Paris

It fills me with a sense of excitement and satisfaction to be on my way to London. We are returning to familiar surroundings at last (I've seen London, and it feels pretty much exactly like Auckland), after spending so long in foreign lands. No longer will we have to worry about communicating with the locals, or ask Mr Buckingham what that sign means; no more struggling to remember vocab or pondering pronunciation – the default expectation can be reset to comprehension and convenience, where it belongs.

Thinking back, however, I don't recall any particular hardship with language in Athens. Or Rome. Or Florence. Or Venice. Just a lot in France…

Whatever the cause, my anticipation of England feels like an early homecoming. But at the same time, our experiences in Greece and Italy already seem so distant and removed. Where has the time gone?

— Howell Fu