Day 13 was probably the most fun day yet. We had a long day in London alone which was so nice as we had freedom to do as much as we possibly could. We started at the Florence Nightingale museum where we got to learn more about her life and the healthcare system during the time period when she was working. It was cool to hear all about her life and see real photos and recordings from her life after hearing about her in my classes all year. I got to see evidence of her efforts to improve healthcare and understand her impact in the war and in Victorian Britain. It was also cool to understand the different challenges she faces in more depth. After the museum, we met back outside and went our separate ways.

We started making our way towards the London Eye. I was shocked by the large size of it as well as the price. It was 42 pounds to ride which surprised me as I did not expect it to be nearly that expensive, but it is a 30 minute ride that seemed worth it. However, with all the time we had ahead of us, we decided to move on without riding it. We started making our way to Buckingham Palace and on our way, we saw guards and walked through St. James Park. There, we saw so many different birds such as pigeons, ducks, geese, and more. We were very infatuated the ducklings and their cuteness. There was a pretty pond that we stopped to take pictures at before walking the rest of the way to Buckingham Palace. It was beautiful with amazing architecture and tall, vast gates surrounding the entire palace. I think my favorite place we saw was Big Ben and the Tower of London Bridge, just because they’re iconic. We got to see the Tower of London Bridge on a Boat Tour we decided to go on to see everything we could while getting to take a rest from walking as we had been walking all day.

After eating lunch at a local pub, we walking down to the Westminster Pier where we were picked up by our boat. We were on the tour for about an hour and half before we got to Greenwich where we stalled for a little while. The guide then got on the intercom and told us we had to get off as a women was having a medical emergency. We got off, waited about thirty minutes, then got on another boat back to Westminster. The boat tour was great as we got to see a ton of different buildings, ship wrecks, beaches, old iconic restaurants, and more. After how long the boat tour was due to the emergency, we needed a quick dinner, so of course we went to McDonald’s. We made our way to the Novello Theatre where we got to see Mama Mia! The musical was amazing. I was especially impressed with the actress who played Donna because she had such a beautiful voice.

Here are some pictures from our time in London!