March 7th, 2025 3:00am - London, England, United Kingdom

When: March 7th, 2025 3:00am (9:00am in England)

Where: London, England, United Kingdom

Who: Daniel Martin

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Skaggs Library - HFMS (@skaggslibrary)

Next up in our blog, we will be learning about London, England, and the United Kingdom. Daniel even took us on a tour of several landmarks in London! There's a ferris wheel in London called the London Eye. Beautiful and sunny weather is not a normal day in London, but rainy is definitely the norm. It is a big city, but it’s less hectic than New York. London is a very old city and has a lot more history. Another tourist attraction they have is Big Ben. Queen Elizabeth and King Charles are popular in the United Kingdom. 

The most popular sport in England is Football (Soccer). There is a statue of Winston Churchill, who was the prime minister of England during WW2. The next stop is the Westminster Abbey, where Queen Elizabith’s funeral was held. People waited in line for a really long time to see her when she died. Some of the most popular foods are fish and chips. There are about 8 million people in England. The housing prices are more expensive in London than they are here. Next stop is the residence of the Prime Minister, then Buckingham Palace, where the king and queen live. The monarchy no longer has absolute power. 

4:00AM - York, England

When: March 8th @ 4:00AM (10:00AM in England)

Where: York, England (also talked about Greece, Italy, and Israel)

Who: Clay and Loren Beason

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Skaggs Library - HFMS (@skaggslibrary)

4:00 am 

10:00 am

Clay and Loren

The weather looks to be 44 F, high winds and cloudy, as we meet our speakers. They are only staying for vacation. They are doing research for tours they lead around the world.

“When you visit different countries, you see differences in culture.” Clay says. "When we lived in Greece, we had to learn a different language and alphabet.”

 When he was asked about what super power he would want, he said time travel “I am afraid of turbulence because of my flight to Greece.”

“Greece has been a civilization since 3,000 bc… there are some temples that you can't go in, so that might be sacred… the Colosseum wasn’t built till 70 AD.” 

Clay showed us some streets in York. “Some of these buildings were the inspiration for Diagon Alley from Harry potter.”  (The Shambles in York)

“Most unique food I had was shrimp with the shell.” was his answer to the craziest thing he has eaten.

“Rome is about the same latitude as New York.” Clay states 

“If I was an ice cream it's hard to beat chocolate, because simple ingredients are the best.”  Clays response to what ice cream would you be

Bars/Pubs are different from the United States. UK bars you can have any drink, but US bars are typically alcoholic drinks.

The glass on churches would be different since they have a lot of lead around them. 

 “I would tell myself to not take myself too seriously” was his answer to what would you tell your younger self.

3:00AM - London, England

When: March 8th @ 3:00AM (9:00AM in England)

Where: London, England

Who: Daniel Martin

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Skaggs Library - HFMS (@skaggslibrary)

Our time- 3:00 AM 

Their time- 9:00 AM

Daniel took us on our tour of London to see several landmarks.

The weather is sunny with a breeze, and the temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Landmarks are the House of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye.

The most famous landmark is Big Ben. 

The most common form of public transportation is the tube/the subway. as well as double decker red buses.

Daniel has lived in the UK for 2 years now!

Generally. there is a high level of respect towards the Queen and the monarchy. even when some disagree with their actions.

Moved to the UK because of job opportunities with the Warner Brothers

He works in sports media, and the most popular sports are soccer and cricket.

Another landmark is Church Abbey, which is the church where famous weddings were held and where people waited 10 hours to see the queen’s casket after she passed away.

Daniel loves the parks, and his favorite is Reagan's park.

Hiya is how they say hi to people. 

Mate is what they call their friends. 

In the UK, they think the word y'all is weird.

In the UK, they would think it's weird for everybody to have their own cars.

One  of the other landmarks he showed us is St. James Park.

Daniel thinks Harry Potter is better than Star Wars.

They are just changing from the “dark season” to spring.

You can find people from everywhere in London.

Another landmark Daniel showed us was Buckingham Palace. 

They have no Bluebell ice cream. 

3:00 AM - London, England, United Kingdom

When: March 10th @ 3:00 AM (9:00 AM in England)

Where: London, England, United Kingdom

Who: Daniel Martin

Cold, rainy, foggy, windy morning in London today/tonight. It’s 39 degrees fahrenheit, 2 degrees celsius. Sudden snow!!


Common misconceptions:

• Everyone drinks tea
• It’s always raining

Life after the passing of Queen Elizabeth:

The whole country was shocked. The country went into almost instant mourning. Since then, King Charles has taken over, although he has not had his coronation yet. It will happen on May 8th, 2023.


The Tower Bridge and The London Bridge are two big tourist attractions. The London Tower is a major attraction. It’s an old prison where the crown jewels are kept. The Thames River is a big river they have. Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, and the Big Ben Tower are also big attractions.


There is food from all over the world. They mostly eat sausage, eggs, and baked beans. A big difference between the United States and England is that soccer is called “football.” Rugby and Cricket are also very popular sports. The misconception of not caring for teeth isn’t true. The UK has primary school (elementary school), secondary school (6th-10th), and college (11th+12th) then go to a uni (our college). They call the subway “the tube.”


The holidays are mainly the same, but there is an additional holiday the day after Christmas. It is called “Boxing Day.” There are wild foxes and rats that roam the city. The two main religions are Christianity and Islam. However, London is very diverse in cultures and religions. “Hiya” is commonly used for greetings. In London they don’t say “trash” or “trash can” they say “rubbish” and “rubbish bin.” You can’t drive in London until you are 18 instead of 16.