After arrival before check-in time at the Tower Hotel, a mid-day walk was my first glimpse of London. The nearby Tower of London, now a World Heritage site, on the north bank of the River Thames, once guarded from enemies approaching from the sea. Its oldest structures date back to the 11th Century.

The Tower has served as a palace (the home of King Edward), a prison — it was the site where Anne Boleyn was said to have lost her head, a munitions arsenal, mint, treasury and zoo. Parts of the wall, built by the Romans approximately 2,000 years ago, are still visible.

The Tower, the Tower Bridge, the historical significance of the River Thames (which, though lively today, was once called “biologically dead”), and the opportunity to observe the sea of pedestrian traffic as locals and tourists strolled past, presented a lovely scene for my first day in Europe. I shot numerous photos with my new Sony camera, and I am relishing the visual memories as I go through the imagery now, sorting and sending to others.

For me, the trip was Europe at first glimpse — London, Paris, the Louvre, Rodin, sidewalk cafes, palaces — so, please indulge my love at first sight. We, Americans, can still learn much from the European culture; they have certainly drawn from ours, observing much about our lifestyles and attitudes. I hope those of you who have lived in or frequented Europe previously will revisit the scenes I’m sharing with enthusiasm, and if you haven’t traveled to London or Paris, perhaps it will encourage you to do so.