Submitted by Randy Short on the 2016 spring semester program in Tuscany, Italy…
After arriving in London and finding our hotel, we were able to take the Tube to Piccadilly Circus. It was a nice ride, but Piccadilly on St. Patrick’s Day is a bit disorienting. Club recruiters kept trying to sell us from off the street and we just wanted to find a place to eat! We finally did, but the exchange rate really does make it expensive. But, it was a good meal with my friends and I’m excited for the next day.
The next day, we were able to see everything in London, it was great! What helped the most was the tube, which was actually very easy to figure out. With our oyster passes, we probably used the Tube at least 25 times. We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, then went back to Buckingham to see the changing of the guard. It was hard to see because it was behind a gate. I saw a changing of the guard ceremony in Ottawa, and it was a nice open field where everyone could see perfectly. I heard that they were in front of the gate, but changed it due to security and annoying tourists. It really is unfortunate that a ceremony like this is lessened because of modern changes, but that is the volatility of tourism. Afterwards, we saw the beautiful Tower Bridge. We ate at a pub for happy hour so food was so cheap! Later, we went and enjoyed the London Eye and had a great view of the city! We finished with St. Paul’s then went to bed quickly afterwards.