For seven days, we would all get the privilege tour another country. We left NYC the night of  Saturday, April 14, and landed in London early Sunday morning. Although most of us were running on less than four hours of sleep, we were already laughing and talking through the entire customs line.

Once we had our bags and were heading out of the airport, we met our tour guide, and the other schools we would be spending the week with. Within the first five hours of being in London, we had already seen some of the biggest landmarks. We saw the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben (under renovation) and we were on our way to The Tower Of London. This was only the beginning.

On the second day we got to head back into London and drive around the city while a tour guide gave us information on every building we passed. We even got the chance to see the changing of the royal guard outside of Buckingham palace. That wasn’t the only royal residence we saw that day; we also got to travel to Windsor and visit Windsor Castle. While we were there the queen was in. We were on a trip fit for royalty.

We saw the historical site of Stonehenge, all the while making friends with the other students on our tour. Not only within our Danbury group, but with kids from the other schools as well. We stayed in a rumored to be “haunted” hotel, and went on a spooky Jack The Ripper tour.

My favorite part was when we left London for a couple days and headed out to cities such as Bath, Oxford, and Salisbury. Our day in Bath included seeing the Roman baths and walking through the gorgeous historical building that was with it. We got to drink the water that was said to heal any illness you had.

Walking around Bath is what really took our breath away. Not only were we graced with beautiful weather, but the warm stone architecture made it feel like a perfect summer day. There were performers around every corner and music filling the streets.

That same day we headed into Stratford-upon-Avon and visited where William Shakespeare was born. It was another beautiful city where we got ice cream and walked down cobblestone streets.

We got to walk around Oxford and visit one of the colleges in Oxford University. In Oxford we were given more free time to walk around, shop, and get lunch before our long bus ride back to London. Our last day we were given free time one last time after riding the London Eye. We took the tube to Piccadilly Circus and then went to museums where we got to sunbathe in a beautiful courtyard and cool down in a small swimming fountain.

Throughout the week, we not only gained friendships, but we made memories that will last a lifetime. This trip was an opportunity to explore not only the world, but history and culture. Every student was able to find something in England that they absolutely loved. From William Shakespeare’s birthplace, to the historical city of Bath.

At the end of the trip we all had our final meetings and our final huddles acknowledging the end of our adventure. Our tour guide had words for us that explained how he hopes this trip inspired us all to travel. We all left  a piece of us in England, but took the new found love for travel back home.