The past three months in Cape Town have been absolutely amazing. I have met so many wonderful people and truly felt like Cape Town has become a home away from home. Saying goodbye to South Africa (for now) was really sad, but Luckily, I had a trip to Europe to help ease my transition back to normal life in Ohio.
On Saturday morning, after a restless 12 hour flight, I met my sister at the London Heathrow airport. From the airport we took the Underground tube to Hammersmith Station where paused to eat some delicious crepes, and then took the (double-decker) bus to our Air BnB, an apartment between Acton and Shephards Bush.
To get a feel for the city and public transportation system we took a bus back to Hammersmith Station and then caught yet another bus back toward the city center so that we could sit on the top level of the double decker bus and absorb the scenes of London. We got off the bus at Green Park and spent some time walking around Green Park and St. James’ Park before admiring Buckingham Palace from the grand gates.
After the park we explored the city center at Trafalgar Square, where we admired the brilliant statues and monuments, watched part of an orchestral ensemble rehearsal at St. Martin in the Fields, and toured (a small part of) the massive National Gallery.
For our first dinner in London we opted for traditional British food. We enjoyed fish & chips, sausage & mash, and a few pints at a pub in Covent Garden before heading back for the night.
