The end of the trip is quickly approaching and I have had so many good experiences during this trip, which included a day trip to London. My first day wasn’t a complete disaster, but it felt like it at the time. I got into Charles de Gaulle Airport, got through customs and found my luggage without a problem. Getting from the airport to the apartment we were staying at was a different story. I got to Gare du Nord, which is a fifteen-minute walk from where we were staying but when I finally found my way out of the train station I was in a deserted street, so I decided to try to get to Gare de l’Est, which is closer to the apartments. The metro isn’t hard to navigate once you figure it out, but starting from scratch by myself made it a little difficult. I eventually got to the apartments after getting lost two more times and getting some help from a few nice Parisians. This experience taught me that the street signs in Paris are on the buildings, not on posts on the corners of intersections, like they are in the United States, which is confusing. After less than a week in Paris I felt comfortable getting around and confident that I wasn’t going to get too lost, but even after two weeks I still get lost when trying to find specific places. The winding, small streets continue to confuse me.

Tower of London, originally built by William the Conqueror.

London in a day was a great experience. I got into London around 8:30am and started the day in King’s Cross Station, a necessary pilgrimage site for any Harry Potter fan. I then went to Westminster and got a great view of the London Eye, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Next I went to the National Gallery and saw a few works by Vincent Van Gogh.The museum was free but if you wanted a map you were required to make a one pound donation. At the British Museum, my next stop, the map cost two pounds. I saw the early and Roman Britain exhibits there.

Big Ben in Westminster

From there I got a chicken and vegetable pasty (a chicken and vegetable filled savory pastry) for lunch on Oxford Street. After lunch I went to the South Bank to see Southwark Cathedral, which has a memorial to Shakespeare and is not far from his Globe Theater which has been rebuilt not far from the original location on the South Bank. I then went to see the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge and took a ton of pictures. On the way home I decided to stop for English tea and a scone with golden raisins, which was delicious. The weirdest part of being in London was keeping to the left. Throughout the Underground (London subway) tunnels there were signs reminding people to keep left, which is the opposite side of the hallway from what I’m used to walking on.

London Eye in Westminster.

Omaha Beach, one of the American D-Day landing beaches

Caen is a town in lower Normandy that was liberated by the British during the invasion of Normandy in the summer of 1944. It is also the home of the chateau of William the Conqueror. I took a ton of photos from the wall of the beautiful view of the city. While staying in Caen we visited the D-Day Beaches and the American Cemetery. It’s hard to picture all of the German defenses and the soldiers on the beaches because of how beautiful and peaceful the beaches are now. The American Cemetery was situated on a beautiful and peaceful location overlooking a section of the beach. While we were exploring the cemetery the sun finally came out and it got warm and it was so beautiful. I have enjoyed my trips to France and London and I look forward to coming back again.