The reality TV show, Love and Hop Hop Hollywood had tons of drama as usual, but one of the highlights for me in this season  was to see the cast in London. There’s so much beauty in London. I have a special love for castles, kings, and queens, so I love to visit anything that has to do with royalty. There’s so much to see! As you plan your trip, you might feel overwhelmed by all of the attractions, so here are some of the best things to do in London.

The Tower Bridge of London

Tower of London by David Stanley

The Tower Bridge is one of London’s most visited attractions. Go inside this iconic bridge for a glorious view of the city. Peruse the bridge don’t forget to bring your camera for amazing photographs of the view.

Tower of London

My visit to the Tower of London was one that I’d never forget. The buildings are immense, but it was the demonstrations around the castle that I remember most. We saw very entertainers, like jugglers and there were plenty of actors and actresses demonstrating various famous moments in time.

Crown Jewels

Best Things to Do in London:  This is a replica of Queen Victoria’s crown

Visiting the crown jewels in the Tower of London was a highlight of my trip to London. It’s one of the best things to do in London.  Now,  I don’t know if the jewels on display were real or not. Some of the other tourists were muttering that the jewels were fake. Since I was there to see the jewels as a member of the press, I was given a behind the scenes view of some of the clothing being repaired. I have to admit that it seemed as though one of the dresses that we saw in the Tower of London was a replica, because I saw the same dress in another room that they had set-up to repair the precious items.

Big Ben

Big Ben photo by Taz Wake

Big Ben is more than a clock. It is a mechanical wonder. You can’t visit England without touring Big Ben.

The London Eye

It’s been such a long time  since I’ve visited London that the London Eye was not even built yet. It opened in 1999, but when I get to London again, I’m definitely going to ride on the London Eye. Riding as a VIP would be an amazing experience.

Hampton Court Palace

My visit to Hampton Court Palace is more than a visit it was an actually stay. I stayed overnight in the castle, and it was an experience that I would never forget. From dramatic storytellers, I learned about history of some of the notorious residents of the palace. I ate scrumptious food, which I believe was cooked using traditional methods. Always will I remember the huge open fireplace in the dining area.

Highclere Castle

Highclere Castle has become even more popular since it’s been featured on the show, Downtown Abbey. It’s a picturesque castle that you’d love! Overnight stays are also available.

Buckingham Palace

A tour of Buckingham Palace is definitely a must, and it could possibly be the highlight of your trip. Plan to see the staterooms and the unforgettable grand staircase.

Hyde Park

If you are looking for some of the best things to do in London that are free, you should consider going to a park and the popular Hyde Park is a great choice.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a miraculous mystery that is a must-see while in the country. You will have to travel a bit outside of England to Wiltshire to get there, but it’s definitely work it.

Westminster Abbey

St. James Park

St. James Park is yet another lovely option for something free to do in the London area. It’s less than 2 miles away from London.

When planning a trip to the Oktoberfest celebration in Helen, Georgia, I get excited about the food, especially the food at Bigg Daddys Restaurant. My mouth waters when I think about that place.

Luckily, I was able to combine a trip to the mountains with a stop over in Helen. I made it to Oktoberfest. After walking around the Oktoberfest festivities for a while, I was hungry. I was too hungry for a little snack. I needed some real food. I’d eaten at Bigg Daddys during a previous Oktoberfest, so I knew where I wanted to go, but I didn’t remember how to get there. I asked for directions, and then I asked the million dollar question. Can I walk or should I drive?

One of the people whom I spoke with told me that it was an easy walk to Bigg Daddys. The second person told me that it was a good four blocks away, and I had the impression that she wouldn’t recommend walking. It was humid, and I was already tired, but I decided to walk anyway.

Bigg Daddys is around the corner and down the street from a Wendy’s. It’s a short distance from the “festhalle” which is the Chamber of Commerce building. Once you find it, it’s easy to recognize Bigg Daddys, from its large triangular-shaped roof. There are also signs identifying the restaurant.

When I entered Bigg Daddys I was grateful for the  cool air from the air conditioner. It was a sharp contrast from the muggy air outside.  The place was pretty full and very loud. Many of the patrons had their eyes glued to the TVs, and they would erupt into screams from the plays made in the game they were watching. I assumed that it was a Falcon’s football game.  I was seated in the back of the restaurant, because I wanted to eat inside, and there weren’t many seats left. There’s a large patio where many people were already munching on their food.

I wanted the coolest air from the air conditioner, and I wanted something freezing cold to drink. When the sever came over to take my order, I couldn’t wait to order a frozen drink, but there were no frozen drinks on the drink menu that the server directed me to. I could get something sweet on ice, so I decided to get some sweet tea.

I looked over the menu and couldn’t decide between the fish and the ribs. I had the fish last time, and it was great. That’s why I was back a second time… Should I have something different? I explained my dilemma to the server and she practically solved my problem when she said that I’d get a ton of food if I ordered the ribs.

The ribs came with the choice of two sides, so I ordered fries and macaroni. My server kept my glass of tea filled. A few minutes later, I was so full, that I could not eat another bite. I sat and people-watched for a while. I called my server to bring me the bill, but she was so busy that I had to ask another server to get her so I could pay.

When my server showed up, she had a to-go carton ready for me. I was a bit annoyed that I had to have someone get her, but I got over that when she arrived with that to-go box. I love intuitive restaurant servers.

I’m so glad that I found Bigg Daddy’s, and I chose to eat there again. I tore up the leftovers when I got home later that night. The barbecue had just the perfect flavor. I chose to have sauce instead of the dry rub. The sauce had a smokey flavor. I was glad that the pork was meaty, not fatty. I hate fatty barbecue. I really enjoyed the barbecue at Bigg Daddys, and the fish that I had on my previous trip was good, too. I can’t wait for my next visit there.

Yes. There’s beer at Oktoberfest in Helen, Georgia. There’s plenty of beer to partake in, but this Oktoberfest destination is also oodles of fun for families, also. Helen is naturally beautiful. The city looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale. There’s even a store that pays respect to Hansel and Gretel. As I walked down the streets (which thankfully are not cobblestone) I heard a mother tell her delighted young son, “There’s Hansel and Gretel.”

Old Fashioned Fun for Oktoberfest

Helen doesn’t have to don decorations in homage of Oktoberfest. It’s an alpine city year-round. Nestled in the mountains, visitors will find homemade fudge, ice cream, and pretzels sold in the picturesque stores. Horses clop down the street, which is busy with SUVs, sedans, and tour buses. Yet, the horses pulling the carriages seem not to be bothered by all of the racket. The tourists in the carriages are delighted.  A horse walked slowly and steadily in front of my rental car, and I learned another lesson in patience.

I walked past a little old man playing the drums on the sidewalk. A couple of bystanders were drawn to him and chatted with him. Another performer sung German songs under a shelter,  and down the street yet another singer sung upbeat melodies on a stage. His audience members were ordering up all of the beer they could handle. Their voices were animated and jovial, festive. I’m not a beer drinker, but I thought about joining them for a hot minute. I didn’t, because there was so much more to see.

Festhalle Fun at Oktoberfest in Helen Georgia

The Chamber of Commerce building is the home of the Festhalle, an indoor venue with scheduled shows and plenty of singing, dancing and beer-drinking. ID’s are required to drink, but all ages are invited. There’s even a dance floor for the kiddies, and children under 6 can enter the for free. It’s half-price for kids who are 6 to 12. Admission is $8 Monday through Fridays. It’s $10 for adults on Saturdays, and it’s free to get in on Sundays. The Festhalle is open in the evenings, from 6 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. from Mondays thru Thursdays and 6 p.m. until midnight on Fridays, 1 p.m. until midnight on Saturdays and 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Sundays.  There’s more information about the Festhalle in Helen, Georgia on this calendar.

During the daytime hours, I saw dozens of people walking. Many people had pets with them. Pets are allowed in an area of the Festhalle, I read, but you should ask the Oktoberfest organizers first, to be sure. I even saw a sign in front of one of the small restaurants on the main drag, which said that the restaurant accepts well-mannered leashed pets. Not all restaurants accept, pets, though. However, some of them have outdoor seating, so you’ll have a better chance getting those restaurants to accept your pets.

To take a break from the excitement, some visitors like to float down the Chattahoochee River to relax and cool off.  Cool River Tubing is one of the popular companies for this activity. You’ll probably see a Cool Tubing bus going down the street during your visit. The water is calm and the breeze will feel great. It can get hot in Helen, even in the fall.

Aside from the table throwing, the Basketball Wives in Amsterdam was a great example of how to live your best life. Did you see the gorgeous countryside the Jackie, OG, Kristen and CeCe visited? Did you imagine yourself taking a boat ride like the Basketball Wives, without the confrontation, of course. Yes. You could swing by the Marijuana Museum or the Prostitution Museum, if you like.

Visit the Hash Marijuana and Hemp Museum like the Basketball Wives in Amsterdam

The Hash Marihuna and Hemp Museum is a favorite tourist attraction in Amsterdam. Shaunie O’Neal and Evelyn Lozada were a little too out of it to fully enjoy the museum during their visit, but if you don’t inhale marijuana before you go, you’re likely to see and learn about medicinal marijuana, how hash is made, and uses for hemp.  The museum is the oldest in the world dedicated to hemp or marijuana.

Museum of Prostitution

The Museum of Prostitutes is conveniently located in the Red Light District, housed in a former brothel. To curious visitors, it reveals the secrets of Amsterdam’s prostitutes.  Visitors can pose in a window  at the Museum of Prostitutes just to feel what it’s like to be a working girl, like the Basketball Wives did. Go inside one of the rooms where prostitutes. Learn sexy secrets and confessions.  The museum is sexy as well as educational. You’ll learn more than you ever thought you’d know about prostitution.

Basketball Wives in Amsterdam: Museum of Prostitution

Flower Market of Amsterdam

Floating Flower Market: Basketball Wives in Amsterdam

I love flowers, so I can’t wait to go to the Flower Market of Amsterdam where I could see all types of tulips and other flowers for sale. Amsterdam is an excellent place to shop for flowers and bulbs. Buy bulbs in the market and they can be shipped home. With a little care a colorful array of flowers straight from Amsterdam could be had. This floating market has been a source for gorgeous flowers since 1862, according to Holland.com. The flowers are sold from greenhouses affixed onto barges, definitely something to see.

De Wallen/Red Light District

Get an eye full or more at the famous Red Light District. Visitors have reported that the area is safe, but there’s bound to be lots of drug use, maybe it’s not so appropriate for kids. The Red Light District is where to go for people watching and window watching. Prostitutes dance or do whatever to lure those inside who want to buy, and there are plenty of places to legally purchase drugs in Amsterdam. Organized tours and other structured activities are there. You can’t go to Amsterdam without visiting the Red Light District. I’m calling it a must-see hot spot.

Amsterdam Historic Canal Tour

The Historic Boat Tour of Amsterdam features a tour on a 100-year traditional Dutch boat. The tour takes visitors to Rembrandt’s neighborhoods and passengers will learn from the boat’s skipper, an experienced historian. This is really a special treat, because this beautiful salon-style boat only holds 12 people.

I can honestly say, that when I traveled to teach in English Korea in 2009, I thought I knew what to expect from Korean schools, but when I arrived there I was horrified by some of the things I learned, and pleasantly surprised by other things that I learned  in my year teaching in Busan, South Korea.

Busan: Teaching in Korean schools

Here’s a little background information.  I had been teaching at a high school in the USA. The economy was in dreadful shape, but I really wanted to change schools. I wanted to try teaching elementary school, and I wanted a change in scenery. I’d heard a lot about teaching in Korean schools, and at the time, there was a big push to recruit native English speakers to teach  English in Korea. I was a member of the English in Korea Program, which was run by the Ministry of Education,  It was called, EPIK.

1. Private Schools in Korea Can Be Very Good or they can Make You Want to Cry

Korean schools: School for teaching English in Korea, Choryang Elementary School

Okay, I’ll admit that I knew some of differences between private schools, called hagwons, and public schools. One important point is that the public school pay is generally more reliable. That’s why I only applied to work at a public school when I decided to teach English in Korea.

So, teachers who work at public schools in Korea don’t have a hassle to get paid. Private schools are run by private owners, so …. there might be some issues getting paid or getting time off. The terms of your contract might mean nothing to the private school owners.

Unlike in America, where students attend either a private school or a public school, in Korea, students attend both a private school and a public school. See, the students go to the public school in the morning, and then after lunch, they would go to a hagwon. They are in school all day and evening. When I taught English in South Korea, I’d see students leaving school at 10 p.m. at night. I got off work at my public school at 4 pm.

2. Medical Tests Are Not Private

Teaching in Korean Schools: Photo by John Linton

You might expect to have a medical test when you arrive in South Korea. That’s how they did it when I taught there. During our orientation at Jeonju University, all of the teachers were ushered into a room. One by one, we had blood drawn and we had x-rays.  They were checking for certain “health problems”. If you failed the medical test,  you were sent home. How are you going to explain to your family and friends that you went off to teaching English in Korea and was basically deported?

The medical tests were required yearly for government workers. This means that all public school teachers were required to have these physical exams. My school alerted me that it was time to have my next medical test at the end of my contract, but I decided to return to the US to live after my first contract had ended.

3. Sick Visits

As  a teacher in America, if I felt sick, I could call my assistant principal and she’d arrange to get a substitute teacher for me. In South Korea, I called my English-speaking co-teacher and told her that I had a terrible stomachache and  that I was too sick to teach.

That was okay. On the second day that I was sick, I called my co-teacher  again, and she told me that it was okay, but later that day I had two visitors. I was informed that the principals sent my two colleagues to my apartment to “check on me.” This would have been nice gesture, seeing that I was a foreigner there and all.

One of my co-teachers, however, told me that she was confirming that I was sick really sick. The principal wanted to know if I was faking it, apparently.

I was even told that it was common for colleagues from your school to check up on you when you are sick.

4. Field Trips… for Teachers

Yes. That’s right. On a vacation day, we all boarded a bus and went on a trip to a museum, an area mountain, to dinner and then to a singing room (Karaoke).  We were all day and most of the night.

Schools in Korea are similar, and I was actually told in my orientation that I should expect to attend various gatherings with my co-workers. Every month all of the teachers at my school had dinner together. We did not arrange the dinners ourselves. The school arranged it in attempt for us to become closer (like a family).

We were pretty much required to attend. One of the teachers who could speak a little English told me that she didn’t want to go. She wanted to go home to her family after work.  Oh, yeah, we had to to pay our own money (maybe $20?) every month for these outings.

I made a fan like this in the orientation for Teaching English in Korea.

5. It’s a Drinking Culture

Korean Schools: Photo of Korea co-teachers

I learned early on that drinking alcohol is a big part of the South Korean culture. It’s impolite to turn down a drink, but I did…. at school! Yes. When I accepted the position to teach English in Korea, no one told me that I might be offered a drink at school.

One of our teacher team-building activities entailed playing volleyball. No one told me that there was a mandatory volleyball game.  Of course, I was wearing a dress, and I can’t hit a volleyball to save my life.  Anyway, after the most embarrassing volleyball game in my life, the teachers, the principal and assistant principal gathered together in the gym during working hours and had some hard liquor in the form of shots of soju.

6. So, You Are Here to Help Me?

For the most part, my Korean co-teachers were okay. Don’t let me be standing alone in the bathroom, though. If a Korean teacher were to come into the lady’s room while was washing my hands, she’d jump right out of skin as though I were Freddy Krueger. The same thing would happen if I walked down the halls alone. I always startled them, by just be being there.

7. Classroom Observations

Korean Schools: Photo by Claudine Williams

A classroom observation is when the assistant principal and/or the principal of the school comes by to make sure that the teacher is teaching the students appropriately and the children are engaged in learning.

In America, an assistant principal comes by your classroom (usually unannounced) and watches while you teach. There usually isn’t much time to prepare (unless word gets around early).

In my Korean school, the teachers knew exactly when the observation was going to take place. We actually practiced the lesson with the students, over and over again. It was like practicing for a play.

The children had “roles” to play. Certain students were chosen to speak. We actually prepared choreographed routines with singing and dancing with the young children.

When it came time for the observation, I was just as nervous as if I was going to perform for a Broadway show and not just teaching English in Korea.

8. Welcome to the Clean-Up Crew

Janitors take care of the outside of the school and they’d clean the bathrooms. The students and teachers were responsible for cleaning the classrooms. Every day, a couple of young elementary school students would come and sweep the floor in the classroom, they’d clean the board, and wipe down the desks. Occasionally, either the students or the teacher would mop the floors and clean the other furniture.

Before school holidays or before a classroom observation, the teachers would mop all of the hallway floors and clean the windows, inside and out. My colleague would be perched on the window sill hanging halfway out of the window, trying to clean the outside of the second floor windows. One of my Korean teacher friends complained about having to do housework at home and at school.

9. Baby, It’s Cold In Here!

Public Korean schools are not always all warm and toasty in the winter, and cool in the summer. To save money, my principal insisted that the heat not be turned on until the students arrived in school.

The classroom was ice cold on winter mornings and it never did really warm up. Everyone wore their heavy coats, hats, and everything. It was cold inside those classrooms. The school office was always nice and warm, though.

10.  No Exceptions (most of the time)

Quite naturally, I thought that I wouldn’t need to attend the weekly staff meetings since they were held in the Korean language. I didn’t speak the language, so I sat in the teachers’ meetings and looked at the speaker as though I understood what he/she was saying every week.

I asked if I could be excused from the meeting. My answer was “No. Everyone must attend the meetings. No exceptions.” By the way, the school wanted a teacher who could speak no Korean. The English in Korea program emphasized the students being immersed in the English language.