Mini London Travel Guide

Hello! Welcome and thank you for joining me for my new post/adventure on my travel blog. I took a 10 day trip with a group of students through EF tours to London, Paris, Florence and Rome. Just to give you a quick background on what EF is, it is an educational program that allows teachers to recruit students to go on a trip. This trip can either be international or in the United states. EF has several branches: EF is the educational one, Go Ahead Tours is the adult one and EF Ultimate Break is for anyone between the ages of 18-28. I have been on two tours with them and I am very impressed and satisfied with the way they organize all of the activities on the tour. As a teacher, the only thing I have to worry about is that my kids are in the right place at the right time. Today I am going to tell you about our time in London.

Let’s start with the first part of our trip which includes the travel day and our time in London. We left from Lubbock and flew to Houston. Then, we took a direct flight from Houston to London. Below is a group photo of us at the airport.

After we landed in London we went straight to the city center to begin a walking tour. We had some free time around Trafalgar Square. I really enjoyed our time here, There were a couple of free museums, including the National Portrait Gallery. The city center is a nice area that is close to several subway stops and has fountains and area to relax in.

One of my favorite things about London was the public transportation. The subway was very easy to use and will take you wherever you need to go in London!

The next day we took a tour of the Tower of London. The Tower of London is a 1,000 year old castle that protects the Crown Jewels. It was a secure fortress, a royal palace and an infamous prison. Here we got to see how the castle has always protected the nation’s treasures, saw the luxurious palace of Kings and Queens and experienced the places where people were imprisoned while awaiting torture, death or punishment. We also had a beautiful view of the London Bridge from this area!

Afterward, we had a walking tour and were able to see Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. Our tour guide was outstanding and very knowledgeable about the history of these places. We were able to see the changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. They have a band that walks up the street playing music and the ceremony lasts about 45 minutes. It begins at 11 a. m., but to get a good spot you want to get there early.

Buckingham Palace

Some of the other things we saw that are worth visiting are the London Eye, Covent Garden, a Harry Potter Tour and of course trying Fish and Chips!

Some of the kids rode the London eye and they were able to get a one of a kind view of the city! The ride lasted somewhere from 30-45 minutes. Located in the West End of London, Covent Garden is renowned for its luxury fashion and beauty stores as well as its award-winning restaurants and theatres. There is also a market with delicious food and many souvenir shops.

A cafe in Covent Garden

The Harry Potter Tour is a must if you are a fan. You are able to see the original sets and costumes from the movies. While in London, you must try the fish and chips which can be found on almost any corner (chips is just an english word for fries.) While we were there we were also able to learn other british terms for common words such as: biscuits=cookies, jumper=hoodie, tube/underground=subway, crisps=potato chips, and lift=elevator. Below are some picture of some of our meals.

Breakfast at our hotel

Fish and Chips

very delicious mashed potatoes with beef

This brings me to the end of my London post. Thank you for visiting my page and keep a lookout for my next posts about Paris, Florence and Rome!

If you know any other British vs. American words please feel free to share them with me in the comments or tell me which one of the ones I shared you already knew of, until next time!