Arguably this should have been my first review, but since London is so huge a city and also because, I seldom explored it, I never felt motivated enough to write a whole review on it. But of late, thanks to my projects, I have been able to see a larger part of it, and based on my experience, I’ll share some things with you, that in my thinking, make London a tourist’s delight, and things that you shouldn’t miss at any cost, if ever you visit it. I have also stuck myself to the Central London, and not the suburbia lest you’ll get confused:
.::Royalty Personified::.
Probably representing the oldest face of the city, London’s buildings present the Victorian era in all its splendour, and beauty. Extremely well maintained, and a treat to the eyes, some of the loveliest specimens come in the form of the huge St.Paul’s Cathedral, The Houses of Parliament and The Big Ben, Royal Albert Hall, and of course the benchmark Tower Bridge. Ornately sculpted, intricately carved, and magnificently styled, all these just stun you. And though people don’t seem to get over the Buckingham Palace syndrome, in my thinking, its one of the most boring places to be. The Tower of London and Westminster Abbey are other fabulous additions which display English’s culture in full-swing.
.::The dazzle of the new world::.
If you were awestruck by the Edwardian and the Victorian London, wait till the contemporary world baits on you. Be it the huge London IMAX cinema which changes its exterior’s colour according to the time of the day, or the Waterloo International station which even though supporting 800-tonne trains, is glass and steel all around, or even the spiral City Hall, and the now-closed Millennium Dome, the modern workmanship is to be seen to be believed.
.:: Memories, memories and memories ::.
Being so rich culturally, there’s strictly no dearth of museums or art-galleries in here. They are huge, with thousands of corridors each, and your legs might tire, but their collections won’t. Some of my favourite museums are British, Transport, Victoria and Albert and National History Museum. For satiation of the art-lover in you, there’s National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, National Gallery and thousands of others, with a million entries each. Also, get ready to be waxed in the innovative Madame Tassauds, which will have your jaws dropped with its wax-figures, a built-in Ancient London and the Chamber of Horrors. Awesome is the word!!
.:: Shop till you drop ::.
A city of London’s stature can only be believed to have the best of the world. And sure, it does. So while the Oxford Street and Regent Street will amaze you from their illuminatory malls (Selfridges, Marks and Spencers and John Lewis are the best!), don’t forget to visit the Harrod’s of London in a quieter area of Kensington. Of course you’ll get all the designer stuff, but if you are on a lookout for some hip-hop stuff, there are street markets dime a dozen in London. The best are undoubtedly those in the Camden Town, Covent Garden and Portobello road, but don’t forget that they are weekend markets.
.::Boogie in the Night::.
Night Life in London is another thing to lookout for, and if you are one of those party-animals, you can’t get enough here. Of course, the best place to enjoy the night-out is at the heart of the city, in the West End. Though, every turn here will greet you with a lovely pub, the classiest ones are in the area of Soho. Though Soho is dotted with strip-joints and strip clubs (another attraction!!), it also boasts of London’s trendiest bars and restaurants, which come to life after dark!!! And yes, while you boogie, don’t forget to visit China Town for some awesome Chinese cuisine.
.:: From A to B, in style::.
The most glaring fact that bothered me was that in none of the reviews on London, did I find even a mention of the Underground. Forming the London’s vascular system, it’s the world’s oldest, most expensive and the busiest underground system. Boasting of 12 lines and 270 stations, you are never far from an Underground station. In fact, it remains one of the easiest and fastest modes of transport. Another transport medium that needs mention is the London’s buses. If you are not in a hurry, this remains one of the best modes, and of course, a ride in the sight-seeing open-top buses is an experience in itself.
.::Popcorn time::.
If you are in London, another indispensable part is London’s theatres and cinemas. Especially the theatres, which boast of some world-class plays, musicals and performances churned out every week!! And there’s no dearth of ancient era either. Though I have visited quite a few, the best shots come from Strand, Apollo Victoria, Palace, Queen’s, Whitehall, Theatre Royal and Shaftesbury. A memorable experience is the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park which shows some awesome Shakespeare’s plays. Not to be missed at any cost!!
.::The call of the nature::.
When you get tired of all the ho-hallah and tally-hos of Central London, there are London’s Parks which soothe you with their pictureseque greenery and lovely ponds and lakes. So while on one hand there are awesome, neatly manicured St.James Park and Holland Park, on the other hand are the never-ending Hyde Park and the semi-wild Richmond Park. Just for the trivia, London is the world’s greenest capital city with the maximum parks and open green spaces. Trafalgar Square is another excellent place to laze around with pigeons, though its mostly closed nowadays, thanks to the re-construction work.
.::Kiddo stuff::.
Kids just can’t get enough of London, for while on one hand there’s the British Airways London Eye (world’s largest ferry wheel), the horrifying and scary London Dungeon, the magnetic Science Museum and the Planetarium, on the other hand is the London Trocadero (Picadilly) and similar multi-storeyed game-parks plus some awesome theme parks for the game-freaks.
.::Don't go, there’s more::.
London just doesn’t end here. Besides having some 100s more buildings, cinemas and museums, which can’t be mentioned due to space constraints-- there’s the famous Lord’s Cricket ground, Boat-trips on Thames, the four airports and the world-class Wimbledon, which deserve mention here. There are some full-fledged Asian colonies as well. Worth mentioning are the SouthHall (in Middlesex) and Green Street (in East London), both of which remain a hub of 80% of the Asian immigrants. Also noteworthy is a full-blown 24-hr Indian radio-station called Sunrise Radio which will keep you amused, pucca Indian-style.
.::The dazzling conclusion::.
Its stylish and its cosmopolitan on one hand, while amusing and ancient on the other.Sophisticated, organised, multi-cultural and yet, booming with life is what sums up London. Its not big and spacious as some of the American cities, but still it tugs at you with its strange, unexplainable cosseting way.
All this, however does come for a hefty price. In case you didn’t know, in London, you can only spend in Pounds, and if you are on a budget, please look elsewhere.
Rest assured, a journey to London, is definitely a journey of a lifetime!!!
....If the review made little sense to anyone of you, don’t worry...just catch the first flight to London...Karan will be honoured to be at your service....
....And yes, do comment if time permits....
Shanti,
KARAN.
