March was a pretty dreary month for me, with the exception of one week, which I spent in the homeland of Mad Cow Disease. Although I ate no beef while there, I nevertheless had a great time touring England, taking part in an exchange program between my school, The New Jewish High School of Greater Boston, and the King Solomon School on London.

First of all, let me rave about all the great things you can do in London. Obviously, as a city of wide renown and home to the most photographed building in the world (Buckingham Palace), you can imagine London as a place where any sort of activity or sight can be found. In my limited time there, I discovered an abundance of historical and cultural attractions and places guaranteed to enthrall anyone. I'll start with the must-sees. There's Buckingham Palace, where you can join millions of other people having their picture taken in front of its iron gates. Then there are all the churches, such as Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. If you enjoy the historical type of attraction, explore the Abbey and its many tombs of kings, scientists, and authors. If you are less easily amused, visit St. Paul's, where you will find the whispering gallery and be able to hike up what seems like thousands of staircases so that you can catch the best view in town. The world's largest Ferris wheel, which is apparently touring the world, is temporarily in London, so make sure to check it out. Other historically significant places are the Tower of London, the War Rooms, Trafalgar Square, and the British museum, which contains innumerable ancient artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone. For the more artistically inclined, there is the National Gallery as well as the Tate Modern. The Royal Shakespeare Company also performs in London, and a Shakespearean play can be especially fun if you get to see your English teacher fall asleep in the middle of it. A number of theaters put on outstanding musicals and non-Shakespearean plays, too. As a bustling metropolis, London has many enticing shopping areas. Highly recommended are Covent Garden, a charming marketplace, and Harrod's or Marks and Spencer, if only because they are world-famous, authentic department stores selling everything imaginable. Make sure to stop by Parliament to see Big Ben. You can also sit in on a meeting of the House of Lords, which is usually fairly uneventful, but you will be able to see Brits who still dress up in powdered wigs especially for this occasion. Some other things which will enhance your visit are attending afternoon tea, eating in one of the churches' crypt cafes, riding a double-decker, and using a telephone in one of those little red telephone booths. English food is notorious for its inferiority to other European cuisine, but there are many international restaurants serving a variety of foods, and Cadbury's chocolate is delicious. I should warn you never to miss an opportunity to buy candy from the vending machines you will see when you take the subway, affectionately called "the Tube." One thing to take note of while in London is the exceptionally polite way the British "queue up," whether they are waiting for a bus or a burger, which is strikingly different from the American way of pushing and shoving.

Now, if you travel to London on an exchange program like mine, you will have the additional benefit of getting to know British kids your own age. This will give you insight into the life of a typical English teen, as well as exposure to typical English-teenage sorts of things that go on. If you stay with a host family, they might take you to a pub, a party (the British kids had them every night, leading me to believe they biologically need less sleep than us Americans), or they may simply feed you scones and clotted cream, all three of which are enjoyable experiences. A unique part of my trip was being able to see the thriving Jewish community just outside of London, and to see how Jewish day schools operate: they are public schools and thus many Jews, not just strictly observant ones, take advantage of the opportunity to obtain a Jewish education, resulting in the school size of about 800 students. Staying with a host, one also picks up British slang, which is useful in many contexts. Lastly, staying with a British family makes the entire experience much more authentically English, and will be a source of fond memories after the trip.

In summing up my experience/travel tips, I recommend squeezing into your touring schedule as much as possible because almost anything you do will be an invaluable experience, or at least fun. Do some research, and make sure everything you do sounds interesting first, because then chances are it will be. Try to get the basics done, like eating fish and chips and seeing the Changing of the Guard, and even if you can only go for a couple of days, organize a school trip or just hop on a plane yourself and get to London because it will be a trip you'll never forget!

I'm 16 years old. I go to the New Jewish High School near Boston, Massachusetts. I'm involved in Student Council, and I like to dance.