London, England

Fall Break began on October 29th and Jennifer and I planned a very busy week. We visited 3 countries in 7 days. I will post about the fall break according to the 3 locations. We began by flying from Memmingen West Airport to London. The flight lasted about one hour and by 2 p.m. we sat down at our reservations for afternoon tea. The waitress brought a 3-tiered plate with triangle sandwiches at the bottom, scones on the middle plate, and desserts on the top. The desserts were a small chocolate eclair and a mini fruit pie. We were so full by the end of the meal, but it was fun to eat like the British with tea and crumpets.

To walk off the big lunch, we went to Harrods, the well known department store. After walking around the different rooms and floors, we went on a search from discounted theater tickets. About four years ago, my mom and I took a trip to London and we saw 3 shows in 2 days. We found this little booth in the underground subway station and I hoped to find it again this trip. In the South Kensington underground, Jen and I bought tickets to see 'Dreamboats and Petticoats' from the ticket booth I am sure my mom and I had found previously. The musical is probably my favorite part of the whole trip. The show had live music from the 50s and 60s with a cute story line of love, the American dream, and great music. At intermission Jen and I noticed we were the youngest ones in the audience by at least 30 years, but we didn't care. At the end of the show, the cast played music for everyone to dance to and we joined in 'The Twist.' Couples were dancing in the aisles and old ladies were clapping their hands. It was a fun night in London at the theater.

On Saturday Jen and I went to the Victoria and Albert museum for a free tour. But before the tour, I stopped in Starbucks and asked for a peppermint mocha (because I didn't see it on the menu) and they made me a grande! A peppermint mocha is one thing I have really missed these past 3 months. The weather in London was a little cold and damp and just required my favorite warm Starbucks drink. The V&A museum also made my London visit worth while because I love English history, specifically the Victorian Age. The Young Victoria is my favorite movie and I have spent the last year learning much about English history. After the museum tour, we took a free walking tour of London. Our tour guide, Giles, showed the group Wellington Arch, Buckingham Palace, St. James Park (includes a road with 4 lanes of traffic: cars, walkers, bikers, and horses), Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Parliament building, and lots more. After the tour ended, Jen and I walked to the Tower Bridge, the Globe Theatre, and the Tower of London just to see more sights. We also went on a hunt for candy corn for the traditional Halloween candy. We finally found a place near Leicester Square. We ate a few pieces and saved the rest for Halloween the following day. Although we did not go inside many places in London, we walked around most of London in just two short days.