The Month was November. The year was 2007. My mom and I got off the plane at around 1:00, Sunday afternoon. We walked around the airport, trying to find the way out. She had been there before, back in 1972, but for me, it was my very first time out of the country. I was happy; I was glad to be in another country. London may not have been a dream of mine, but I was happy to be on vacation. We would stay for one week. We got to our hotel and unpacked our bags. We ordered room service that night and later we went to bed, excited about what the week would bring.
Monday morning came before we knew it. We were both excited, but I have to say that I was more excited. I wondered who I’d meet, what I’d see, where I would go. We had to make our way to the travel agency, but we had a very hard time finding it. We feared we would be late. I was also worried, but I had fun sightseeing and watching how Londoners went about their day. The people were friendly. One woman helped us find the Travel Agency. We thanked her and went inside to be assigned our tour bus.
After we boarded the tour bus, we went all around London. We saw many of the famous landmarks including the Buckingham Palace, the Westminster Abbey, even the Tower of London. During the week, we went further out, beyond the countryside to Shakespeare’s home and to Oxford University. I was having the time of my life. These were places I’d only read about, heard about, or saw photos and videos of. To see them with my own eyes and to even take pictures of them close up was a joy to me. I was very excited. We stopped at a restaurant during the tour and I remember trying red wine for the first time. I had a meal that consisted to sheep and lamp. That was another first for me as well. I also met a lot of good people on the tour and made a couple of friends as well. Going to London was also good for me as an American because the people speak English. I met a lot of Japanese people there as well. Everyday, I talked to at least one Japanese person. I have seen more Japanese people in London in one week than I have in America in one year. I didn’t know if they were visiting London like I was or if they lived there, nonetheless, they were also friendly.
Getting out of the country and seeing a whole new world is something that everyone should do at least once. London is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen. It is easy to get around, the people are friendly, and their food is delicious. I would easily recommend a vacation there for anyone wanting to travel outside of the US or wherever they may live.