Gavin Kirk, a sixth-grader at Langston Hughes School, hits the slopes at Breckenridge, Colo., on a family ski trip during spring break. It was Gavin's first time to ski, and he had a blast.

This year for spring break, I went with 20 other students and three teachers from Bishop Seabury Academy to London from March 19-27.

Day one

We took an airplane from Kansas City, Mo., to Chicago. The flight went pretty quickly. We had a two-hour layover, so we ate lunch. We then got on an airplane to London; the flight took more than six hours. In the middle of the flight, the days switched because of traveling east through six time zones.

Day two

The next day we arrived at the airport. After some confusion involving a missing bus, we took the Heathrow Connect, a train from the airport, to Paddington Station. We quickly dropped off our bags at the hotel, then took a tour of the area, including Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. After lunch, we took the famous “tube,” the subway system that we were soon to know very well, to a pub for dinner.

Day three

After a delicious breakfast of croissants, cereal and juice, we took the tube to Anglo American Educational Services, where we learned what to do in case of an emergency. Afterward, we walked to the British Museum, where we ate lunch. We then took a bus tour of London, stopping at Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the River Thames, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. After dinner, we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus, which is like a British version of Times Square. On the way to the Queens Theatre to see “Les Miserables,” we stopped at a souvenir shop, then hurried to the theater. British people, we found out, like to eat ice cream at the intermission of movies.

Day four

We had to wake up really early, but during a two-hour drive through the British countryside, many of us were able to sleep. We woke up when we arrived at Stonehenge, the ancient calendar. After stopping in the gift shop for souvenirs, we rode the bus for about 30 minutes to Salisbury and saw the famous Salisbury Cathedral. We took a tour and then saw the Magna Carta, the first document that restricted a king’s power. After another long drive, we arrived in the city of Bath. After dinner, we saw the Roman baths and the temple of Aquae Sulis. It was very interesting. We threw coins into the cold, circular plunge pool. We then rode back to London.

Day five

We first went to the British Museum, which was amazing. It had artifacts from ancient Egypt, statues from the Parthenon in Greece, and ancient Roman, Sumerian and British history. After lunch, we hurried over to the Tate Modern, a museum of art made in the 20th and 21st centuries. The first thing we saw when we walked in the doors were giant slides that we could slide down. After looking around, we went to the remodeled Globe Theatre, which is where William Shakespeare’s plays were performed in the 17th century. We toured the connected museum and the Globe itself.

Day six

We woke up early and got on the bus, this time headed for Oxford, site of Oxford University. We took a tour of the college, where we learned that many famous authors had been professors there, including Lewis Carroll, author of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” We then got back on the bus and went to Stratford upon Avon, Shakespeare’s hometown. When we arrived, we first saw Shakespeare’s birthplace. There was a blacksmith’s shop attached to it, where John Shakespeare, his father, worked. Next we went to where Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, was born. There was even a working bread oven from the 17th century. After that, we went to the farm of Mary Arden, Shakespeare’s mother’s birthplace. There, actors lived as they would in the time of Shakespeare. They dressed, ate and acted just like the Ardens would have. After dinner, we went to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and saw the play “Coriolanus.” It was a late night because the play was over at 11 p.m. and we still had to drive back to London.

Day seven

We had to get up early because we had a reservation with the London Eye, the biggest sightseeing wheel in the world. It was an orb big enough to fit 22 people. After 30 minutes of going around in the big wheel and taking pictures, we got off and walked to Trafalgar Square. We climbed on the giant lion statues, then went to the National Gallery’s cafeteria. Next, we looked at the paintings in the gallery and saw famous works by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo Da Vinci and more.

Day eight

We took the tubes to the Tower of London. We then went shopping at the massive department store Harrods. After shopping, we relaxed in Hyde Park. We then took the tube to Palm Court Brassiere, where we had our farewell dinner. Then we took the tube for the last time back to our hotel, where we packed and got ready for the flight the next day.

Day nine

We had to get up really early to get on the plane to Chicago and then to Kansas City. The flights were pretty boring, considering the trip that we had just been on. It was nice to get home, but I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for London. I can’t wait to go on the next trip.