My first ever trip abroad was to United Kingdom, when I was 13 (quite a difference to today’s generation; my nephew had already seen Paris twice by the time he was two). I was so excited to fly for the first time, I threw up when we arrived at the airport. My family’s longtime British friends, Tim and Angela, were waiting for my brother and me in London, as well as their three children, Nick, Hugh and Anna. I was a bit weary to go alone with my older brother, whose main pleasure, back then, was to bully me. He was and still is, five years older than me. It was all fun and games, really, I was just the little sister who got easily upset; I was an easy target, you see … Moving past that, it was all fine, and we had a wonderful time.
I have a vivid flashback of all of us racing to catch a London cab in order to not miss the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. To my great disappointment, we missed it, and I had to wait several more years to witness it. But we did enjoy most other London landmarks: Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament, a River Thames cruise, riding on the London Eye, visiting London Bridge and The Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, and many more. It was all so thrilling! My favorite one, as a teenager, was of course Madame Tussauds and the Planetarium. What thrills me the most today, is London’s elegance, history, charm and stateliness. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been looking through the pages of a thick book on the Royal Family, with Diana being my idol; Princess Diana was, and still is, people’s most beloved princess, around the world.
What fascinates you most about London? Do you have a favorite landmark?
