Posts Tagged ‘London’

You can dream up just about anything and Harrods Department Store in Knightsbridge London will be able to source it, gift wrap it and even deliver it. The store is one of the worlds finest selling an amazing range of products. To shop in their store it is nothing short of an event they have seven floors and 300 departments packed with some of the finest products you could wish to buy. The food hall in the basement is extraordinary (and in many cases just like its prices) this beautifully tiled hall sells food from the four corners of the earth the range is incredible. Visitors beware there are doormen on every door ensuring no undesirables or badly dressed people enter, no backpacks, no torn jeans and no revealing skimpy costumes are just a few of the items forbidden. As tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the tragic death of Diana Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed (the son of Harrod’s owner) we must mention the moving shrine at the emporium dedicated to the both of them – this beautiful tribute is well worth a visit.

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On the banks of the Thames housed in the old Bankside Power Station the Tate Modern is one of London’s newest and most popular attractions. Here there are 88 galleries displaying a huge collection of modern art. The Tate has some of the worlds most precious modern art pieces including works from Dali, Matisse, Rothko, Picasso and Warhol. Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych which was painted in 1962 is one of the more popular of the artworks. For book lovers the centre also has a book shop which claims to have more books than any other store in London, they have over 10,000 titles on hand, but many believe Waterstone’s in Piccadilly has thousands more. The best thing about the gallery is it is free except for special exhibitions.

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The Tower of London on the north bank of the Thames River has had a very colorful life over its 930+ years of existence. IT was originally built as a fortress and has been used as a royal palace, prison, a mint and observatory a treasury building and even a zoo. Today it is the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and one of London’s most popular tourist attractions.
The Tower is guarded by the Yeomen Wardens or Beefeaters as they are more popularly know and the ravens. Ledged maintains if the ravens were to leave the tower the British monarchy would tumble. Read the rest of this entry »

It can be quiet expensive to see some of the more popular West End shows in London, but there is a cheaper way if you are quick and lucky. Look for the TKTS booth which you can find on the south side of Leicester Square and you might be able to see you favourite show for a fraction of the price. Usually offerings on Mondays are cheaper and easier to get hold of you sometimes get tickets as low as 7 pounds 50. Not all shows are on sale at TKTS, there are some other bargain ticket places around the west end so a few laps on foot may really pay off, and it’s a really good chance to see all the different shows on offer.

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The Chelsea Flower show held every May is one of London’s premier events in fact it is more than a flower and garden show it is more a society event to be seen at. Everyone who is everyone (or wants to be anyone) attends from TV and film stars, Lords and Dames even the Queen pops in to smell the roses. The show is all in the name of Charity the Chelsea Royal Hospital is the benefactor. Every year dozens of new flowers make their world premier and there are some spectacular gardens on display from the world’s best landscape designers.

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It’s not usual for large communication towers in the city to be opened up as a tourist attraction for example, the CNN tower in Toronto, Munich Olympic Tower, Sydney Tower etc…. but not in London. The British Telecom tower which stands at 190 metres doesn’t have a public platform. The centre did once have a revolving restaurant when it opened in the mid 1960’s but it was closed in the 1970’s when the city was under threat of IRA terrorism attacks and it has never reopened. So for the best high view of the city of London head to the magnificent London Eye Wheel on the banks of the Thames.

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If your ever looking for a great meal in London head to the nearest pub and order a pint and a toad in the hole- you wont be disappointed. This has got to be the best pub meal ever. Don’t be alarmed your not in France so its not a frog, its a magnificent dish with some sausages, onion and mash potato served in a crispy vol au vant like basket covered in rich brown gravy. You will love it- and for only a few quid it is a bargain. Washed down with a few pints of refreshing lager you have had a great lunch. Read the rest of this entry »

No holiday to London would be complete with out a ride on the London Eye it is truly breathtaking. This monstrous observation wheel is 135 meters high, the biggest in the world- although Singapore is building a larger one and knowing how Japan loves Ferris wheels, they probably won’t be too far behind.

The attraction isn’t cheap but it is well worth the time and money, they say an average of 10,000 visitors travel on it a day.

If you are lucky enough to be in London on a clear day you will see close to 40 kilometers but even if it is cloudy you will get a great view of the city, Big Ben and other popular London landmarks.

It’s best to get there early to avoid the rush at the ticket box. The ride takes about 30 minutes to do the one circle. The capsules are all glassed in and very comfortable, there are 32 in total and they each hold about 20 people. Security is paramount and inspectors check the capsule after each trip and there are restrictions on some items being taken onto the ride.

The wheel is an amazing engineering feat, the amount of steel in the structure is amazing, it is claimed there is over 2100 tones of weight in the structure, which travels 26cm per second around the 424m circumference. Read the rest of this entry »