I have been in London since early Wednesday morning. London is one of my favorite cities, and it is great to be back for the first time since I studied abroad here in 2005. I have had a busy schedule for the past three days, but I am looking forward to tomorrow, when I have the whole day free, to explore some of the old haunts from my time here. It is almost the end of the day, and I’ve just gotten back to my great hotel room at the InterContinental Park Lane after a busy day. My days and nights have been filled with great activities and lots of good food. I am sure I will have plenty to blog about from this trip in the coming weeks. Yesterday kicked off the London Restaurant Festival , which is the main reason for my visit. This is the first year the city has celebrated this festival, and the schedule is quite unique, including special festival menus, a huge pig roast and special dinners by celebrity chefs on the London Eye. As I flew over on Tuesday night (British Airways Club World — quite nice!), I started to think of my last flight to London, in January 2005. I was struck by what a huge difference the last four years have made. Before boarding my last flight to London, I remember tearful goodbyes with my mom, dad and grandmother. This trip, I walked assertively through the airport on my own and waited for boarding in the lounge. I had never been to Europe before my study abroad experience, and I had certainly never been farther than a three-hour car ride away from home for an extended period of time. This time, I was loaded with experience from literally traveling the world, on my own, for the past three years. Gone was the nervous yet excited college junior eager for a taste of the world; in her place was a more confident young professional with a taste of the world and ready to explore a different side of London. For many reasons, London will always hold a place in my heart. It gave me my first itch to continue to travel. And every time I come back, I am sure I will find more reasons to fall in love with the city. — Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive