London - UK

London

 “You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. ”  - Samuel Johnson



Quick Stats
  • London is actually made up of  2 cities – Westminster and London.  The reason, a city is defined in the UK by if it has a cathedral!
  • The city of London is around 2,000 years old. 
  • Only 6,000 odd people actually live in the city of London but 300,000 commute to work everyday
  • It is Europe’s largest city, accommodating approximately 14 million people in the greater area. 
  • Henry the VIII, Virginia Woolf, Phil Collins, William Shakespeare, Adele, Helen Mirren,  Prince Charles, William and Harry are but a few of the famous people who were born and have lived there.  
  • Scenes from Notting Hill, Mission Impossible,  Love Actually and Bridget Jones were all filmed here as were many, many more.

Why I love it - London is a bustling, vibrant ancient city.  Centuries of history whisper amongst the cobblestone streets.  Every building has a story, every hidden alleyway a secret.    It is a city of legend, myth and magic.  It has great nightlife, fantastic shopping, some of the worlds best chefs and restaurants and  a couple of thousand years of history, make it worth a visit.




12 things to do in London.
  1. Take in Westminster Abbey  www.westminster-abbey.org/ - United Kingdom and the Houses of Parliament http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/
  2. Go all Royal and visit Wills & Kate and tip your hat to the queen at Buckingham Palace www.royal.gov.uk, then take a tour of the old digs and check out the Tower of London www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/.
  3. Cruise through the London waterways, catch a boat down the Thames to Greenwich to straddle the dateline and delve into space and time www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory/ or get lost in London’s secret canals near camden.
  4.  Enjoy some of the best Indian  curry in the world in Brick Lane www.bricklanerestaurants.com
  5.  Shop at some of the worlds best antique, vintage and flea markets http://www.londonmarkets.co.uk/
  6. Dine at a Celebrity Chefs restaurant http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/restaurants/celebrity-chef-restaurants-in-london-recommended-London-89.html or eat traditional fare at one of its famous pubs
  7. Shop up a storm down any of the High Streets, Oxford Street and in around Convent Garden - check out this cool website www.streetsensation.co.uk
  8. See a West End Musical or Play www.westendtheatre.com/ or take in Shakespeare at the Globe theatre www.shakespeares-globe.org/
  9. Visit some of the world best art galleries www.london-galleries.co.uk & oldest city parks www.royalparks.org.uk/
  10. Walk through time and visit Londons  dark and varied past. Join historical walks or  simply stroll along the Thames. www.londonwalks.com/
  11. Get a birds eye view St Pauls www.stpauls.co.uk/ and take spin on the London Eye www.londoneye.com/.  
  12. Visit Abbey Road and make like a Beatle and cross the crossing (the Locals won't hate you, much !!) or tube hop around the Monopoly Board http://monopolypubcrawl.org.uk/


 Movies get you in the mood. 

Further research:
When you arrive in London, keep and eye out for free magazine such as The Metro & TNT magazine at the Tube stations.  They have a wealth of info on cheap tickets, tours and events in London.

If you are one of the few people in the world that does not have a smartphone, or if you just want to go old school buy an A-Z map guide to help you get around (it is invaluable). 

For further Information visit:
http://www.timeout.com/london/ - one of the original and best what’s on in town sites.
http://www.welovelocal.com/ - Great website that has reviews, maps and lists all the local businesses in an area.
Where to eat & drink: 
http://www.london-eating.co.uk – gives reviews of great restaurants, pubs and cafes in each local area. 

Supermarkets – Tescos, Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and Sainsburys for groceries and incidentals.  Boots chemist for beauty and medical.   Don’t forget you can buy your alcohol in the supermarkets in the UK.

How to get there and travelling around:
There are 2 types of taxis in London, the black cabs www.londonblackcabs.co.uk/ and the mini cabs http://www.kabbee.com/

Comments

  1. Thanks William, I have recently had time off to have a baby, but will update and am excited to get back into blogging and writing now bubs is a bit older.
    Trudi

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