This article is on my experience in England.  When my mother and I arrived in England we were both very excited for two reasons. One, to meet my employer Dave Angel and two, to experience a culture we have not seen before. The only downside was that our hotel room was very small and not what I was used to in the Americas.  Another problem was there was security everywhere because President Obama was in town to meet with Her Majesty.

What can I say, England’s historical background is as magical today as it must have been 600 years ago.   One of my favorite places was to see the Tower of London.  Just imagine this castle was constructed during the reign of Richard the Lionheart in 1189.  To stand on the grounds where battles were fought, Queens were beheaded and princes murdered, all for the crown of England.  Actually when you went through different rooms, you could feel a cold chill in the air. I swear when you close your eyes, you could imagine soldiers marching or arrows shooting (maybe in just my imagination).  One of the most intriguing facts that people do not know, is that there are 6 ravens that roam the tower grounds.  These ravens have had their wings clipped so they cannot fly.  It is stated that the ravens are The Guardians of the Tower.  Legend says that the kingdom will fall if the six ravens ever leave the fortress. It’s funny there are seven ravens on the grounds.  Just not to mess with the legends (very superstitious) they have a spare if one disappears.

Another interesting site was where Anne Boleyn was beheaded.  It’s funny how in the movies they portrayed a huge crowd surrounding her on her day of execution.  But actually only 5 people were there.  To show the queen some respect, Henry the VIII had her buried in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula inside the Tower of London.

The Crown Jewels were nice but the crowd inside this room made it hard to see them.  Too much pushing.

The British and Natural museums were very interesting.  They were huge inside and the best part is that any museum in London is free.
One of the other castles we saw was Windsor castle.  Boy, the Queen really knows how to live!  Between Buckingham Palace and Windsor castle, Her Majesty must have a lot of cleaning staff.  My mom kept saying she would not want to clean this house.  We saw the state apartments and St. Georges Chapel where 10 British monarchs were laid to rest including Henry the VIII and the Queen Mum.

By now you are probably asking what about Dave Angel?  We met Dave and his daughter on the Wednesday.  I was actually kind of scared.  What if he doesn’t like me in person, what if I make a fool of myself?  But my fear was overcome with excitement, to meet the man who had helped me so much in the past few years.   My first impression of him was he was nice, but while talking with him he reminded me of my father.  I know this sounds dumb, but the way he acted towards me, made me feel safe.  My dad was the only one who could do this.  He did not judge me and actually asked how I felt about things.  Dave brought his daughter, who was as sweet as honey.  I enjoyed playing games with her and our favorite was dinosaurs.    On this day I did the video for the Aspergers site.    Had a great time!!!!  Later that week Dave invited us to Portsmouth.  We saw the D-Day museum and the English Channel.  We had a wonderful day of site seeing.  I once again want to thank Dave for all his help and understanding.
And most of all his encouragement !!!!!!

Matthew Readman