The last week’s classes were cancelled to allow students to study and prepare essays. I took this opportunity to do something that will actually benefit me in the long run. I awoke early on Wednesday and walked the block and a half to the bus station, purchased my ticket and joined the line (er, I mean queue) for departure.

One of the nice things about this country is that you don’t really need a car to get where you want to go.

Public transportation is readily available within and in-between the various cities of all sizes. It’s really quite a nice thing for visiting students and tourists, though locals may be a bit miffed at paying $5.60 for a gallon of gas to finance government transportation expenditures.

While in London, I heard a rumor that all personal vehicles may soon be banned from the city streets, freeing busses and taxis to rule the road. I could live with that, but of course I don’t have to, so I don’t count.

Upon arrival in London, I was immediately struck with how short the city is. I’m from a pretty small community, an Illinois “suburb” of Davenport, and basically my only point of reference for how big cities are “supposed” to look is Chicago.

I expected to see a similar neck-straining skyline in London, with its medieval institutions sprinkled about town. It wasn’t there. The reason seems simple enough; London was built well before the technology allowing skyscrapers existed.

I had just never given it any thought before, assuming that big cities were populated with big buildings.

This didn’t disappoint me, though. It was actually exciting to know that the buildings I was looking at are the same ones people have seen for hundreds of years and have been chronicled in the books of Dickens and other authors I couldn’t think of at the time.

My first task was to get myself checked in to the City of London Youth Hostel, one of seven or eight “official” youth hostels in London.

It was on the other side of town, and according to a brochure I had picked up, the best way to get there was via the Underground.

This was a bit of a daunting prospect – I hadn’t even figured out CyRide after a year in Ames. I decided I needed to board the green line, but wasn’t sure if I wanted the eastbound or westbound train.

Not being one to ask for directions, I walked to the eastbound platform and hopped on. Fortunately, I made the right decision. Climbing out of the subway, I saw a sign directing me to my destination.

The accommodations were nice enough, with all that I require: private and clean facilities. St. Paul’s Cathedral was the closest point of interest to the hostel, which was, it turns out, the dormitory for the cathedral’s choir some years ago.

As I approached the building, I thought its large dome was very similar to the one on the U.S. Capitol building and may have inspired the capitol’s design, but I’m not certain.

Walking is probably the best way to get around the city. I found myself going wherever my eyes took me and finding sights I would have otherwise missed.

All along Oxford Street where most of the shops are, there were street vendors selling delicious smelling sausages and caramel roasted peanuts.

If it weren’t for my aversion to food cooked by strangers outdoors, I would have gorged myself on the many edibles sold on the sidewalks: popcorn, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, just about anything.

In my three days in London, I managed to get in a lot of site-seeing: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London (expensive, but I got to meet the Beefeaters), Piccadilly Circus and Soho’s red light district (rather an accident really, but quite funny and worth seeing) to name a few.

While I was trolling around Big Ben and Parliament, I had a bit of a Forrest Gump moment.

I had walked to the garden nearby, and thought myself to be alone. I was admiring the building and the view across the Thames and was quite relaxed.

I may have even scratched myself in areas I would have avoided in mixed company. After about ten minutes I turned around only to see that the BBC was interviewing some guy and I had probably been in the shot for the whole segment. I tried desperately to act inconspicuous and exit the area without further embarrassing myself.

It was a great time though, more than there is space here to say.

I’ll just add that the youth hostels are definitely worth checking out. If you’re a lone traveler they are cheap, clean and a great way to meet people.

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Chris Crouch is a sophomore in political science from Rapid City, Ill.