Have you ever been on the London Underground? I hadn't either, before today. In the morning, I woke up early. I packed my backpack full of bottled water and snacks purchased in Italy (Thank you, Kinder) and maps of the underground. I made my way to the station closest to my hotel, and got on the first train I saw. My goal today? To get as lost as possible, and find my way back. I took eighteen trains total, and ended up in Epping. It looked very old, and was surrounded by farm lands. I ate lunch there and rested for a while, before sitting down on a curb and whipping out my maps. After about an hour of deliberation and frustration, I had my path mapped out, and I got back on the train, and the next, and the next. Finally home, I collapsed at the hotel, sleeping for an unspeakable number of hours. The London Underground was constructed in 1900, during which time London was Britain's largest industrial center. Roughly five million London citizens had jobs in 1900, 40% of which were in manufacturing. A year later, over 2,000 London citizens were killed by an epidemic of small pox! King Edward VII was king during this time. London is also the setting of the book I read in English class. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, centers around a boy, Pip, growing up and moving to London to become a gentlemen:

Writing in POV of Pip:

Herbert comes through the door of Barnard's Inn, his purchases from the day under one arm, and motions me through. He points at the bed that has been brought up for my benefit, and pulls a sandwhich out of the sack he carries under his arm and tears at it ravenously. I do suppose that this is just a waypoint on my journey to becoming a gentleman, and I hope that I will remember it fondly, much as I do my childhood home in the village near Thames. I hope to go out and see more of London tomorrow, I was brought here so seldom as a child.

French Postcard:

Aujord-hui, je pris la train. Je visite Big Ben et The London Eye. Je mange le dejuner dans un petit café dans Epping. Je pris la train nouveau. Je me couche dans l'hôtel.