Today was another free day! We decided to see as much of London as possible. We left the hostel bright and early and walked to the National Portrait Gallery. Once we were “all-portraited-out,” we decided to walk to Buckingham Palace. After consulting the map, we discovered that walking along The Mall seemed like the easiest route. Yet, as we approached The Mall, our way was blocked by construction. We were very confused, wandering around trying to find an alternate route. As we were walking up a set of stairs, complaining that it was incredibly hot outside, we heard someone say, “would you like some ice cream?” Surprised, we turned around and asked for clarification. The woman, indeed, was giving us free ice cream popsicles! We thanked her profusely. “Where are you from?” she asked. We told her we were from Colorado. She, and the two younger people sitting next to here were from Lithuania! She then asked us what we were doing in London –“Are you looking for boyfriends?” We told her we were taking a Shakespeare class. She smiled. We thanked her for the popsicles and continued our journey to Buckingham Palace. Once we were out of earshot, we excitedly turned to one another. “We just met someone from Lithuania! And she gave us popsicles!” With new energy from the popsicles, we marched on and eventually found Buckingham Palace! Though Buckingham Palace is amazing, it was also our encounter with the Lithuanian family that made the day’s adventure memorable!
