Trip to London

Sometimes, it's nice to take a break from the cold, to travel somewhere- a bit less cold. It was winter break, and after a discussion with my host family prior, we decided to go to London! How exciting! My grandparents had given me $300 for the trip as an early birthday gift so I could go shopping. This is a summary of my trip to London.

Day 1

On the first day, we decided to leave for the airport at 11 am, and our flight started at 2 pm. While we were boarding the plane, I got a small lecture from the customs for not having my residency permit yet. (It's on its way, but it's taking forever!) Thankfully, we had come prepared so I could return to Denmark. When I landed in London, my host sister and I were so excited, and I even got to ride on a train for the first time in my life! After we checked into the hotel, we decided to head to dinner; I forgot how nice it was to be able to read the menu, and to understand people again, nothing was just background noise. The place we went to was an Italian restaurant, and I swear- that was the best pizza I've had in a long time! After dinner, we explored what was nearby before heading back to the hotel to sleep.

Day 2

Day two we spent most of the time just exploring without a real plan, we did minor shopping and ate at a cafe. One thing we did do was travel to a place called Sky Garden. Which, if I'm frank, was a bit boring after a while, but seeing all the pretty plants and the view was nice. 

That night, we all got a bit dressed up, and headed over to a famous jazz club! I insisted on going as a jazz musician myself, unfortunately, my host father had booked a pop singer, so I was a bit disappointed, to say the least. But he tried his best and that whats mattered, plus being able to understand how jazz clubs function and what they're like is important. After the club, we headed home and prepared for tomorrow. 

Day 3

On the third day, we planned to visit Buckingham Palace, and we even got to see the guards change which was really cool. I was surprised by how fancy they made it. We also saw the London Eye, Big Ben (Which was under construction :( ) and the parliament. I enjoyed seeing all of these major figures.

We also went to Baker Street, I had been a big fan of the TV Series Sherlock, and I wanted to see the set for myself. I had a lot of nostalgia for the show. After we explored Oxford street and I went shopping, after a few hours we headed back to the hotel.

Day 4

On the last day, I was feeling a bit under the weather, we went to oxford street again and did more shopping, since we were all tired, not too much happened. That night we went to a really good restaurant with spicy chicken wings and packed to head home tomorrow. 

Summary

I had a great time in London, and I forgot how nice it was to understand everyone again. It was nice to read the menu as well. Overall, I'd say my favorite part was seeing the culture of London. The politeness of the people, and also to see people from a wide range of cultures. I think in the US it is very rare to see people from Europe, so seeing people from France, Italy, etc was really amazing. It also was funny how there were specifically American restaurants everywhere. For example; I forced my host family to try Root Beer when we went to an American candy shop, (they hated it) and we had lunch at an American restaurant as well. Overall, London was really fun, and I hope I can come back one day. :)