Zipped to... London

I was 16 when I visited London, and I loved it. Everyone on board of our trip was my mom, dad, and younger sister, and we were all super excited about this trip. It was my sister and I’s first trip to Europe, and I’ve wanted to go since I was a little kid. Everyone in London was so lovely from the start. Our Uber driver was amiable and engaged in casual conversation with my family. Then we stayed in an Airbnb, and our host family made us fresh bread every morning, it was something I’ve never eaten, you could taste every grain and flavor, I miss it all the time. We spent the day exploring the town we were staying in, around 20 minutes from central London, and everyone smiled at us, saying hello, it was very welcoming. We went to the grocery store, and I noticed how everything was “cutely” packaged, there seemed to be more healthy options which I liked.

Though some things were more expensive in the US, there was nothing outrageously priced. I also learned that shopping bags cost money, that you got fined for putting recyclable objects in the trash, and all busses were eco friendly. I wondered why the US wasn’t taking eco-friendly options like this. When we took our trip to central London, there were a lot of protesters for Brexit, some talking about global warming, and some other issues outside the parliament building and the Buckingham Palace. I was kind of hoping Kate Middleton would be outside, but well, that didn’t happen. Anyways it was nice to see such passionate people screaming for what they believed in. In addition to this, I did see more pollution than the small town we were staying in, but nothing close to Philadelphia or New York City.

I know every country is different but this was a warming change in the environment to be vacationing in. Other things I loved while in London were the nicely kept parks that I would do runs in, the beautiful architecture you could see on every church building, and the friendly hospitality found from most people there. Of course, there was also great food around us, along with all the shopping one could do. I would recommend this trip because it’s easy to get around, everyone speaks English, and I mean, who doesn’t love a British accent.