London is one of the dream cities for most of the
people. It has plenty to offer in terms of sightseeing, its way of life,
culture and history. No wonder millions of people visit this city from every
nook and corner of the world. It would not be justice to describe about this
great city in just one article. Therefore, it would be a good idea to mention
about some of the iconic buildings , monuments etc that have become symbols of
London . As a sequel I would be talking about some of the great institutions
and London’s way of life as I observed during my few days visit to this great
city.
Tower Bridge is an iconic tower of London, which was
built between 1886–1894 on river Thames. It is an example of a combination of
bascule and suspension bridge. It is close to the Tower of London, from which
it takes its name; Visitors generally confuse it with the London Bridge. The
current London Bridge stands at the western end of the Pool of London. These
two bridges have been part of many Hollywood, Bollywood movies .The bridge has
hydraulic system that enable it to move upwards to give passage to the ships
passing below it.
London's Millennium Bridge is the first pedestrian river crossing over the Thames in central London
for more than a century.
It is a 325m steel bridge linking the City of London at St. Paul's Cathedral
with the Tate Modern Gallery at Bankside. Its called millennium bridge to
celebrate the start of new millennium. Construction of the bridge began in
1998, with the opening in June 2000.
The
London Eye is a popular tourist destination. It is also called the Millennium wheel and
was build in 2000 to mark the beginning of the new millennium just like the millennium
bridge. In 2000, it was the tallest giant wheel in the world. But the Star of
Nanchang, which stands in the eastern Chinese city Nanchang, is now the tallest
giant wheel. The London Eye stands at the western end of Jubilee Garden, on the
South Bank of the river Thames.
It is a beautiful way to look at London .A breathtaking bird eye of the
magnificent city with its rivers and buildings. Due to large visitors everyday
there is always a long queue , which becomes boring at times. We had some
thrilling and anxious moments too. When the capsule in which we were there
reached the top end of the wheel, there was some technical snag and the wheel
stopped. We were stranded almost for 10 minutes .But then the snag was rectified
and the wheel started moving. Of course it did add to excitement filled with
some fear .
At Madame Tussauds, you'll come face-to-face with some of
the world's most famous faces. From Shakespeare to Lady Gaga you'll meet
influential figures from showbiz, sport, politics and even Royalty. Strike a
pose with Brad Pitt or receive a once-in-a-lifetime audience with Her Majesty
the Queen. The experience at Madame Tussauds was even more exciting and
funfilled as the famous wax museums has a
good representation of famous Indian personalities like Mahatma Gandhi,
Indira Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bacchan,
Shahrukh Khan .It’s good to see these great personalities in London .
Buckingham
Palace is the Queen's official and main royal London home. It
has been the official London residence of Britain's monarchy since 1837. Queen
Victoria was the first monarch to live there. A
familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that
takes place in the forecourt each morning. The monarch and the royal palaces
have been guarded by the Household Troops since 1660. Buckingham Palace's garden covers 40 acres, and
includes a helicopter landing area, a lake, and a tennis court. A flag always
flies above Buckingham Palace. When The Queen is in residence, the Royal
Standard flies. When the Sovereign is not present, the Union Flag flies instead.
We visited in the evening so we missed the change of Guards and as the
sovereign flag was flying, obviously the Queen was not there.
Big Ben
is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace
of Westminster in London and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock
tower. The tower is now officially called the Elizabeth Tower, after being renamed in 2012 to celebrate the
Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming
clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.
The Palace of
Westminster houses the British Parliament The Palace lies on the Middlesex
bank of the River Thames in the City of Westminster, in central London. Its
name, which derives from the neighbouring Westminster Abbey, may refer to
either of two structures: the Old Palace, a medieval building complex
that was destroyed by fire in 1834, and its replacement New Palace that
stands today. For ceremonial purposes, the palace retains its original style
and status as a royal residence. Its a great architectural marvel.
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction
in central London.It is, built around the area formerly known as Charing
Cross.. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues
at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with
one plinth displaying changing pieces of contemporary art. The square is also
used for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the
celebration of New Year's Eve.The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar in
which British navy defeated the Napoleonic Wars.
Oxford
Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West
End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street. We
visited primark super store on the oxford street. Although primark is good
place for shopping because of the low prices , I did not find it very
attractive as there was nothing that one can say is typical of London .Most of
the stuff seen there is available in India and may be at cheaper price.
Hyde Park
is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the
Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner. It is an area where open-air public
speaking, debate and discussion are allowed. Speakers
there may speak on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches
lawful. It occupies a part
of Hyde Park where, in the mid-nineteenth century, mass protests were held
against the suppression of the rights of working people, including the right of
assembly, and the Reform League organized huge rallies to demand the widening
of the franchise.
The red telephone box,
a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott,
is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom. Despite a reduction
in their numbers in recent years, the traditional British red telephone box can
still be seen in many places throughout the London. The colour red was chosen
to make them easy to spot.
Red
double-decker buses are used for mass transit in London. It
continues to be widely recognised symbol of the city .
Thanks for sharing this nice blog..
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