LONDON

1. TO LONDON London Sight Seeing Tour

3. TRAVEL ADVICE *Anyone with the jitters should check out the US State Dept Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets. Written by a generally over-protective Uncle Sam, these `sheets' provide useful information on the risks US citizens take when they undertake to leave the home of the brave. *The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office provides more succinct and restrained Travel Advice targeted at British citizens, but most of it is relevant to all travelers. *The Nolo.com Self-Help Law Center's Trouble Free Travel Advice has advice on keeping you out of trouble with the law and shank operators while on the road. *Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade has useful snippets in its Consular Travel Advice. *Have a look at Tick-it Tees Travel Site for their links, toolbox and their Travel Fact Grab Bag. TRAVEL INSURANCE * All the facts and Fans about travel insurance are provided in this brief but succinct page on the Money World site. *If you're bamboozled by the sheer number of travel insurance policies on offer and whether or not you ought to go for the 'protection against terrorist attack' policy, Travel Assist may help you sort it out. *Redbook asks the largely rhetorical question 'Is Travel Insurance worth It'. Cannon asks the same question and surprisingly says, well, kind of, not really, it all depends. *Tricky things, those travel insurance policies. Saving Money on Travel Insurance will tell you how to, um, save money on travel insurance.

4. EMBASSIES AND VISAS 1) Whatever your nationality, wherever you're headed, travel.com.au's Check Visa Requirements will put you straight on the paperwork you need. 2)The Embassy Page has a fairly good hotlink listing of embassies and consulates around the world 3) The Electronic Embassy has hotlink listings of embassies with a presence mainly in the USA. TOURIST OFFICES 1)Where to get online tourist information points to online and real-world tourist offices for 150 countries. 2)This Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory concentrates on government tourist office addresses.

5. Accommodation Guide We think London's hotels overcharge by an insulting margin (Mark Twain was of the same opinion one hundred years ago on his visit) - but this reflects London's high property prices - there is no shortage of luxury hotels charging upwards of £200 per person per night, though if you shop around a hotel in the centre can be had for £50-70 per night - it's often worth bargaining. Service varies from the snidely obsequious to the genuinely friendly, but this is not calculable from the price. You can book accommodation at this HOTEL RESERVATION SERVICE which is a centralized service taking a small cut from the hotels featured - which works out cheaper to the hotels than offering a web-based shopping cart secure service. Another service is CNG Hotels which allows you to book hotels across the UK. Our editor always books his hotels worldwide on the web and hasn't been let down yet. But he always cross-references with another site or with a guidebook The 'Official' London Tourist board, (0207 924 7226/7229) can also book a room for you. If you don't mind waiting until you arrive, there are hotel booking booths at all the major airports and stations - you can often get a very good deal there - a kind of clearing house with often good discounts on the standard 'tourist' rates. There are also many hotel booking sites on the web. Few of these will present a truly objective picture of a hotel, as they're trying to make a living, but it's not in their interests to send you somewhere terrible.Our Hotel Booking link has been chosen because they offer booking for many of the hotels we personally recommend - but we feel we can only honestly recommend the hotels that feature on this page - though there are undoubtedly many others which offer a good service - we just haven't either visited them ourselves or received enough reports to give their details here. (Reports on hotels always welcome - by email, please).Most of the commercial hotel guidebooks (even those published by the AA and RAC) actually charge hotels for entries and (Johansen's guides charge hotels up to £2,500 for entries) - they are never objective and we wouldn't trust them as far as we could throw them. The only guidebook we can wholeheartedly recommend is 'The Good Hotel Guide' (but beware of imitations) which like ourselves and Hardin's Food Guide, as well as the 'Good Food Guide' remains fiercely objective. The Good Hotel Guide can pay for it's cover price in discounts in a small number of London Hotels.

6. You should also be aware that the English idea of comfort can be quite Spartan, as befits our stoic nature. Character is often more important than comfort, and if you're likely to get upset over little things (separate hot and cold, not mixer taps) then you should pay more for your hotel than is necessary to enjoy your stay.All the hotels on this page come from personal recommendation - if you'd like us to add (or delete) something from the list please contact: simon@londontourism.org.uk. Our top tips for Hotels are: Stay in University Halls if you're coming in vacation time (summer, Easter or Christmas) - not hotel standard, but usually better than B & B, very good value accommodation right in the centre. Contact University College London (0707 387 7050), King's College London (0207 836 5454), The London School of Economics (0207 405 7686) to find out which halls are renting rooms. The LSE runs a good operation from its Backside Halls, tell: 0207 633 9877 - open May-Oct, right behind the Tate Modern and convenient for the City and St Pails. Also recommended are their halls on Roseburg Avenue and in Fitzrovia (near the Post Office Tower). LondonZoo. LondonZoo is in Regents Park. ... The Zoo in 1837. Sculpture.LondonZoo contains a variety of sculptural works featuring animals LondonZoo Flugreise lastminute Flugreisen bei L'TUR Urlaub London-Zoo PauschalreiseZoo-London Lastminutereisen Reisebüro Wetter online buchen bei L'TUR. ... london zoo imperation Features: LondonZoo, In the heart of London, on the north side ofRegent’s Park, is LondonZoo. When the Zoo opened in 1828 it ... The Zoo is supported by a very strong Friends of the East LondonZoo (FELZOO)organisation. They play a very important role in supplying ... ROYAL PLACES IN LONDON London has its fair share of Royal Palaces - with a large Royal Family, and intense rivalry between dynasties, the number of separate buildings, and additions to older Palaces has meant that the variety of architecture is staggering. We mourn the loss of Henry VIII's bedrooms at Hampton Court, but the Georgian additions more than make up. The main tourist destination of Buckingham Palace, regularly comes up as the worst attraction in London - overpriced, and badly laid out. We recommend you save time and money by visiting the Tower or Hampton court (preferably both) instead. However many want the more intimate connection that Buck House has with the existing monarchy (though Windsor Castle is better in that degree) and it's certainly improved in 2002, with more rooms open and better gallery space

7. The Tower of London  We're not sure if this exactly counts as a palace - it's more of a prison-cum-armoury - with a shadier past than Kurt Waldheim. It's important that you BOOK TICKETS IN ADVANCE if you intend to visit or you could spend a long time queuing. The famous beefeaters act as guides and are very knowledgeable and helpful - but get on their wrong side and they can be curmudgeonly old stick-in-the-muds. The Tower features on our , which takes in many other local sights and is highly recommended. The Tower was effectively built by William the Conqueror after his extended visit in 1066. It was called the White Tower and followed the defensive architecture of the period. In the 13th C the towered walls and the great moat were added. A wharf was added in the next century - much of this original architecture still exists. It was very much seen as a place of refuge for the Royal family in a time when the rules of engagement and the lines of succession were being worked out. As the Tudors and Plantagenet's fought over control of the country, several nasty little incidents took place here egg. the murdering of the two Princes in the Tower by Richard III. By the way don't trust Shakespeare on the subject - he was writing for the dynasty which replaced the Gloucester regime. Richard III was no saint, but the image of                           a hunchbacked villain was added much later - in the way Stalin vilified Trotsky. Prisoners held in the Tower include Sir Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, two of Henry Vies wives: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and his daughter, Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth I). During the reign of Charles II the Tower became more of an armoury and houses many fine pieces as well as the Crown Jewels. Open summer 9-5, winter 9-4 £11.00 PRE-BOOKING ADVISORY.

8. Hampton Court  Bought by Cardinal Woolsey and transformed by him into a sumptuous Palace in the 1520s, it was effectively annexed by Henry VIII as the Cardinal fell out of favor (the official story is it was given as a gift). Woolsey also didn't finish Cardinal College Oxford, which became Christchurch - there you can still see the foundations of the colonnade which would have made Tom Quad the finest in Europe. Henry rebuilt the Hampton Court after his own tastes and entertained all six wives here, some making a brief visit, en route for the scaffold. A succession of later Kings and Queens transformed the Palace according to their tastes too, which accounts for the diverse styles. James I used Hampton Court for its excellent hunting in the park. Charles II used it for lodging his mistresses). For more on that matter read the well-written but smutty poetry of Rochester. After the 'Glorious Revolution' in 1689 which saw the rights of Catholics much curtailed, William III and Mary II commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild Hampton Court. Fortunately the work was not completed as they planned to demolish all of Henry VIII's bits. They did, however, build the sumptuous Kings and Queen's Apartments which are added on the back of Henry's buildings. King William Apartments are the finest and most important set of Baroque state apartments in the world - are still furnished with the original furniture and tapestries from 1700 when they were completed for the King. Thankfully Henry's Great Hall and the Chapel Royal exist in their original form, as well as the magnificent Tudor Kitchens, which are beautifully laid out as if a feast was being prepared using all the food and utensils that would have been used in the 16th century.                                      The Georgian era saw the final flowering of Hampton Court Palace, but effectively the annual visit of the full court to Hampton ended in 1737. The intimate Georgian Rooms are left as they were during the final visit of the royal court. The Palace was eventually handed over to the Public by Queen Victoria. Also worth seeing: the superb collection of renaissance paintings, including Manteno's Triumphs of Caesar, Henry VIII's Astronomical Clock the 60 acres of gardens, including the famous Maze. Open Summer 10:00-18:00, winter 10:00 -16:30. Full tickets, £10.50

9. Kensington Palace The State Apartments at Kensington Palace take the history began at Hampton court on further - Queen Victoria grew up here and there's much fine portraiture from the reign of George I. The building also houses The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, dating from the 18th century to the present day, including a stunning collection of dresses belonging to Her Majesty The Queen. Queen Anne's orangey which dates from 1704, is also worth the visit. The Queen's sister, Princess Margaret lived there, as did Princess Diana. Off Kensington High Street, a short walk from the tube stop of the same name. Open 10:00 -1700 summer, 10:-16:00 winter, admission £8.50 Kew PalaceKew Palace, in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, is currently closed to visitors. However, Queen Charlotte's Cottage is open to visitors every summer weekend. The cottage was enjoyed by King George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte, as a picnic place and home to their menagerie of exotic animals. Visit it when you go to Kew Gardens. Can easily be combined with a trip to Ham House and Marble Hill House which are nearby (vide infra).If you don't feel like schlepping out of the centre the Chelsea Physic Garden and the Conservatory of the Barbican could furnish all your vegetal needs. Clarence HouseThe home of the late Queen Mother - not open to the public, but you can view it from outside. Built by Nash for William, Duke of Clarence in 1828 - when he became King two years later he continued to reside here as Buckingham Palace wasn't finished. It was the home of Queen Elizabeth before she became Queen too, and for a time Princess Margaret lived here too. Has a brilliant collection of paintings from the late Queen Mother's collection. The story goes that she once (probably often) rang down to the butlers after getting no response from her bell pull and said in a voice redolent of the highest camp: "I don't know what you old queens are doing down there but this old queen up here is dying for a glass of gin." The Queen Mum was much beloved by the public - especially when during the Diana years the Windsor's' gilt began to tarnish.

10. Historic Buildings The Houses of Parliament Only open to the Public when the two houses are not sitting, which generally means Summer (June-September) but there may well be an extension - the scheme is still experimental. Now run by experienced 'Blue Badge' guides this is a sine qua non. You get to see the Commons and The Lords, as well as the Queen's private rooms. Well worth the admission fee (about £6 - 8). Booking arrangements vary from year to year - there currently a booking tent opposite the entrance to Lords, on College Green The Inns of Court One of the least explored areas of London. It's an oasis of calm - no traffic noise which spreads from the river near Temple tube station (Circle & District), up towards Holton (Central Line) and beyond. The four Inns go back a long way and were founded to organize Law Students along Oxbridge lines. Lincoln's was founded in 1422, with Middle Temple (1501) Inner Temple (1505) and Gray's (1569) following. Their antecedents date from 1292 - so do some of the laws which still govern England. Lincoln's still retains its complete 16th C gatehouse (1518), and much of the architecture can be traced back to 1489 (the Old Hall). The chapel dates back to 1619.                        Ben Johnson as a boy, laid the bricks along with his father a Bricklayer. Has an illustrious list of former students: William Penn, John Donne (who founded the chapel), Oliver Cromwell, Pitt the Younger, amongst others. See old buildings, old hall, chapel, garden and new square. Middle temple - its name goes back to the Knights Templar - has buildings dating from 1320 (the Hall still extant, though rebuilt in 1573). Has many courts, visit Fountain Court, Brick Court, New Court, Pump Court, and also see the Cloisters, the gardens, the Library (modern exterior, but interior old) and the gatehouse Inner Temple: much of this is Victorian and Georgian, but Hare court dates back to 1567 and King's Bench Walk goes back to 1677. The beautiful gardens used to house the Royal Horticultural Society Show before it moved to Chelsea. Gray's has lost most of it's original function and apart from the gatehouse and buildings there is little of interest apart from the gardens The courts spread from the river northward to Herbal's road (where there's the best fish and chip shop in London).

11. Lloyds of LondonA practice run for the Pompidou Center in Paris's Beau Bourg, Richard Rogers' stunning building similarly has it's guts on the outside. Right next door to Leaden hall market at 1 Lime Street, London EC3. Go at about 11am and have lunch in the market. It's illuminated by a blue light at night and stands out on the skyline. The Insurance market, with the famous Lupine Bell rung traditionally when an insured ship sinks (now it's rung for big market news, once for bad news, twice for good), bustles on around you as you whisk in one of the open elevators to the meeting rooms at the top of the building.Lombard merchants introduced maritime insurance to London in the 16th century and it flourished somewhat haphazardly around Lombard Street until the establishment of Lloyd's Coffee House where insurers and merchants met to trade risks. The register of ships goes back to 1760. KenwoodIn splendid grounds beside Hampstead Heath, the impressive neoclassical Kenwood House contains a good collections of paintings, with works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Turner, Gainsborough and Reynolds. The House was remodeled by Robert Adam between 1764 and 1773, when he transformed the original brick house into a majestic villa for the great judge, Lord Mansfield. The original library survives intact. Later Earls of Mansfield redesigned the parkland and Kenwood remained in their family until 1922. Enter via Hampstead Lane, NW3.   Free. Freemason's Hall & TempleOnce secretive, and long accused of corruption, especially with so many policemen members, the Masons are trying to make amends. They've opened up their temple to the public for tours. The current Grand Lodge on Great Queen St, Covent Garden, occupies the site of the Grand Temple of 1776, and was built in 1933. Many of the rooms are open - especially noteworthy is the tiled staircase - used in many film shoots. Hourly tours 1100 - 1600 Monday - Friday. Free. Paisley House  Now back under the auspices of the Victoria and Albert museum after a disastrous attempt to go solo, Wellington's house in London houses collections that focus on his life - much militaries, and the house has been well looked after - not worth visiting on its own, but the admission is included in the price of a ticket to the V & A. Has the best address in town: No 1, London College of ArmsWhere you would come to have your family tree traced, this bastion of the class structure occupies the 17th century house of the heralds on Queen Victoria Street, opposite Black friars Station. It's close to St Paul's so worth passing, if you want to see inside you have to arrange a special visit, unless you want your arms researching. There's not much to see unless you're interested in heraldry, the designers of the coats of arms of recent notables (including Princess Diana and Prince William) can discuss their work

12. St James' Palace   Another one by Henry VIII, who was great news for architects and builders across the country but bad news for 5 of his 6 wives. Of the four original courts only Color Court remains. This was the principal in-town residence of 300 years of monarchs from 1698 after Whitehall Palace burnt down (Prince Charles still lives here). It itself was substantially burnt in 1809, and restored over the next five years. Royal Palaces have a habit of burning down in this country - in the past 20 years there have been significant fires at Hampton Court and Windsor castle - now thankfully both fully restored. The Duke of Cumberland was almost murdered in St James' after making gay advances on his footman (who he discovered in bed with his wife) - another Royal tradition. When Prince Charles is in residence there are Bisbee's guards outside - easier to access and photograph than Buckingham Palace. There's usually a changing of the guard here at 16:00 or thereabouts - and no crowds. The interior is not open to the public. However you can sneak in to get a peek - for details. It's in the 'Palace district' at the westerly end of Pall Mall. Buckingham Palace  Effectively State reception rooms and a small Royal Apartments where the Queen lives when in London. Regularly on the top ten lists of worse places to visit by those that have, but still drawing huge numbers of those that haven't. Nice place to view from the outside, though the crowds can be horrendous. If the Royal Standard is flying over the palace then the Queen's in residence.Built by George VI on the site of the King's House, Pamlico, the shell of which was preserved by Nash, the architect. Marble Arch once stood in front, but it was later removed to the western end of Oxford Street where the famous Tiburon Gallows once stood. When Queen Victoria moved here in 1837, just 10 years after the works had been carried out, it was barely habitable, but she grew to love the Palace, as did her son Edward VII. There are 600 rooms in the Palace, of which under twenty can be visited, as well as the Queen's Picture gallery and the Mews. If you're quick enough you could pop in to see the Queen - the preferred route is to scale the walls at Constitution Hill, then run like mad across the lawns. A couple of people have made it, one ended up sitting on the Queen's bed (a commoner!) until she rang down, ostensibly for some

13. London's Parks In addition to the routes listed above, you might want to just visit one of central London's many other parks and wander.  In virtually all areas, walking on the grass, picnicking and ball games are permitted.  However, some Royal Parks close at night and are patrolled by Parks Police.  Skating and bicycling are prohibited in most areas of most parks - unfortunately the councils operate a very backward and restrictive policy to alternative means of transportation.  Apart from a few parts of Kensington Gardens and Serpentine Road in Hyde Park there is virtually no place to skate in London. Regent's Park- because of an American University nearby this park is host to many games of softball as well as football and cricket.  There's a mosque on the park edges and Friday afternoon sees a very multi cultural edge. A beautiful rose garden and stunning terraces of houses round the outside.  London Zoo is at the top of the park and there's a boating lake.    Tube: Regent's Park (Waterloo), Camden Town (Northern) or Baker Street (Jubilee, Circle)Holland Park - used to be the haunt of spies due to the proximity of the old KGB headquarters, this most genteel of parks has an opera festival, one of London's most beautiful Youth Hostels, and plenty of wilderness, as well as immaculately manicured gardens.  Tube: Holland Park (Central) High Street Kensington (Circle) Coram's Fields Provides a rare bit of green to King's Cross/Bloomsbury area.  Part of the grounds of the Foundling's Hospital, which was endowed by Handel (a nearby Street commemorates this) who donated the proceeds of several of his operas and oratorios.  An adjoining children's park has animals and play areas. Tube: Russell Square (Piccadilly) Battersea Park large splendid park in this posh quarter, bordering the Thames, it has a pagoda, a boating lake, and good sports grounds as well as a zoo that's popular with children.  Walk across Chelsea Bridge from Sloane Square. Tube Sloane Square (Circle) Hampstead Heath huge swathe of rolling countryside overlooking London - you'd not think you were in one of the world's largest cities.  Bathing area (nudist), and good sports facilities, including riding. Take a dog or a packed lunch.  After dark certain parts of this become a gay paradise, though this is not obvious to those not able to pick up the signals. Tube: Hampstead (Northern) Blackheath and Greenwich Park we think a trip to Greenwich should be part of every visitor's itinerary. Greenwich Park, with its deer park, rose garden and ancient trees is a Royal Park and attached to the Queen's House where Queen Elizabeth grew up. A great place for Sundays, when Greenwich market is in full swing.  The Old Royal Observatory is at the top of the hill.   

14. London Museums • The shortlist: • The British Museum 2) Sir John Soane's Museum • 3) Natural History and ScienceMuseums 4) Victoria Albert Museum 5) Imperial War Museum • 6) National Maritime Museum The British Museum:Back from a substantial refit and better than ever, the best museum in theworld where 4000 year old Pharoahs enjoy a busier afterlife than they planned for and where Karl Marx meets Buddha. Conveniently situated north of Covent Garden, on Great Russell Street, and just east of Oxford Street's main shopping drag. Remember to visit the reading room - in which, due to the numbers of tourists it is now impossible to read. The African collection, newly re-opened, is the world's largest (and the best in terms of range and quality) with over 200,000 objects, of which 600 pieces are on show to the public at any one time. If you are a collector or researcher you can make an appointment to see the rest.  Saturday - Wednesday 10.00-17.30, Thursday - Friday 10.00-20.30.  Free. Sir John Soane's MuseumA miniature British Museum. (which includes the Inns of Court and the Masonic Temple) that links some of London's most beautiful and least known sights. So full of objects that every bit of wall and ceiling is used. Great collection of Hogarth prints and friendly curators full of great anecdotes. Hidden panels reveal even more paintings. Tuesday to Saturday 10.00-17.00.   Free.   The Natural History & Science Museums                               There's a high concentration of museums in South Kensington (well signposted from the tube) and these two are great for a rainy day. Kids love them. They celebrate the Victorian's love of Science and Nature - many of the machines that changed history are here - Britain has been the world's powerhouse of science - the Computer, the Fax, the WWW, the jet engine, the train, the television, Penicillin, the list is endless. But Tyrannosaurus Rex puts man in his place. The Natural History Museum is a beautiful building in itself - if you had to visit one museum here it's a tough decision: either the animatronic dinosaur for Jurassic Park fans, or the bells and whistles of the Science museum - better to briefly visit both as they're free.

15. The Science Museum's new Wellcome wing is simply astounding. It's right up to the minute - if a breakthrough is made, they'll have an exhibit up and running in as little as 24 hours. There's a team of scientists on hand conducting real experiments in which you can be a subject, if you wish - the first team took swabs from people's mouths and a photo to match facial shape with their genes. We think this vies with the Tate Modern as the best new addition to London's art/museum scene. Both open every day 10.00 to 18.00, (Natural History opens at 11:00 on Sundays).  Free. The Victoria & Albert MuseumA huge museum of culture, conveniently situated next door to the Science museums and great for Harrods. It's worth the visit for the cast rooms alone. The new British Culture galleries have been refitted and revitalised at a cost of over £31 million (subsidised in part by a gambling tax) and the museum's now entirely free - Prince Charles had a lot of fun with the interactive corset display on the opening day, confirming all our suspicions of inbreeding. What's fascinating about the British Galleries is the closeness of the objects - lots are there to be touched, and the place is crammed full of stuff (like the Soane) - anyone who's ever bought a sofa, wallpapered a room, chosen cutlery or curtains will be fascinated by the displays - but intermingled are great works of art and reconstructed period rooms. There are several resource rooms with computers, AV displays and book collections to be poured over. Tours are free, as they are of the whole museum, and you can even borrow a lightweight folding stool to take round with you. You can spend hours in here just wandering - whatever it is you're interested, in it'll be in here - our advice, as always is to pop in several times rather than do a marathon. Less formal than the British Museum, the level of interactivity is very high and kids seem to love the hands-on stuff (egg: dressing up in old costumes, building pieces of furniture, designing their own monograms and seeing them put onto cutlery, weaving oriental carpets). Spontaneous concerts in the entrance hall on Sundays. There are regular demonstrations of crafts - for which see the website or pick up a leaflet. The cafe, which was a trendy place to hang out, is now scruffy and very expensive. Open 10.00-18.00 daily, on Wednesdays and the last Friday in the month open to 22.00). Free. Also includes Ashley House, at Hyde Park Corner

16. Imperial War MuseumThe name says it all, though it's not just about different ways of killing, recently they've become softer, looking at the experience of war rather than its prosecution. Some great exhibitions such as 'The Blitz' and 'The Holocaust' are quite moving. Is located on the site of St Mary's Bethlehem hospital - better known as Bedlam. 10.00-18.00 daily. Free. National Maritime MuseumIn Britain you're never more than 60 miles from the sea. Britannia really did rule the waves and this is how she did it. Good reason to visit beautiful Greenwich. Open every day 10.00-17.00. Free. Crowd Pullers 1)Changing of the Guard, 2)Tower Bridge3)The London Dungeon 4)Madame Tossups 5)London Eye Changing of The Guard Happens at all the Royal Palaces so you don't have to endure the crush at Buckingham Palace. Smaller ceremonies are held at St James' Palace and Windsor. Doesn't happen every day at Buckingham Palace (a notice board out front tells you when), and some of the guards regiments are quite dowdy in appearance (the Gekas for instance). But when there's a full ceremony with the regimental band marching out of the Guards' Barracks (on Birdcage Walk to the left of the Palace as you're facing it) and the soldiers are dressed in red with full busbies it can be all Pomp and Circumstance. And it's free.   However there are plenty of other pieces of pomp and ceremony, parades, gun salutes etc that go unnoticed by most people, you can escape the crush by looking for the Army's own list of ceremonials. Good info on guard changing as well.

17. Tower Bridge experience We like Tower Bridge, it's a real achievement of Victorian engineering, and looks great, especially at night when it's well illuminated. We don't think it's necessary to go inside to appreciate it, though the engines that lift the two drawbridges are a miracle. The bridge is opened on average once a week - it's timetabled and you can find out when in advance - which is quite spectacular. If there's a large yacht moored next to HMS Belfast then it's probable that it'll have to go out through the raised bridge soon - check at the ticket office or on their website. The London Dungeon In the bowels of London Bridge Station this famous waxwork museum of torture focuses on the dark side of life. As such it can paint an artificially grim portrait of London: Jack the Ripper is small fry by today's serial killer standards. Stocks, executions, torture machines, rats, plague are the main crowd attractions. The queues stretch right up Duke St Hill for at least 100 meters, unemployed actors in 'period' costume and ghoulish make-up keep them amused while they're waiting.Life in London was undoubtedly hard for the poor or those who for some reason were ostracized by society, worth remembering as you go round, for example, Hampton Court which paints an equally biased view of a rosy Lode England. Their recently opened Paris branch for some reason claims it's the original - we suspect branches will be spring up everywhere. There a restaurant inside and sometimes nightclubs are held there. Their very atmospheric website gives you a flavor of the place. Madame Tossup's Most large towns have waxworks museums, and this is just another one, albeit much bigger. It's a big crowd puller - the queues can be horrendous - but you can pre-book a ticket online and walk jauntily by the unfortunates if you wish. Has worked hard over the years to achieve a semi-official status, like the Guinness book of records. Have your photo taken next to Charles , the artist formally known as Prince (if the crowd will part for long enough), or the artist formerly known as Prince (or whatever he calls himself today). Also on the site is the planetarium, which is much like all other planet aria, only more so. We think there are much better things to do in London, especially considering the steep admission price - thousands disagree. It's on the Marylebone Road, 100 yards from Baker Street tube, and conveniently close to Sherlock Holmes' alleged residence which maintains a small 'Museum' - visit only if you're a diehard fan.  Recently tourists have taken to having their photo taken by the horrible statue of Sherlock Holmes outside Baker Street tube. If you get that stuffy feeling after Tossup's walk 400 yards north to Regent's Park - and beyond to Primrose Hill for a great view over London. On the weekend it's an easy walk right through to Camden Market.

18. London Eye A huge modern version of Vienna's Prater ferries wheel which dominates the river skyline opposite Parliament. Queues can be horrendous, but a new ticketing system has improved things markedly. The capsules can get very hot in sunny weather - you can book a whole capsule if you wish. Take a telephoto lens if you want to get good photos from the top - London is a big, big city.Our favorite natural vantage points are at the top of Greenwich Hill - near the Ranger's House or the Observatory there which are much more atmospheric as the sun slices, Bonduel fashion, down the city skyscrapers. Another good vantage point is Parliament Hill, on Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill in Regent's Park. As far as the wheel goes make sure there's good weather before you go up as it's a really depressing ride when it's rainy and overcast. Nab Closed for annual maintenance 15 Jan - 9Feb. CULTURE Kew Gardens   A spectacular site laid out over acres in a pleasant and wealthy London suburb, it's a great place for a sunny afternoon - it doesn't work so well in bad weather as the various hothouses and exhibits are somewhat spread out over the site. Kew house, the smallest of the London Royal Palaces, is currently closed for refurbishment, but the 'English' garden and the herb garden are excellent. The Physic garden in Chelsea is also worth a visit, if you don't have the time or inclination to leave the centre of London. If it's wet the Barbican has a large hothouse conservatory on its roof.  Kew can be combined with a visit to Marble Hill and Ham Houses Many people expect London to be crawling with cheerful cockney characters straight out of Dickens, and assume there is a pure-bred English type that rules over them. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Many have striven to define 'Englishness' and failed - in fact English culture is really a bastard culture, having assimilated the best from many other cultures.Racially the English are Celts, Romans, Vikings, Saxons, Normans, with a handful of lesser traits thrown in for good measure. Our favorite food is curry - a legacy of the Raja, and our colonial past has made the city more cosmopolitan than any other. Class is still often more important than color, though its boundaries shift with the winds. The English have always admired foreigners, if somewhat grudgingly, and we've imported other cultures, languages and foods, giving them a unique 'spin'.

19. The main distinguishing trait of the English is our sangfroid, as one popular book put it ' all over the trenches of the first world war there were English soldiers, lying mortally wounded, whose only comment was 'mustn't grumble' or 'it could be worse'. Since then we've learned to put up with high prices, a crumbling infrastructure, dreadful food, shoddy housing, and awful weather with a smile on our faces. To quote the Washington Post:" one learns only from the corner coffee shop and convenience store the true meaning of concepts like the famous tolerance of the English. The tolerance applies to bad food as well, judging from these local cafes and 7-Elevens, all stocked with the same nondescript pastries, prepackaged lunches and unsatisfactory junk food. " In fact we almost prefer to suffer - the cult of individual happiness has still to make an inroad into our culture. At it's most foolhardy it comes across as a political stubbornness: like the left-wing commuter who single-handedly boycotted the Jubilee line, because it was royalist, and had to take a most convoluted route around the city.This 'old labor' attitude of strikes and common suffering is on the way out, with 'new labor' and a final adopting of modernity (faxes, portable phones, washing machines and video recorder ownership is astonishingly high). The greed of the eighties under Thatcher has also left its mark: the exploding property market has almost replaced the weather as prime topic of conversation. But finally we've recognized that it's our cultural contribution that we have most to be proud of, even if our national football, cricket, Rugby teams (the list is endless) are always getting beaten by our former colonies.   The other characteristic English trait is our attitude to eccentricity - we positively encourage it. Where other cities have their bloodshot and craggy loons the English have eccentrics - eye contact is not necessarily avoided. There seems to be something about even only slightly intelligent people here that makes them jump out of the groove. But as our culture has had to absorb so many others over the years, those little quirks do not jar as much as they do in tight-knit communities elsewhere in the world. It's been our eccentrics, after all, who've planted the flag on the world's highest mountains, produced more of the worlds inventions than any other nation (the English file more patents per head than any other country, by a long margin) and who provide such excellent entertainment at dinner parties. There's always a good assortment to be had at Speakers' Corner and usually sitting opposite you on the tube.

20. LIFE STYLE OF LONDON PEOPELE ENTERTAINING LONDON  is the UK's largest Leisure Lifestyle Club for lively professionals in their 20's and 30's, and London's only dedicated 20's/30's club. (If you are 35+, please also call 020 8441 6672 for details of LEISURE LIGHTS, London's liveliest (!) club for age 35+). In big cities such as London, it can be difficult for busy people to find the time or opportunity to go out and meet new people outside work or their immediate circle of friends. Joining EL provides the opportunity to meet HUNDREDS of sociable, like-minded people whilst pursuing the activities you enjoy. The sheer variety of events is quite unmatched by any other arts and leisure club in London, and indeed, EL is the only London-based events organisation that places equal emphasis on arts, entertainment, cultural, sports, outdoor / weekend activities, city breaks, parties, social and leisure events. We are also London's only club that offers its members great benefits such as weekly FREE badminton, discounted entry to a top London Gym without having to pay expensive gym membership fees, and 50% - 85% off theatre/concert tickets without the high credit card charges or ticket mark-ups levied by some other organizations and clubs THANK YOU

21. T.V. NAGAR HIGHS SCHOOL STUDENTS BY VIII STANDARD STUDENT’S S. SaticBatcha A.Anandan S.Gopinath R. Balaji R. Prabhakaran