-: London, England

Once upon a time, I stepped off of a plane and walked into a magical fairytale land. That's what visiting London, England is like. Imagine cottages for houses, buildings that have been around since before America was even thought of, and castles and towers that the great kings and queens of England once called home. There is nothing like it!

With a group of friends in front of the British Museum

I was called on for work to go to London, leaving the day after Christmas and staying over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Every year, UCA and USA cheerleading associations invite their "all stars" from camp to go to London and participate in the London New Year's Day Parade. It was my job to follow different cheerleading groups around each day and keep a journal on what the experience is all about to visit London and participate in the parade. I took pictures and posted a new journal article each day in my online diary called, "Andrea's London Journal."

The famous London Telephone Booth!

We stayed in The Tower hotel, which is a hotel within steps of the Tower of London. We experienced popular places such as the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Covent Garden, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral and Widsor Castle, just to name a few.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Buckingham Palace

The experience was amazing, and although I complained about missing the ever-famous festivities of my January 1st birthday, I would not trade my London trip for the world! Not only did I see landmarks that many people will never experience, I gained a strong appreciation for history and the Royal Family.

Me and Crista in front of Tower of London

I could go on and on about how amazing my trip to London was, but if you are reading this and would like to intake the full London experience, I will leave you with my blog - a descriptive, interesting, and humorous diary of my six days in "The Old Smoke" (just a little city nickname I learned)!

Me and a lion in The British Museum