“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine. This summer I had the pleasure of reading an entire chapter! On June the 5th, 18 other Andalusian's and I dipped our toes into a pool of culture when we boarded a British Airways flight bound for Heathrow Airport in London, England. As we prepared to land, I was teeming with excitement. I was delighted when I stepped off the plane into 60 degree, foggy weather; it was a much needed change from the hot dry climate of Andalusia. The first thing I noticed about London and Europe as a whole was that everything was smaller. From the cars to the sidewalks to the hotel rooms, everything was on a much smaller scale than in America. Also, as my grandmother would say, the people drove like "bats out of hell!" On the way from the airport into the city, we saw many important and interesting sights such as Harrod's department store. However, my first official sighting occurred when I stepped out of the subway and caught a glimpse at Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.(For special effect I had Rule Britannia set to play as I exited the subway; this made all the difference of the first impression of London.) The tour of the Abbey was my first glimpse of European cathedrals. Inside I stood at the altar where HM The Queen and Price Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, and HRH Price William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton were married. I also was the tombs of Lord Byron, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Edward III. After we toured the inside of the Abbey, we mingled around in Parliament Square where we took picture of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, St. Margaret's Church, Parliament Bridge, and the River Thames. Because we spent so much time sightseeing, we were late to our dinner at a local restaurant called Mr. Fish. We were so late, they refused to let us eat inside; they made us take our food and eat on the sidewalk. After we scarffed down our meal outside Mr. Fish, we took the tube back to the London Hotel Ibis. When we reached our destination, Carol Moore (aka CeCe) dropped her fig newton in the doorway as everyone was trying to exit. This slight delay cause Dr. Toby Atkinson and I to be stuck on the subway car as the doors closed. Thankfully we were able to ride to the next stop and catch the tube back to our original departure point. These first few pages of my chapter of Europe set the tone for a fun filled and adventure tour of Europe!
Word Count: 455
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