London, England

Apart from Rome, Italy - London, England is the city that I was most looking forward to seeing during my first trip to Europe.

There's just so much to see here: Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Big Ben and Abbey Road among other locations.

I was traveling with just one of my three friends when we went to England. The other two split off and went surfing in a city in Southern France.

It also happened to be my birthday when we went to London.

We only had a day, so we tried to make the most of it. We visited all of the mentioned sites and more. We walked further and longer than I thought possible.

We had taken a night bus from Paris, France to London, England. Essentially, all that meant was that we didn't get any sleep when the bus rolled in at 6 a.m. We were completely exhausted all day.

But we knew that we had to visit many, many locations. It was a struggle.

We enjoyed the many parks throughout the city and even had lunch at one. A bird pooped all over my friend while we were eating. It was a memory that I'll never soon forget.

I was also able to meet up with one of my old friends that I knew in college. She's a native of London, and offered to meet us in the city.

She brought us to a few of her favorite places in the city. So, it was nice to get a local's perspective.

We kept chatting, and before we knew it - we realized that we were going to be late for our returning train ride back to Brussels, Belgium.

She acted quickly and got an Uber to take us to King's Cross Station.

It was quite the birthday - perhaps the one that I remember most fondly.

Despite the lack of sleep, I couldn't get over how much there was to see in the city. I can't wait until I have another chance to explore London, England.