London England

#London_England
 London is one of those cities everyone needs to visit at least once in their lifetime. Besides being the capital of England & dating back to Roman times with that history, you will experience a very trendy cosmopolitan vibe when here

KeyTip; Now hotels can range from $150 - $1200 per night so do your research, plus take advantage of the Underground (The Tube) to book a room away from City Centre & use the Smart Card (Oyster Card at a great discount for single or multiple uses) that can be tapped on Buses, Tubes, Trams, Rail & some River Services 
Now some of the top things to see free in London; Tate Modern Gallery, Natural History Museum, The British Museum, The National Gallery, Imperial War Museum, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge, Sky Garden, Regents Canal, The Royal Parks, Victoria & Albert Museum, The British Library plus 170 other museums which most have no admission

 

In 1911 the city built a 10km (6 mile) long underground railway to carry the mail around London to different sorting stations from Paddington to Whitechapel & everything in-between which finally was stopped in 2003
But now you can ride the mail train by going to the London Postal Museum in which an adult ticket is 17 Pound Sterling & that gives you unlimited access of the museum for one year plus one ride on the Mail Rail

London was founded by the Romans in AD43 & was originally called Londinium
Now it is one of the most vibrant cities in the world with a population of over 8 million, plus it was the first city on the planet to have a citizenship of over one million that occurred in the 19th century
So because of this population growth it was first to have an organized police force called the Metropolitan Police Service founded in 1829
Finally, also the first to host the Summer Olympics three times (1908,1948 &2012)

The Tower Bridge ( the only bridge on the river that has not been rebuilt) has a walkway 42 meters (138 feet) above the River Thames (flows entirely threw London & England) to allow pedestrians to cross while the bridge was lifted

During The Second World War  London was the governing capital of five other countries ( Norway, Poland, Belgium, France & The Netherlands) as their respective leaders stayed in London between 1939 - 1945 as their countries were conquered by Germany 

The City of London has over 8 million trees making it the worlds largest urban forest, so because of this it is known as The Forest City

The architecture of London varied because of the many periods of history & influences it experienced; from Romanesque, Norman Period, to English Gothic, Queen Anne Style & so on up to the Modern Age

There are over 300 languages spoken in London making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.
Some of the non-English spoken that you would hear walking the streets are Polish, Turkish, Bengali, French & Punjabi

The iconic Apollo Theatre was built in the Art Nouveau style & opened in 1901

 West End London is famous for its theatre shows & one of the most prominent areas for this genre in the world 
KeyTip; In Leicester Square look for the discount theatre ticket booths as i went three times to see
 We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre at a reduced price 

The Royal Albert Hall opened in 1871 & can hold 5,000+ guests
Now there is a 1 hour guided tour but why not just go to a concert.....who has played here you ask
Eric Clapton (200 times), Roger Daltrey, Adele, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd etc
So you are living history as you enter these hallowed halls of music

Back in 1872 a it became law that it was illegal to be drunk while at a pub & only allowed to have too many at your own property 
What are the chances (in which a country that has over 35,000 bars) that this bi-law has been broken a few times 😂
While at the pub, its most popular dishes;
 A) Full English Breakfast; tomatoes, fried eggs, beans, mushrooms sausages or bacon
 B) Black Pudding; pork or beef blood, oatmeal cereal & pork fat
C) Deviled Kidneys; lamb kidneys in spiced (paprika, cumin & cayenne pepper) sauce
D) Kedgeree; spiced rice, eggs & fish

The iconic Black Cab (Hackney Carriage) which by the way does not have any bi-laws saying it needed to be this color
Just the fleet owners would buy in mass orders & this was the cheapest stock color choice

Also to be a cabbie, there are years of study on what is called the Knowledge Exam
tTo know the name & location of every street plus the fastest way to that destination

Looking down from inside of Wellington Arch located in Hyde Park (350 acres of park land established in 1637) & at one time home to a Police Station on the bottom floor

Also Hyde Park is famous for the ONLY place all four Beatles lived together in a flat in 1963

Costumier Perruquier (French for Costumer & Wigmaker) acknowledging that Theatrical Wigmaker William Clarkson (1861-1934) had his shop here

On Guard......Folklore has it if the 6 ravens leave the Tower of London, the structure will fall plus the Monarchy will collapse

What says British more that the quintessential double deck buses
Well there were not always red, before painted in different colors to highlight the routes they were servicing
Then in 1907 the company ( London General Omnibus) decided to paint all their buses red to separate itself from the competition
Smart business move to say the least

There is a law that forbids you for walking into the Parliament Buildings in a suit of armour
Really 😂

As we say Ta Ta to London here are some quirky fun facts;

 A) The British Government has employed cats since the 16th Century as a mouser & pet (the current cat, Larry has outlasted four Prime Ministers)
B) 60% of the Underground Transport is actually above ground
C) London Bridge was sold in 1968 to an American businessman & now is in Arizona
D) London has less rain than Miami, Paris or Rome
E) There are over 10,000 foxes within the city
F) Every year (since 1947) Norway sends a giant Christmas Tree to be placed in Trafalgar Square (as a way of saying thanks) for being an ally during World War Two
G) There is a law that forbids placing a postage stamp with the Queens head upside down on an envelope