Recently, my family traveled to England with my Tizzy and Grandad! I had a wonderful time. London is very different from Arizona. I loved the architecture of all the bridges and buildings. London is very old, so quite a few of the buildings look old fashioned and ornate, like the famous clock tower Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Buildings and shops decorated with flowers around the windows and doors were especially pretty.
London is a famous city, known for many things. I found going out to eat to be most interesting. London’s famous cuisine is pub food, with ingredients and dishes like hearty chicken, beef, soup, pies, hot chips, stew, toasted sandwiches and pasta dishes. I thought it was all delicious! London is also famous for Indian food. My family loves eating spicy Indian food so we had plenty of delicious choices. The English are also well known for their love of afternoon tea—usually sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, sweet and savory pastries, macaroons, cakes, and, of course, tea!
There were a few things in London that I found to be surprising and quite different. For instance, unlike the United States which has a President, in England there is a King. King Charles III was coronated on May 6. There were lots of Union Jacks decorating the city to celebrate the King’s coronation.
Another difference I noticed while walking around London were the bright red telephone boxes and red mail boxes. I haven’t noticed red telephone boxes in the U.S. and here we have blue mail collection boxes. Also, while America uses dollars and cents, England uses colorful notes called pounds and copper-plated coins with engraved images of the current ruling King or Queen called pence.
London is a big city, like New York City, so most people catch taxis, double decker red buses, ride bikes, take subway trains (called ‘the Tube’), walk, or use forms of public transport. My family usually took a black taxicab, caught the Tube, or walked. When we took a taxicab, I found it quite different driving on the other side of the road.
Although I enjoyed many of the activities in London, my favorite by far was watching a West End theatre show. I love theatre arts and performing, so I found going to the West End district in London to be really inspiring. I got to see “Wicked” and “Matilda The Musical!” I loved the marvelous actors, great sets, and inspiring music.
I loved London—it was memorable and amazing. I hope I can go back someday to see more theatre, explore more of the sights, and have more afternoon Teas!
