Last Day In London

It just keeps getting better and better! Today was my favorite day so far in London. It was a bit exhausting, but totally worth it. This morning we went to The Tower of London!!! This was what I was most excited for about London, and it was even better than I expected!! We got to walk in these towers that were from the 1200's!! I thought it was really amazing. The tiny staircases, the rooms.... We even went into the rooms where the prisoners were held. There are carvings all over the walls that the prisoners carved. It is amazing to think that people were in there that long ago!! I also got to see the crown jewels which were absolutely amazing!!! I am just so fascinated by the british monarchy, it was so cool! There is a monument outside that marks where many people were beheaded. Anne Bolyn being one of them. I think it is amazing that I stood in the exact spot that people were beheaded hundreds of years ago! There were guided tours of it, but we didn't have time for that. I really want to go back and get a guided tour!! I am for sure coming back. Later on in the day I also got to go on the London Eye!! I didn't think I would be able to, so it was a really nice surprise. I took tons of pictures so I will show you all when I get home! (I also took tons of pictures at the Tower of London) We had a curry dinner which was fantastic. After dinner we went on the Jack the Ripper tour!! That was also really cool to think that all of this happened right where we were standing over 100 years ago! Our tour guide for the Jack the Ripper tour was really nice and funny. I absolutely loved hearing him talk because of the accent! Also, it was really wierd, but he looks exactly like my dad!! Dad, I took a picture so you will be able to see how much he looks like you! Anyway, I should get going, but I am off to Paris tomorrow! I will hopefully be able to blog later, but I don't know if I will have internet access in France and Italy. Bye!

First Few Days in London

Hello everyone! I am absolutely loving London! The flight in was long, and I was absolutely exhausted the first day, but yesterday was much better! On our first day we met our tour guide, Vico. He is really nice. He is Italian so he has a really cool accent! :) We went on a walking tour of London on our first day. I saw Travalgar Square and Picadilly Circus. Picadilly Circus is basically just a square with different shops around it and a big fountain in the middle. There were tons of pigeons flying really close to our heads; it was kind of scary! We had dinner at a little pub and ate fish 'n chips. It was delicious because I had been starving all day! When we got back to the hotel after dinner, we went straight to bed. We were so tired! Yesterday was a lot more fun because I had a lot more energy. We went on a bus tour of London with a different tour guide, Laura. She talked about all the different sites we were seeing, like St. Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben, The London Eye,Buckingham Palace and many more! I can't remember all the names of everything, haha. After that we got out and got to see the very end of the changing of the guard! It was so cool how orderly and formal everything was. I loved their uniforms! I kind of wish I could have taken a picture with them, but we didn't. By this time we were starving, so our group went off and had a picnic in the park. It was absolutely beautiful! It was so nice and relaxing to lay out in the sun. It was interesting using pounds for the first time, but I got the hang of it. We walked around the park a for a little bit and found Vico sleeping! It was really funny because he was absolutely sound asleep he didn't even notice us! (This was a part of the day when we went off on our own with Mrs. Decker and Mrs. Cardona) Then we went to Harrods and shopped around for a little bit. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Afterward a few of us just walked around and ended up at Kensington Park. When I got back I went straight to bed. Well, I will write more later because I have to go eat breakfast now. Talk to you later!
-Claire

This is a pretty cool photo I found of inside of the Colosseum

Top 5 Things

Hello everyone! Sorry I'm a little late with doing this. I can't believe we are so close to leaving already!! I am so excited! Anyway, here are the top 5 things I am most excited for:

1. I am so excited to see the Tower of London!! When I first signed up for this trip, I researched some of the places we would be visiting. The Tower of London has so much cool history! To think that Anne Boleyn was beheaded there...CREEPY!! And also the crowned jewels. Those will be amazing to look at.

2. The overnight train ride to Paris. I will feel like such a world traveler! I have never been on a train before, so it will be a new experience for me. When I think of the overnight train ride, I think of Harry Potter and the Hogwarts Express! :)

3. This one might sound a little cliche, but I am excited for just walking around Paris. I have heard that it is absolutely beautiful, and I am so excited that I get to experience it for myself! I want to look at all of the little shops and cafes. One problem: I don't know french whatsoever. I have taken spanish since middle school, so someone might have to help me out with that!

4. The Colosseum!!!! I am so excited to see the Colosseum! Talk about cool history. We will be standing where gladiators and warriors fought to the death! I will have to take tons of pictures!

5. This is my first time to Europe, and I get to visit 3 countries at once! The fact that I am traveling in Europe is a really big high for me. If you include our layover in Iceland, we will be in 4 different countries in 10 days! I hope that this is only the beginning of my traveling adventures throughout my life.