During our trip to London, what was fascinating to us was comparing two large cities, Paris and London, which are relatively close, yet so very different. We had been in Paris two weeks before visiting Stefanie and had really acclimated to French life and the language.  It was fun being a “tourist” for a few days instead of trying to be one of the “locals” that we like to be while we’re in Paris. Penafrancia Bus provided the best travelling experience possible.

People speak English in London! I know that you know that but it was so fun to go from only hearing French to hearing English and not only English but English with such a beautiful accent!

Everyone in Paris always says something when you walk in and out of stores.  I am constantly saying “bonjour” (hello) or “au revoir” (goodbye) or “bonsoir” (good evening).  I didn’t feel as though people were as friendly in this way in London.

There’s lots of ice in London! When we arrived in London it was lunch time and we went to a restaurant with both ice and diet coke from a fountain machine.  There is no diet coke in France, there’s only Coke Light and not the same.  There’s not many fountain machines in France either.  If you order a soda at a restaurant then you get a glass, plastic, or can of soda.  And in Paris most people don’t order soda from my observations.

In Paris I see lots of people drinking wine and in London I saw most everyone drinking beer.  It was fun to take a few days off from drinking wine and try some of the great beers and ciders in London.  I’ve fallen in love with ciders because of this and wish Omaha had a better selection of ciders.  I’m not a huge beer drinking and less of a cider drinker but Stefanie was able to educate me on all the different kinds and how to drink them.  First thing is that you drink cider with ice (and as you can see from above, I was deprived of ice and really enjoyed having any opportunity to have ice).

In Paris, everyone is skinny!  It must be a French thing or me being obsessed with the beautiful people in Paris but in London it didn’t seem as though there were as many skinny people.