One of the best parts of studying abroad is Semana Santa (direct translation: Easter Week). This means ten days – yes, ten days! – off from school and, therefore, a perfect opportunity to travel. While several classmates chose to visit the warm coast of Spain or eat gelato and pizza in Italy, two of my roommates and I decided to travel to the limit and hit three countries in Northern Europe – England, Germany, and Holland.

We started our Semana Santa visiting London and stayed in the busy, shopping area of Oxford Street. From the airport, we decided to take a taxi (since we had much bigger luggage to carry than usual). I wouldn’t suggest taking a taxi since it is very expensive. I just about died – the pound is expensive enough – so dropping 85 pounds my first moments in London was not the way to go. Ok, those 85 pounds were split between the three of us, but still. Take the Heathrow Express. Luckily we got our money’s worth, having a very friendly, talkative taxi driver who gave us his own personal tour while driving us into the city. Most of the taxi drivers I encountered on my trip to seemed to be chipper, and their British accents made them even more entertaining.

Having arrived in the evening, our first day in London only consisted of going out to dinner. Since my roommate Elyse’s cousin and uncle lived in London, we went to visit their family Mexican restaurant, Mestizo. London, like America, doesn’t typically have a main cuisine for the country (except for good ol’ fish and chips). It instead consists of a mixture of cuisines. So, if you go to London, take advantage of those different cuisines offered. If you want Mexican food,  Mestizo has the one of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had – and I’m from California. It also has the absolute best margaritas I’ve ever had. And I usually don’t like margaritas.

Our first full day in London was a day spent on one of those double-decker, open-topped tour buses. It is actually a pretty practical way to see the city since it drives you everywhere and since you can use it as an alternative transportation system (they’re hop-on, hop-off buses). So within my first day I had seen the National Gallery, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, the London Bridge, the Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, and others. Basically the entire ride I was standing up from my seat and leaning over the rail to get a picture of every tourist site we passed.

Luckily for us, Elyse’s cousin had an in with the best nightlife in London. Interestingly, London’s nightlife starts a lot earlier and ends earlier than the nightlife we were used to in Madrid. But, no matter, it was my best nightlife experience in a city. Most of London nightlife occurs around Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus, which are the busy shopping streets. We learned quickly that the English dress to impress at night – no matter how cold it is – and discovered that club staff members will not let you in if you are not wearing heels. Despite having to deal with the snobbiest staff members I’ve ever met, I had the time of my life at Cirque Le Soir, which Elyse’s cousin was so generous to take us to. Let’s just say that there you can have a clubbing experience while also jumping in a ball pit (I’m serious), having a pillow fight, eating complimentary waffles in the club’s “kitchen” room, watching a circus performance, and dancing with eccentrically dressed staff members. It was one night I will never forget.

Since our hop-on, hop-off tour bus ticket was applicable for 24 hours, we went back on to the double-decker bus the next day to take us to the London Eye. Unfortunately it’s not free to go onto the London Eye, but the 20 pounds are worth paying to see all of London from the gigantic ferris wheel. Walking back from the London Eye, we just started to catch the sunset; but I heard that if you waited to see the London Eye at night it’s beautiful. The London Eye becomes multi-colored and the city below lights up.

On Sunday, London hosted the London Marathon. While the event seemed fun, we decided to take a tour to Stonehenge to avoid the crowds. Also, who wouldn’t want to see one of the wonders of the world? Before my roommates and I went to Stonehenge, I woke up a little earlier to take a walk to Regent’s Park, which was nearby our hostel. The morning proved to be sunny and warm, the perfect weather for a visit to the park. Since it was spring, all the flowers were in bloom and I instantly fell in love with the charming gardens. In Queen Mary’s garden, families were out sitting on benches and kids darted through the mazes of greenery on the little island in the pond. I could have spent an entire day there if I didn’t have a bus to catch to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere so the bus ride proved to be a scenic drive through charming neighborhoods and then endless green and yellow fields. At the Stonehenge site we were given audio guides to listen to while walking around the circumference of the stones. The ruins are blocked off by ropes so that the millions of tourists that visit each year don’t erode the ground that supports it, but you still get a good view of the mysterious boulders. What I thought was funny was that during the entire audio recording it was said that no one knows why Stonehenge was built or who built it. There are only theories. So I don’t think I learned very much about Stonehenge.

Afterward, when we returned to London, the three of us met up with Elyse’s cousin for dinner. Having a local take you out is always the best way to go; you get to eat at places you never would have otherwise known about. That night we were taken to The Churchill Arms, which looks like a regular pub on the outside but has a surprise for you in the inside. The interior is eccentrically decorated, with baskets and other trinkets covering the walls. One room displays various plants along the walls and ceiling, making it look like a little greenhouse. While the name of the place sounds very English, the food is actually Thai. I never would have known that this random restaurant in Notting Hill would be home to one of the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had.

On our last day in London, my roommate Brie and I decided to try and catch the changing of the guard. But when we got to Buckingham Palace we were faced with crowds and crowds of people. People were bunched up along the sidewalks and climbing onto the fence in order to get a better look (although they would consequently get yelled at by the police, who were monitoring the area). It was hard enough seeing past people’s heads but even more difficult was seeing over the layers of kids on their parents’ shoulders, often with cameras in their hands. I had no idea that just a simple routine by the palace guard would attract so many people. But then again it was the day after the London Marathon, so I figured most of the crowd was left over from the big event. Even so, I managed to get a peek of the guard’s routine which was good enough for me after being cramped between so many people.

Like any other place, I felt that my time in London went by too fast with still so many more things to see. One thing I wish I was aware of while in London was the use of the Oyster card. For the most part we avoided the tube due to the expensive tickets, but paying for taxis wasn’t any cheaper. Apparently the Oyster card is a cheaper way to pay for taking the tube because you end up paying less than you would buying multiple single tube tickets. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

While I wasn’t ready to leave London, I was glad to no longer have to pay with the pound. Also, I was excited for my next destination: Berlin.