For weeks I have been hearing the song “Good Life” on the radio, which starts off with the lyrics: “Woke up in London yesterday, found myself in the city near Piccidilly…”  Well, today that finally came true and I couldn’t be happier about it.  The day started off with a simple breakfast at the hotel, and off at 9 for a bus tour around London.  The day’s weather started off lovely, mild with blue skies.  We saw all the highlights you would expect to see in London: Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace (along with a changing of the guard) Tower of London, the list goes on and on.  After a lunch break near Coventry Gardens, we were off on our Charles Dickens walking tour.  The rain rolled in as the walking started, but it didn’t dampen the beauty of London’s historic buildings.  After a Fish & Chips dinner along the Themes River, we were able to disperse to spend the evening as we wished.

As for me, I am determined to enjoy every moment of London and absorb as much as I can.  London is everything I expected it to be, modern, internation and cosmopolitan, yet it still manages to surprise me.  It is like New York, if New York was clean everywhere.  London also isn’t a 24 hour city like I expected it to be.  The tubes stop running after midnight.  Also, I was surprised at the number of shops that were closed on Saturdays and Sundays, or had limited hours.

To me, our shared American/British history helps make London a very comfortable place to visit.  I don’t feel like a stranger in a strange land, I feel comfortable, even if things are a bit unfamiliar.  I know I have only been here a few days, but I already know I will be back after this trip is over.