Colegiul Național "Mihai Eminescu" Suceava

LUCRARE PENTRU OBTINEREA ATESTATULUI PROFESIONAL LA

LIMBA ENGLEZA

Tourist spots in Britain

Supervising teacher Student

Nastasi Corina Tinela Baltaru Ioana Maria

2019
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 Colegiul Național "Mihai Eminescu" Suceava

Tourist spots in Britain

Supervising teacher Student

Nastasi Corina Tinela Baltaru Ioana Maria

2019

2
 Table of contents

Introductio…………………………………………………………..5

1.History of London……………………………………………..….6

1.1 Legendary foundations and

prehistory……………………………………………………………6

1.2 London in the middle

ages…………………………………………………………….…....6

1.3 London in the 16th century and in the 17th

century…………………………………………………………..….7

1.4 London in the 18th century and 19th

century………………………………………………………..……7

1.5 London in the 20th

century………………………………………………………..……7

1.6 London in the 21th

century…………………………………………………….…..…..8

2. London
nowadays……………………………………..……………….…..8

2.1 Tourism……………………………………………………..8

2.2 Leisure and entertainment…………………………………9

3. Tourist spots……………………………………………………9

3.1 Restaurants………………………………………………….9

3.2 Coffee shops………………………………………………...11

3.3 Museums…………………………………………………….12

3.4 Stonehenge………………………………………………….17

3.5 Tower of London……………………………………………18

3.6 The Roman Baths and Georgian City of Bath……………18

3.7 The Eden Project…………………………………………….19

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3.8 Tate Modern………………………………………………..19

3.9 Warwrick Castle……………………………………………19

4. Leisure activities……………………………………………….20

4.1 Recreation……………………………………………………20

4.2 Cycling……………………………………………………….20

4.3 Sports…………………………………………………………21

4.4 Arts and entertainment………………………………………21

4.5 Shopping………………………………………………………23

5. Conclusion………………………………………………………..25

Web resources………………………………………………………26

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 Introduction
London is the capital and the most famous city of England. It is known all over the world for
being one of the oldest and most beautiful cultural city due to the amazing history.

One of the main reason I chose this topic, is for the fact that I left my heart there, and it
amazed me from the very first beginning. I visited this unforgettable city 2 years ago, and I
can sincerely tell that it was the best experience I ever had. The London attractions got me
very excited, because I could see London from above on the London Eye; meet a celebrity at
Madame Tussauds; examine some of the world's most precious treasures at the British
Museum or come face-to-face with the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum.

I was very sad that I had to leave so soon, but I have to say that London is a sprawling city
with a unique heritage and unforgettable sights. It is a “Must Visit City,” and I can’t wait to
go back and pick up my lost heart from the crowd.

What are you thinking about when you hear “London” for the first time? Madame Tussauds,
rain or a huge bridge? Well, yes all of them are very iconic for this word, but there is more
you need to discover.

London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom. It is located
in the southeast of Great Britain and is a port on the Thames, a navigable river. The river has
had a major influence on the development of the city.
Is considered to be one of the world's most important global cities, and has been defined the
world's most powerful, most desirable, most influential, most visited, most expensive,
innovative, most popular for work, and the most vegetarian friendly city in the world.
London exerts a considerable impact upon the arts, commerce, education, entertainment,
fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development,
tourism and transportation.
The first chapter, “History of London” contains detailes regarding the history and the
evolution of this country.

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 1.History of London

The history of London extends over 2000 years. In that time, it has become one of the
world's most significant financial and cultural capital cities.

1.1 Legendary foundations and prehistory

The city of London was founded by the Romans and their rule extended from 43 AD
to the fifth century AD, when the Empire fell. During the third century, Londinium,
the name given to the town by the Romans, had a population of 50,000, mainly due to
the influence of its major port.
It’s claimed that the Thames represented an important tribal boundary, where were
discover various spear heads and weaponry from the Bronze and Iron Ages near the
banks of the Thames in the London area, many of which had clearly been used in
battle.

1.2 London in the middle ages

During the ninth century, the town suffered numerous Viking attacks. As a
consequence, Danish settlers established themselves in the area, encouraging trade and
opening businesses in the town, transforming it into the first urban centre of England.
In 1067, following the Norman invasion and conquering of England, the city's existing
rights, laws and privileges were established by the newly crowned King of England,
William Duke of Normandy. The Tower of London was built during William's reign.

In 1199, King John reinforced the city's self-government, and in 1215 the city could
elect a different mayor every year.
A writer described London about the year 1180: 'London is happy in its clean air, in
the Christian religion, in the strength of its fortifications, in its natural situation, in the
honor of its citizens.
Medieval London was a lively place.
In the 12th or 13th century London was often spelled Lunden or Lundon. By the time
of Chaucer in the late 14th century it was spelled London.

1.3 London in the 16th century and 17th century

The population of London may have reached 120,000 by the middle of the 16th
century and about 250,000 by 1600. When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries it
released a great deal of land for new buildings.
In these centuries, London was known for developing in bulding. In the late 17th
century fashionable houses were built at Bloomsbury and on the road to the village of
Knightsbridge. Elegant houses in squares and broad straight streets were also built
north of St James palace. Soho also became built up. As well as building attractive
suburbs the rich began to live in attractive villages near London such as Hackney,
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Clapham, Camberwell and Streatham. In the east the poor continued to build houses
and Bethnal Green was 'swallowed up' by the growing city.

1.4 London in the 18th century and in the 19th century

Many new buildings were erected in Georgian London. Buckingham Palace was built
in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It was altered in the 19th century by John Nash
and the first monarch who lived there was Queen Victoria in 1837. The British
Museum was founded in 1753. Also in 1753 Mansion House was built as a residence
for the Lord Mayor of London. In 1757 the houses on London Bridge were
demolished.
In 1807 gas light was used for the first time at Pall Mall and by the 1840's was being
used all over London. Electric light was first used in Holborn in 1883. The first
underground railway opened in 1863. At first carriages were pulled by steam trains.
The system was electrified in 1890-1905. Meanwhile the Thames Tunnel was built in
1843.
In 1834 the Parliament was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt based on the design by
Charles Barry. The new parliament included a great clock, which is now known as Big
Ben. Originally only the bell was called Big Ben , but in time people began to call the
whole clock tower Big Ben.
A lot of museums were created in Victorian London. The Victoria and Albert
Museum opened in 1852. The Science Museum opened in 1857 and the Natural
History Museum opened in 1881.

1.5 London in the 20th century

In the early 20th century London continued to grow rapidly. Hendon and Finchley
became built up.
This period was great for developments and new openings. Westminster Cathedral
was built in 1903. The Victoria and Albert Museum moved to its present home in
1909. The Geological Museum opened in 1935. White City Stadium was built in 1908.
Wembley Stadium was built in 1923 and Gunnersbury Park opened in 1925. Chiswick
Bridge was built in 1933.
Even if London suffered badly during the Second World War, it was still visible a
growing and prospering. Waterloo Bridge was built in 1945. The Royal Festival Hall
was built in 1951. Pollocks Toy Museum opened in 1956. The Shell Centre was built
in 1962. Millbank Tower was built in 1963. One famous London landmark, the Post
Office Tower opened to the public in 1966. Haywards Gallery opened in 1968. The
Museum of London opened in 1976. A Museum of Garden History opened in 1979.
The London Transport Museum opened in 1980. The Museum of the Moving Image
opened in 1988.
. Despite immigration the population of London fell after 1945. However in the last
years of the 20th century the population began to grow rapidly again.

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1.6 London in the 21st century
At the beginning of the 21st Century London continued to grow rapidly. The Greater
London Authority was created in 2000. The same year the Tate Modern opened in a
former power station. Furthermore the London Eye opened to the public in 2000. In
2012 a new building was opened in London called the Shard. Also in 2012 the
Olympics were held in London, confirming its status as one of the world's greatest
cities. In 2016 the number of visitors to London hit a new record of 37.3 million,
making it one of the most visited cities in Europe. Today the population of London is
8.1 million.

2.. London nowadays

Nowadays, we all know that London is one of the “must visit” city. It is the world's
most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the world's largest city
airport system measured by passenger traffic. In 2012, London became the first city to
host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are
spoken within its boundaries. When I visited London, i was amazed by the
multicultural environment that I found there and the amazing understanding between
human beings. Because it contains a multiculturality, London had the chance to
explore other cultures and discover new people triats, and of course had made efforts
for a favorable development in more branches, including tourism and leisure time.

2.1 Tourism
London is one of the leading tourist destinations in the world and in 2015 was
ranked as the most visited city in the world. The most famous attractions in
London, and those I had the chance to visit are: The British Museum, The National
Gallery, The Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, The Victoria and Albert
Museum and the renowned Tower of London.
London has several parks for tourists to stroll, rest and relax in. They include Hyde
Park, Regent's Park, Green Park, St. James's Park, Hampstead Heath and
Greenwich Park.
Is transportation connected to tourism in London? Yes, definitely. I am sure that
everybody heard about the red busses that run around the city , full with excited
travellers from all around the world. Public transportation is essential in
transporting tourists to and from attractions, and deciding the means of and cost of
their travel. What I most liked about this idea of public transportation was the fact
that the Transport for London website provides maps, information on line
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 closures, and a "Plan a journey" feature in which one can enter a location and a
destination to determine which buses, Tube stations, and walking directions are
necessary for a trip.

2.2 Leisure and entertainment

A fact I could easily notice, was that leisure is a major part of the London
economy.
According to official statistics, London is the world's third busiest film production
centre, presents more live comedy than any other city, and has the biggest theatre
audience of any city in the world.

3. Tourist spots

London can surprise in any minute you got there. In the following chapters I will
describe the things that made me fell in love with this city and the things for why I
want so much to return there. I want to present the exciting activities you can find
in London, and the things you can discover by yourself.

3.1 Restaurants

In British English, the term restaurant almost always means an eating establishment with table
service, so the "sit down" qualification is not usually necessary. In my life I have visited
pretty much restaurants, but what I found in London is absolutely unbelievable. I hgave
visited 3 famous restaurants, or better said “ museum-restaurants” because they were more
than just a place where you go to take a meal.

Alain Ducasse it’s the name of the most

expensive restaurant in London, and it’s
named after the famous chef. Alain Ducasse is
one of the world’s most decorated chefs.
Known not only for his incomparable French
cuisine, Alain Ducasse has created innovative
dining concepts reflecting international
influences, and consequently has earned a
reputation for phenomenal cuisine. The
restaurant it’s situated in the centre of the
capital, and has the most extraordinary design
from all the times. For eating here, you need to

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make a reservation with one week before, because it is very demanded. The menu is
conceived with english dishes, and special culinaries, with high prices and sophisticated
tastes. It’s an elegant and extravagant place, and it’s perfect for a romatic date, including
special offers for couples. It’s called a museum as well, for the interesting paintings that
holds.

The second restaurant where I spent

half of my money, is Sketch Lecture
Room and Library.

This place is a fantastically

decorated room. The
colors and the styling is
top. The tasting menu is
part of this styling and a
very good experience. The
wine list is quite extensive
though in the more pricy
range even for a 2-star
establishment.
This place it is dedicated for encourage young artist by expose their works and sketch to
the public. As well, if you are interested in one work, you can buy it and meet the
artist. The restaurant has as well, a room dedicated for book lovers, which contains
a huge library only with english authors. It’s a great place for discover a little bit
their unique culture and rich history while you are serving the most delicious
specialities and trying the english red wine.

The last restaurant which made me

want to come back there, was Atelier
Robuchon.Drawing inspiration from
the simplicity of Japanese cuisine, the
restaurant applies French techniques to
a lavish selection of ingredients from
countries all around the world.

Atelier Robuchon is based on the

Japanese cuisine, but is
mixing up a lot of
ingredients , and the result
it’s amazing. The unique in this restaurant is that they serve foods with very not-
known ingredients which made the food very tasty. It’s called the Atelier because

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 for them preparing the food it’s something more than cooking. It’s an art that has
to be made in the atelier.

3.2 Coffee shops

When it comes to coffee, London has it pretty good. I have visited so many coffee
shops, that I could barely forget the taste and the smell of “londonian coffee”.
The first, Café Sou is its least
formal foodie offering: the
Soho House Group’s attempt
at a grand railway café in the
Parisian mould.
The simple menu includes
baguettes, quiches, omelettes,
rillettes and a few salads, plus
some decent wines for
lunchtime lushes like me.
This is still recognisably
‘café’ territory, however grand the surroundings: the high stools are only just
comfy, and we were in and out in 40 minutes. But for swiftly sensational nosh in
the City, Café Sou is hard to beat.

The second, is called Kaffeine coffe shop, and is inspired by the amazing
coffee culture in Australia and New Zealand, Kaffeine is an independently owned
cafe and espresso bar with two locations in London's
Fitzrovia, just 5 minutes walk from Oxford Circus or
Tottenham Court Road. Discover them for yourself.
It’s an lovely place to take a coffee or eat a
cookie in the moody and rainy days, because of the
feeling this coffee-shop offers. They offer you a
soothing music in the background, and a shelf with
motivational books. The best for this place is the
cappuccino that comes along with an American
cookie, but made without sugar.

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 The third one that inspired me, was Origin Coffee, which was right next to my hotel .
The special in this place that caught my attention is
that they had all the varietes of coffee you can
ever imagine: coffee with strawberries, coffee
with orange flavour, coffee with chocolate
cookies and mint, and the one that I tried
“bananccino”, a cappuccino combined with a
banana flavour and oat milk. I think I can
never forget the delicious and smooth taste of
the bananas with the srong cappuccino.
About the food, I can say that it was something very ORIGINal , it was only
based on breakfast, but you could could
have eaten those specialities whenever
you wanted. Are called ‘’oatmeal’’ and
are made with a lod of ingredients rich
in protein and vitamins. It can be
considered an england breakfast
speciality.

The last one, and the most interesting one it’s called Workshop Coffee. It’s said in the name
that this coffee shops can offer more than any other. And I am talking about that this place
allows you to “workshop” your own order and to learn the secrets about making a delicious
coffee. This coffee shop follows
an very open-minded policy,
that let the tourist learn the
secrets and the tricks of making
the delicious england coffee. I
can be truly greatful for visiting
this place, because now I know
how to prepare an english coffee
and a tasty breakfast.

The coffee-shops in London just caught up my attention with the original style they have and
the specialities that are hard to find in other places. The english taste is something you can
hardly forgive, because you can feel that it’s made with a lot of love and patience.

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3.3 Museums

The British Museum, in the Bloomsbury area of London, United Kingdom, is a public
institution dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection of some eight
million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence, having been widely
sourced during the era of the British Empire. It documents the story of human culture from its
beginnings to the present. It was the first public
national museum in the world.

The British Museum houses the world's largest and

most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities
outside the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. A collection
of immense importance for its range and quality, it
includes objects of all periods from virtually every
site of importance in Egypt and the Sudan. Together,
they illustrate every aspect of the cultures of the Nile
Valley from the Predynastic Neolithic period through
Coptic times, and up to the present day, a time-span over 11,000 years.

A high proportion of the collection comes from tombs or contexts associated with the cult of
the dead, and it is these pieces, in particular the mummies, that remain among the most
eagerly sought-after exhibits by visitors to the museum.

The Greek objects originate from across the Ancient Greek world, from the mainland of
Greece and the Aegean Islands, to neighbouring lands in Asia Minor and Egypt in the eastern
Mediterranean and as far as the western lands of Magna Graecia that include Sicily and
southern Italy. The Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean cultures are represented, and the Greek
collection includes important sculpture from the Parthenon in Athens, as well as elements of

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two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the
Temple of Artemis at Ephesos.

With a collection numbering some 330,000 works, the British Museum possesses the world's
largest and most important collection of Mesopotamian antiquities outside Iraq. A collection
of immense importance, the holdings of Assyrian sculpture, Babylonian and Sumerian
antiquities are among the most comprehensive in the world with entire suites of rooms
panelled in alabaster Assyrian palace reliefs from Nimrud, Nineveh and Khorsabad.

The collections represent the civilisations of the ancient Near East and its adjacent areas.
These cover Mesopotamia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, the Caucasus, parts of
Central Asia, Syria, the Holy Land and Phoenician settlements in the western Mediterranean
from the prehistoric period and include objects from the beginning of Islam in the 7th century.

The second one, is The Victoria and Albert museum and has the world's largest museum of
applied and decorative arts and design, as well as sculpture, housing a permanent collection of
over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince
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Albert. Its collection spans 5,000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, from the
cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa. However, the art of antiquity in
most areas is not collected. The holdings of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver,
ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings
and photographs are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world. The museum
owns the world's largest collection of post-classical sculpture, with the holdings of Italian
Renaissance items being the largest outside Italy. The departments of Asia include art from
South Asia, China, Japan, Korea and the Islamic world. The East Asian collections are among
the best in Europe, with particular strengths in ceramics and metalwork, while the Islamic
collection is amongst the largest in the Western world. Overall, it is one of the largest
museums in the world.

The V&A's collection of Art from Asia numbers more than 160,000 objects, one of the largest
in existence. It has one of the world's most comprehensive and important collections of
Chinese art whilst the collection of South Asian Art is the most important in the West. The
museums coverage includes items from South and South East Asia, Himalayan Kingdoms,
China, the Far East and the Islamic world.

The collection of Middle Eastern and Persian rugs and carpets

is amongst the finest in the world, many were part of the
Salting Bequest of 1909. Examples of tile work from various
buildings including a fireplace dated 1731 from Istanbul made
of intricately decorated blue and white tiles and turquoise tiles
from the exterior of buildings from Samarkand are also
displayed.

The museum houses the National Art Library, a public

librarycontaining over 750,000 books, photographs, drawings,
paintings, and prints. It is one of the world's largest libraries
dedicated to the study of fine and decorative arts. The library
covers all areas and periods of the museum's collections with
special collections covering illuminated manuscripts, rare
books and artists' letters and archives. The Library consists of three large public rooms, with
around a hundred individual study desks. These are the West Room, Centre Room and
Reading Room. The centre room contains 'special collection material'. The collection of
drawings includes over 10,000 British and 2,000 old master works, including works by:
Dürer, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, Bernardo Buontalenti, Rembrandt, Antonio Verrio,
Paul Sandby, John Russell, Angelica Kauffman, John Flaxman,[116] Hugh Douglas
Hamilton, Thomas Rowlandson, William Kilburn, Thomas Girtin, Jean-Auguste-Dominique
Ingres, David Wilkie, John Martin, Samuel Palmer, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, Lord Frederic
Leighton, Sir Samuel Luke Fildes and Aubrey Beardsley. Modern British artists represented
in the collection include: Paul Nash, Percy Wyndham Lewis, Eric Gill, Stanley Spencer, John
Piper, Robert Priseman, Graham Sutherland, Lucian Freud and David Hockney.

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The print collection has more than 500,000 items, covering: posters, greetings cards, book
plates, as well as a comprehensive collection of old master prints from the Renaissance to the
present, including works by Rembrandt, William Hogarth, Giovanni Battista Piranesi,
Canaletto, Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Henri Matisse and Sir William Nicholson. The most
impressive one I consider that is Madame Tussauds. Is a wax museum in London; it has
smaller museums in a number of other major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie
Tussaud.

Madame Tussaud's wax museum became a major tourist attraction in London. Until 2010 it
incorporated the London Planetarium in its west wing. A large animated dark ride, The Spirit
of London, opened in 1993. Today's wax figures at Tussauds include historical and royal
figures, film stars, sports stars, and famous murderers.

Wax figure of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain at the

Madame Tussauds Museum

The Sleeping Beauty is the oldest existing figure on display. It was modeled after Madame du
Barry. She appears asleep and a device in her
chest makes it seem as if she were breathing.

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 Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of
Edinburgh

Marilyn Monroe

Princess Diana

3.4
Stonehenge

Stonehenge,
10 miles north of Salisbury on Salisbury Plain, is
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Europe's best-known prehistoric monument . Exhibitions at the excellent visitor center set the
stage for a visit, explaining through audio-visual experiences and more than 250 ancient
objects how the megaliths were erected and telling about life when they were placed here,
between 3000 and 1500 BC. After walking around the enormous stones, visit the authentic
replicas of Neolithic Houses to see the tools and implements of everyday Neolithic life as
volunteers demonstrate skills from 4,500 years ago. Although you can't go inside the circle to
wander among the stones during normal opening hours, you can reserve special early morning
or late evening access into the circle through English Heritage, which manages the site.

3.5 Tower of London

Prison, palace, treasure vault, observatory, and menagerie - the Tower of London has done it
all. Widely considered the most important building in England, there's enough to see and do at
this World Heritage Site to keep visitors busy for hours. The centerpiece is the White Tower.
Built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, it's home
to amazing exhibits such as Line of Kings, the
world's oldest visitor attraction with its
remarkable displays of royal armor. Other
highlights include the wonderful Crown Jewels
exhibition, classic Yeoman Warder Tours, the
Royal Mint, and exhibits and displays regarding
prisoners and executions. All told, the Tower of
London covers some 18 acres, so there's a great deal of exploring to do.

3.6 The Roman Baths and Georgian City of Bath

If you only have time to visit one smaller city in England, you couldn't do much better than
Bath. This remarkably beautiful city boasts more fantastic tourist attractions than you could
hope to visit in a day. While most famous for the magnificent 2,000-year-old Roman Baths
built around the city's rejuvenating hot springs, it's equally well known for its honey-colored
Georgian Townhouses such as those located on Royal Crescent. Some 500 of the city's
buildings are considered of historical or
architectural importance, a fact that has
resulted in the entire city being granted
World Heritage status. Bath makes an
ideal location from which to explore
some of England's most stunning
countryside, including the Avon Valley,
the Mendip Hills, and countless other
fantastic Somerset landmarks.

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3.7 The Eden project

The incredible Eden Project is a collection of unique artificial biomes containing an amazing
collection of plants from around the world. Located in a reclaimed quarry in Cornwall, the
complex consists of huge domes that look rather like massive igloo-shaped greenhouses. Each
houses thousands of different plant species in tropical and Mediterranean environments. As
well as these stunning displays of plant life, the Eden Project hosts numerous fantastic arts
and music events.

3.8 Tate Modern

When the Tate Modern opened its new 10-

storey extension in June 2016, adding 60 percent more gallery space, visitor numbers jumped
by almost one-fourth, making it one of England's most visited attractions. Among the world's
largest museums of modern and contemporary art, the Tate Modern shows a wide range of
artistic expression, including paintings, works on paper, sculpture, films, performances,
installations, and other forms of artistic expression. Among the well-known artists represented
here are Picasso, Rothko, Dali, Matisse, and Modigliani. Be sure to go to the viewing level for
360-degree views of the London skyline and
the River Thames far below.

3.9 Warwick Castle

If you're looking for a truly memorable English family excursion - one that offers a
fascinating insight into life in medieval
times - you couldn't do much better than
visit Warwick Castle. Located in the
beautiful city of Warwick on the River
Avon, this impressive fortress has
dominated the landscape and history of
the region for more than 900 years.
Today, it serves as a backdrop to

19
medieval-themed events and reenactments, from jousting festivals to fairs and concerts.
Warwick is a great base from which to explore the Cotswolds, as well as nearby cities such as
Stratford-upon-Avon, Liverpool, and Manchester, all just an easy drive away.

4. Leisure activities

London's cultural and recreational offerings are vast and impossible to list comprehensively

4.1 Recreation

With 31% of London's area covered in green space, chances are you won't be living or
working very far from one of the many public parks. Some are beautifully designed by
landscape architects, some captivate by their sheer vastness and natural beauty, and others
offer large outdoor sports facilities which are either free or can be used for a small fee.
Ideally, they combine all three elements, like Regent's Park in central London, Hampstead
Heath in the north and Richmond Park in the west. Despite the high entrance fee, London's
famous Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew near Richmond are definitely worth a visit.

4.2 Cycling

Cycling in London is both a form of recreation

and a way of getting around. Although London
still has a way to go before it is anywhere close
to being a European cycling capital, like

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Amsterdam or Copenhagen, the city is actively trying to increase the number of cyclists.
There is a big market for second-hand bicycles in London. If you don´t want to spend a lot of
money at a bike shop, go to one that deals in used bicycles or try Gumtree or your local
freecycle group. A word of warning: Bicycle theft is a major issue in London. Always make
sure to lock your bike to an immobile object and do not leave it outside overnight. New and
expensive bikes should be registered with the police so if they do get stolen, they can easily
be identified and restored to their rightful owner.

4.3 Sports

Alternatively, you could join a rowing club on one of London's many canals, or, if you're not
the outdoor type, there's always the gym. Most big companies offer corporate gym
memberships to their employees, giving them access to private gyms and health clubs at a
reduced rate. If you don't mind working out in slightly less luxurious surroundings and want
to support your local community, you can also join a council gym. Council gyms are local
government charities and have the advantage of no minimum contract periods – very
convenient for those who will only be in London for a limited time. At little extra cost, they
offer membership to the UK Fitness Network, which will allow you to use any one of
London's approximately 90 not-for-profit leisure centers and swimming pools. Finally, if
people like sports they can go to soccer games, rugby games and cricket games. These sports
are the most reputated in the UK. As people know, the last Olympics Games were in London.

4.4 Arts and Entertainment

London's two major public arts centers, the Barbican and the South Bank Center, both
incorporate great concert halls, cinemas, theatre stages, and exhibition space. For music fans,
both classical and popular, there is much on offer. London is, without a doubt, a city for music
lovers. With abounding music venues and performances, several world-class classical
orchestras and ensembles, and countless new bands, DJs and urban music styles appearing
every year, you will almost certainly never be bored during your time in London.

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the Barbican

4.5 Shopping

The heart of London shopping, bustling Oxford Street has more than 300 shops, designer
outlets and landmark stores: here you can find some of the best shopping in London. Home to
the legendary Selfridges, it also boasts a range of famous department stores such as John
Lewis and Debenhams scattered among every well-known high street chain imaginable. Grab
some bargain fashion at Primark’s massive flagship store, and check the latest trends at
Topshop in Oxford Circus. Get off the beaten track by slipping into a side street, such as St
Christopher's Place and Berwick Street, where you'll find some real treats.

Oxford street.

An impressively elegant shopping street, Regent Street offers a good range of mid-priced
fashion stores alongside some of the city's oldest and most famous shops, including Hamleys,
Liberty andThe Apple Store. Nearby, historic Jermyn Street is renowned for men's clothing
shops and is so typically British it's enough to bring out the old-fashioned gent in anyone!
Jermyn Street is particularly well known for its bespoke shirt makers such as Benson & Clegg

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and shoe shops including John Lobb.

Regent Street

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 5. Conclusion

To sum up, apart from being one of the most beautiful city in Europe, we have to admit that
London has its unique history which made this city so spectacular, each year visited by
numerous foreigners. The capital of England, has exponentially grown both economically and
socially in the past years. Moreover, it’s a vital place for cinematography and music lovers,
being known as a cultural city as well.

In my opinion, London has it all. The hotels, museums, parks, tourists, all have a big
influence over the city. Even if London had constant changes along the years, now has a
numerous population and more people are discovering its beauty.

The famous Stonehenge , Madame Tussauds, the local restaurants, the culture and the
foreigners, all took part in representing the famous capital of England.

London has become a real symbol, a landmark in England, being very popular among people
from all over the world.

Yes, I left my heart in London, being captured by the very first beginning I arrived, and by the
last minute spent there.

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 Web resources

1. http://www.localhistories.org/london.html
2. https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/101-things-to-do-in-london
3. https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/visiting-london-for-the-first-time/ten-
reasons-to-visit-london
4. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g186338-d1389710-Reviews-
Sketch_Lecture_Room_and_Library-London_England.html
5. https://www.elitetraveler.com/finest-dining/most-expensive-restaurants-in-london/3
6. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-
kingdom/england/london/articles/top-10-the-best-luxury-hotels-in-london/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel

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