An American Girl in Avignon

May 1

After our night from hell, today was a breath of fresh air for our tired and frustrated bodies. Since we were in London, we thought it was appropriate to take a hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tour around town. The price we paid was worth it, and even included a boat cruise on the Thames. When we gave our tickets to the cute, young guide decked-out in sunglasses, he said in the most adorable British accent, “No worries. Have a great tour babe. The weather’s right smashing today.” I think I am in love.

If you go to London, I highly recommend a double-decker bus tour. You can get places quicker, have a nice ride, and hop on and off as much as you want within a 24 hour period. The view was great, and the usually rainy London was bright and sunny all weekend. We definitely lucked out with the weather.
We saw all the big sights: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Mary’s, The Eye (the world’s tallest Ferris wheel), before stopping at lunch at a McDo along the Thames. (It was cheap, and I find it interesting how the McDo in each country each has its own specialties and different types of McFlurries). The special here was a chicken sandwich with red tomato salsa. Cheap and good. Just the way we liked it.

As mentioned before, we can’t seem to escape French no matter where we go, the woman next to me was from Paris, and we had a good conversation about the city, all in French of course (I don’t know if she knew English or not). It felt really cool to finally be able to have a basic conversation with a French person. Maybe I am progressing more than I give myself credit. I also find it funny that we heard more foreign languages in England than British accents…French in particular. This was probably for two reasons: one, we can understand French, and two, it is a big international travel destination.


After walking through the Royal Green Gardens, stopping at Buckingham Palace to peak and see if the Queen was home (she was, the flag was flying), we went to Madame Tousseau’s wax museum. So cheesy, but so funny. Sadly, the closest I am ever going to get to the royal family and Prince Harry is made of wax…oh well. I can dream, can’t I?

After riding around and walking around in Piccadilly Circus, we hopped on the boat cruise on the Thames under London Bridge (which I actually thought was what is called Tower Bridge) before hopping off by the tower of London for a quick dinner before our long walk back. It seems like hardly any place in Europe takes credit cards anymore; we all had to pull out cash again before ordering. I don’t know why this is, but it is inconvenient.

Our walk back to the hotel was about 40 minutes, but it was really enjoyable. It was breezy and the city was starting to come alive at night. It’s safe to say that today made up for our cruddy day before.

I started thinking to myself whether I liked Paris our London better. That’s a tough choice, because they are both so different. They have such a different feel. The vibe from London is more modern and hip. I enjoyed the fashion more in London, because the ensembles were more colorful and experimental. It was neat to people watch and see what all the stylish Londoners were wearing. London reminded me of Chicago in a way. It was spread out and very, very clean. Paris has a more intimate, European feel, with a touch of feminine, romantic feeling. Less big city atmosphere and more Old World Charm. It’s difficult to choose. Right now I am leaning towards London as my favorite, but that may change after I return to Paris for a second time. Cheerio for now.