ½ price on Mondays. The food was amazing!
London is seriously expensive so any time one can save even a few dollars is
great! Our waitress was really nice and talked to us about how she was working
to save up money for school. She loved to travel and one day hopes to see
Paris.
I do realize just how
fortunate I am to be able to participate in this program. Each day I do my best
to experience something new, something that takes me out of my comfort zone. I
try to totally take advantage of this opportunity given to me.
