Stop #2 - London, England

London proved to be even more impressive than I had initially thought.  The landmarks gave off a sense of history and of culture.  Even time I saw Buckingham Palace or Big Ben or the Tower of London I felt the importance of each one.  Each one telling a different story, holding historic importance to the country.  Buckingham Palace, which I had not know before, was not the castle of the royalty of England until Queen Victoria.  The Tower of London held the crown jewels, which was something that was so impressive to me since there is nothing like that to symbolize royalty in the United States (given that there isn't any royalty).  It gave me insight into how the royalty were treated in England and how much of a role they play in the history of England and why that history is so important.  England was one of the most important and prevalent imperial powers throughout history and their influence spread widely into many countries.  Although this imperialism was not always positive, the presence of England on a world scale is still very present and plays a large role in the development of the industrial world.  The food of England shows this imperialism, given that curry, a traditionally Indian food, was also very popular in England.  Tea, also not traditionally British, is now a staple of British culture.  This shows that although England has a lot of culture themselves, they also borrowed stuff through imperialism that helped to shape their modern culture.  Experiencing England was very eye-opening given the way people interacted and the way they respected elders and people in government, it was a stark contrast to the United States in which being rebellious is almost seen as a positive thing.  I began to have a greater appreciation for English culture throughout this trip and seeing historic landmarks firsthand is always an incredible experience.  I would recommend London to any person looking to travel to Europe since it is fairly easy to navigate, the people are friendly, and there is no issues with a language barrier.