Hola from Madrid, Spain!

Hello Mrs. Simpson's class!

Can you believe that I'm coming home in two days? I can't! I am very excited to get to see my family and Bancroft again!

I have spent the past two weeks in Madrid, the capital of Spain. It's a beautiful city!



This is the town hall! It used to be the post office as well.



My uncle and his family, who I'm staying with, love watching soccer (or football, as it's called in Europe). They took me to a live game and we sat only six rows away from the field. People love soccer here just as much as Canadians love hockey!

Something that I think that is very different from home is the Spanish concept of the day. Most stores don't open in Madrid until around 10 AM, and then close for the "siesta", or lunchtime/nap time, around 2-4 PMish. And then it doesn't get dark until around 10 PM, and that's when most people eat dinner. It isn't very common for the streets and restaurants to be busy until midnight!

Just over two days from now I will be home! Mrs. Simpson and I are hopefully going to figure out a time for me to come see you guys before the summer begins. Can you believe that this is the last entry I will write to you guys? I've hope you've enjoyed reading about my adventures around the world as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

See you soon,
Rebecca

Hello from Glasgow!

Hello Mrs. Simpson's class!

The last place I was in was Glasgow, Scotland! I was lucky enough to be able to stay with a good friend of mine named Rachel. It was so much fun having someone show me around their city. Glasgow is the biggest city in Scotland, even though it's not the capital. It is a beautiful city, but it rains every day there! That was the only thing I didn't really like about it.



This was when we spent some time exploring a botanical garden. One day we traveled to small town called Balmaha to go hiking up a large hill called Conic Hill. From there we had a fantastic view of Loch Lomond. In Scotland lakes are often called lochs - you may remember this from Loch Ness, where the famous Loch Ness Monster lives.



This is what Loch Lomond looks like!

Scotland is the second last country I am visiting. Right now I am writing this from Madrid, Spain, where I am staying with family. It is very sunny and warm here, much warmer than Scotland!

Hello from London!

Hello Mrs. Simpson's class!

It's rather strange not to be writing this on the MV Explorer, but rather I am sitting in my friend's apartment in Glasgow, Scotland! I think I'll take a couple minutes and tell you about London.

We disembarked the MV Explorer for the last time in Southampton, which was about an hour drive away from the Heathrow Airport. It was sad saying goodbye to many of my friends, but I am hopeful that I will see them again one day.

From the Airport we took the Underground into the central of London. London is a huge city! It has been a settlement for over 2000 years and currently has a population of over 8 million people. The Underground, or 'The Tube', is the oldest underground rail system! It is incredibly efficient for getting around London.

I saw many famous places in London that you probably recognize! See if you can guess what they are before I tell you!



How about this? It is Tower Bridge! It was built in 1886 and is one of the most iconic sights of London. The River Thames flows through London, so there are many bridges to cross it.

Or this?



This is Big Ben! It is a famous clocktower attached to the Parliament - did you know England has a very similar political system to Canada? That is because ours was modeled after theirs! Also, although many people call the clock tower itself Big Ben, Ben Ben itself is actually a bell inside the tower! You can also see the London Eye in the background. It is a famous ferris wheel.

Or how about this?



This is Buckingham Palace, where the Queen of England herself lives! You know the lady on all of our coins? That's her. When we visited, the flag at the top was raised, meaning she was there.

Finally, how about this building?



It is Shakespeare's Globe! If you remember, I am a theatre student so it was very cool for me to get to see a Shakespeare play performed here. This is not the original Globe, as it was demolished in 1644, however it is a close approximation of what William Shakespeare and his fellow actors would have performed in, very close to the spot where the original playhouse once stood.

As you can tell, I got to visit a lot of awesome places in London. It is a city with so much history and culture so I can't wait to go back one day and see more of it. In a few days I'll tell you about my time in Scotland!