City Life - London
Roman city to world capital. Street markets and financial markets. A place that looks back with pride on its history yet has its "eye" on the 21st century. Royal pagentry and punk. Fish and chips to haute cuisine. Brahms to bhangra. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, you'll never tire of London.
- A Cavalcade of Cultures - London is the most populous city in the European Union and one of the most diverse. With over one third of its citizens born outside the country, it offers a truly global experience. You can hear over 300 different languages or dine on food from more than 70 different countries.
- Green Space - Londoners don't have to leave the city to get a taste of the countryside. The city has over 1700 parks - ranging from private squares to royal holdings - that provide a respite from urban life. Henry VIII went deer hunting in Hyde Park. Chelsea Physic played a major role in the development of the sciences of botany and horticulture. One of the smallest is Holland Park which is the site of the Kyoto Japanese Garden.
- Museums Galore - London has one of the finest collections of museums in the world - over 300 with art and artifacts that span the centuries. View British interiors and lifestyles from the past four centuries at the Geffrye Museum. Learn the story of the old port and river at the The Docklands Museum, in an old warehouse. See the world's largest toy collection at the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood.
- The City - The financial heart of London. this one square mile, plays host to the world's business. It contains 480 overseas banks. the world's largest insurance market, the leading exchange for dealing in non-precious metals, the largest spot gold and gold lending markets and the largest ship broking market. The City's maze of backstreets is also home to a host of old churches including St. Paul's, marketplaces, and cozy pubs.
- A River Runs Through It - The Thames is a waterway of commerce and history. Its upper reaches wind lazily through quiet villages and Hampton Court. England's seat of administrative power since the 11th century lies in Westminster where the Houses of Parliament rise from the river. Echoes of Shakespeare can be heard at the replica of the Globe Theater. The Docklands, once the port of London, once the world's busiest, have been reborn as a major business and residential center. Downriver, lies Greenwich and the Observatory where the eastern and western hemispheres meet.
