London Icons. Things to Do and Visit.

London is a city located in the south-eastern part of the UK. The old city has a lot of interesting things to offer the interested tourists. Here there are only a few of them.

Tower Bridge

It's a spectacular bridge built in the late Victorian era. Tower Bridge is truly magnificent! It's great to see the bridge open to let ships through, which happens more often than you'd think; around 900 times a year. Walking across the bridge, you see the amazing views of London, although it can get quite windy. It really gives you a sense of old London – for me it's the ultimate London icon.

The British Airways London Eye

I love the big wheel at a fair ground, so I think The BA London Eye is a fantastic way of getting a bird's-eye view of the city. On a good day you can see for miles and miles – at the peak the whole of London is laid out for you, almost like a game of Monopoly. A friend hired a private capsule for her birthday, so we were up there with all of our mates, oohing and ahhing. It was fantastic!"

Covent Garden

It's a bit of continental Europe right in the middle of London, with tables from restaurants and eateries spilling out onto the piazza. Covent Garden is also where you'll find London's best street performers, from singers belting out arias to mime artists performing crowd-pleasing stunts. Whenever my family comes to London, this is where I take them.

Piccadilly Circus

There's always a real buzz in Piccadilly Circus – the buildings are lit up with dazzling electric signs, and there are always people standing by the Statue of Eros, waiting for friends. Piccadilly Circus leads you into Soho, Chinatown and Leicester Square, areas where you'll find restaurants, pubs, clubs, theatres and cinemas. It's where I spend my Friday nights!"

St Paul's Cathedral

I was only 10 when I watched Prince Charles and Lady Diana's wedding on the television. I remember the 25-foot-long (7.6m) dress train trailing behind her as she walked up the aisle in St. Paul's – it looked so dramatic! I've been a fan of the cathedral ever since. You can walk around the whole of the ground floor, visit the crypt, and climb all 530 steps to the top of the dome.

Westminster Abbey

For me, Westminster Abbey is more of a historic site than a religious one. It's where every King and Queen has been crowned since 1066, and it's also the final resting place for many sovereigns, politicians and artists. I also love the choral concerts they hold here. Last Christmas Eve I went Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve – it was amazing.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament stand on the site of the old Palace of Westminster, the main London residence of Kings and Queens. It's a really stunning riverside building. The clock tower is the main timepiece of the nation and home to Big Ben (the bell). I took my son on a tour around Parliament during the summer opening and he loved it! We even managed to climb all the stairs to the top of Big Ben.

10 Places to Visit in London

Most people think they have already seen everything is worth seeing in their home country. Let's take for example the UK. A lot of British citizens want to go on vacation to the so called exotic countries without considering the opportunity to visit their wonderful country and especially their capital London. Prince Charles for example is buying land and old houses - which he completely refurbishes - in Transylvania and many other British are buying properties in Spain or Italy.
The wonderful city of London has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Romans conquered Britain and built a settlement (castrum) here and named the place Londinium replacing thus the traces left by the Picts. Later the Anglo-Saxons came and built their unique civilization . In 1066 William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Batard) came with his brave Norman warriors and started a new era in the long history of England.
London is nowadays one of the most important economical and cultural centre in the world. The banks, the companies and the cultural life of the city transformed it into one of the most successful and influential capitals of the 21st century.

If I could go to London right now these are the top 10 places that I would surely like to visit:

1. The British Museum
It is the oldest and the most important museum in the world. The public displays and the collections of the British Museum represent an important part of the cultural and material heritage of the world.

2. Buckingham Palace
Is the official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The changing of the guards is one ritual that no tourist should miss when visiting London.

3. London Eye
The giant wheel was built on the bank of the Thames - in front of the Houses of the Parliament - and offers a wonderful perspective of the whole city.

4. The Houses of Parliament (The Westminster Palace)
The world famous Big Ben is the major attraction of the building. The huge clock tower dominates the City and it precisely strikes every hour.

5. Westminster Abbey - The Coronation Cathedral
Beginning with the 25 of December 1066 - when William the Conqueror (William I r. 1066-1087) was anointed king of England - all the kings and queens receive the divine blessing in this huge cathedral.

6. The Tower of London
Before his being anointed king of England William ordered the Norman builders who were accompanying to erect a tower. The White Tower gradually became, after repeatedly being extended, what is today known as the Tower of London - a series of fortifications that were used as royal residence, prisons or Royal Treasury (for the Jewels of the Crown). Today is a famous museum and the Beefeaters are most pleased to guide all the tourists.

7. St. Paul's Cathedral
It is a Baroque master piece built under the supervision of Sir Christopher Wren. The Dome is one of the largest in the world. Christopher Wren himself was buried here. Other famous British subjects that rest under the roof of St. Paul's are Duke Wellington, Lord Nelson, John Donne or J.M.W. Turner.

8. Tower Bridge
Built in the neogothic style Tower Bridge was inaugurated in 1894. It is a wonder of technology and engineering. When finished the mobile bridge was lifted by steam engines. Now the half an hour guided tour offers the tourists another perspective of London and its achievements.

9. The National Gallery
Displays more than 2,300 paintings created between 1260-1900. The main entrance is in the Trafalgar Square but the Sainsbury wing is more appropriate for starting a tour of the exhibitions.

10. The Underground
Particularly interesting is the London Underground or the tube (initially the tunnels were perfectly round) as it also called. It is not a real touristic attraction but I consider it worth "visiting" I mean using. It is the best means of transport in London - there are also the famous double deckers or the black cabs - even if a little bit too crowded during rush hours.

GREECE - THE LAND WHERE MODERN CULTURE ORIGINATED FROM

Nothing else has made me recently exclaiming "How beautiful is that" or "Oh, look at that". Nothing else but the astonishing monuments one can admire and visit in Greece (Ελλάς - Ellas in Latin letters), in Athens to be more precise. After leaving home with a little concern about the trip - which was indeed very long (27 hours)- I arrived in Athens in the morning. I cannot describe how did I feel when entering this city.
Narrow streets, orange trees - a magic smell that somehow resembles the jasmin -, people everywhere, sun, beautiful people (the Greeks are really beautiful and very elegant people) and above all the feeling that I step on thousands of years of history and civilisation.
I heard stories about the Mediterranean sun, I heard stories about the people of Athens, I heard stories about the monuments but nothing can really describe Greece as it is. One should go there and discover it in his or her own way.
The Acropolis with its temples and the Agora made me feel, you know, small in front of one of the greatest achievements of the humankind. Stepping on the Sacred Rock of the old gods and seeing Athens in its full splendour is simply breathtaking.
Lycavittos - the hill at the centre of the city that is thought to be a rock dropped by the goddess Athena from the sky - is the other landmark on the horizon of Athens.
I have seen with my own eyes the famous Evzones - the guards in front of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier - in Syntagma Square. In summer it must be a tough job to stay in the sun but at least the guard is changed every one hour.
The tavernas couldn't have missed from my visit to Athens. Small but intimate and comfortable they offered me the chance to see the Greeks and not only having a cup of coffee or just chatting with friends. I cannot forget mentioning the Greek food - I recommend those who are visiting Greece 'souvlaki' and 'gyros' and of course some salad.
Do not imagine that Athens is a place where people just look at the ruins and do nothing else. The Greeks are very proud of the past but at the same time they value the present. The Greeks are Orthodox and they are very proud of that. The national flag consists of a cross and orizontal blue and white stripes.

As far as the public transport is concerned I can tell you it is very civilized and it works perfectly. Modern buses, trolleybuses and trams take the locals and the tourists in all the four corners of the city. The metro is ... perfect, it shines with cleanliness - I thought it may be transformed into a hospital one day :)). A tip - buy a 10 euro ticket that is valid one week on all means of transport and on all lines, except the express lines to the international airport.

Visiting Athens even if the time was too short has been the best decision I have made lately. It's been a unique occasion to see with my own eyes the place where the modern western culture originated from.

TWO WOMEN JOIN THE BUCKINGHAM PALACE GUARD

The 18 years old Natasha Kurtinaitis is - starting with 02 April 2007 - the first woman guard of the Buckingham Palace.

She entered the Army Air Corps less than two years ago. Natasha was chosen for this position because her father Joe, of Scunthorpe, now a lorry driver, served as a Grenadier Guardsman in the Corps.
Natasha said she and another female colleague are delighted to be the first women ever picked for the royal duty.

Good luck!!!!