Hetal Chirag
After travelling through Scotland and Ireland, we stopped by London where history is weaved into every aspect of the city from culture to architecture. On our very first day in London, we were lucky to be at the right place at the right time to join a free tour of the city offered by Sandemans. Our fantastic tour guide Mark definitely knew his history. The city has so many stories to offer that if you don’t have an informative guide you will definitely miss some of the most of interesting things you should know about London.
You literally can’t walk a few meters without coming across something with a historic significance. It is very easy to be overwhelmed in London as this city has so many sights to visit. While we were there, we visited the world famous Buckingham Palace, the majestic London Eye, the iconic Big Ben, the Globe Theatre and the Tower Bridge.
We were surprised to know that the Big Ben is not the name of the tower. It is actually the name of the bell inside the tower. There are many streets in London with unusual names such as Ha Ha Road in Greenwich, London. If you are a fan of architectural marvels, you will love the O2 Arena in London which was previously known as Millenium Dome. This massive structure can fit the Statue of Liberty or the Great Pyramid of Giza inside the dome.
Did you know that “London” was not the original name of the city? It has been named Ludenburg, Ludenwic and Londinium previously before settling at London. The Romans who settled in the city first naming it Londinium. With over 300 languages spoken in this diverse city, it is the most visited city in the United Kingdom. Not to mention it is also listed as the UK’s most expensive city to live in.
