5/23: Landing in London

We landed in London around 12:45 at Heathrow National Airport, and despite the minimal amount of sleep that I got on the plane, I was very excited to start walking around and seeing everything the London has to offer. After we got to the Royal National, Jackson, Ryan, and I got pizza from the restaurant inside the hotel and before the group met at 6:00 for the tour of Picadilly Circus and to learn how to use the Tube, I took a quick 20 minute nap in my room. Jackson and I then joined the rest of the group and we left for the walking tour. Seeing Picadilly Circus was cool, but I was more interested in the next little area that we spent some time in, Leicster Square. Our first stop after we made it to Leicster Square, and bore witness to the great Billy Shakespeare statue, was to get pictures next to a metal statue of Paddington Bear on a bench. We also saw a statue of Batman perched on top of a nearby rooftop, surveying the city as The Dark Knight typically does. Seeing all of these cool little statues was very fascinating and fun and I am excited to find more little Easter egg-like statues throughout the various Parks and Squares in London. After admiring the statues and taking some pictures, a group of us went into the M&M’s super store and looked around for a moment. We then went into the most touristy place we could find, the Lego store, and I grabbed a couple of Brick-Heads to bring home as a souvenir. The group then made its way to a park next to the hotel to sit for a little bit, and after about 30 minutes, I made my way back to the hotel to call it a night. The jet lag is definitely hitting me hard right now but I am excited for the tour of the city by coach tomorrow morning and to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace.