LONDON ATTRACTIONS Lembi Loigu Tartu MRG

The Palace of Westminster Commonly known as the Houses of Parliament The meeting place of the House of Lords and the House of Commons – the British Parliament Its clock tower known as Big Ben is the most well-known symbol of London

The Tower of London Dates back to 1066 Has been a royal residence, armoury, treasury, mint and prison Guarded by Yeomen Warders known as the Beefeaters Home to the Royal Ravens Houses the English Crown Jewels

Tower Bridge Unique due to its two towers Completed in 1894 Can be opened to let large ships through Has two upper level walkways Now houses a museum

The Millennium Bridge A futuristic-looking pedestrian bridge over the Thames Opened to celebrate the new millennium The first new bridge to open in London since Tower Bridge in 1894 Connects Tate Modern and St Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral An Anglican cathedral The current building erected between 1675-1710 Designed by Sir Christopher Wren Burial and commemoration place for around 200 people One gallery inside and two outside the dome – magnificent views

Westminster Abbey A huge Gothic church Site of royal coronations since 1066 Burial place for famous British sovereigns, politicians, poets and artists

Buckingham Palace The official London residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Open for visitors in August and September Every day at 11:30 am the Changing of the Guard The Mall – a broad avenue connecting Trafalgar Square with Buckingham Palace

Hyde Park One of the large parks in the heart of London Covers 140 hectares The Serpentine – an artificial lake The Speaker’s Corner – free speeches on Sunday mornings Many open air concerts and other special events

Piccadilly Circus Lies in the heart of the entertainment world – the West End Eros Statue Famous electric advertisements, first installed in 1910 Considered by many the first place to go when one arrives in London

Leicester Square A pedestrianised square in the centre of the West End Centre of cinema and theatre land tkts - a booth for purchasing half-price tickets to many theatre performances for the same day Monument to William Shakespeare

The National Gallery London’s leading art museum In Trafalgar Square, opposite is Nelson’s Column Over 2,300 paintings from 1260-1900 All European schools of art Free admission

The Tate Modern Museum of modern art Opened in 2000 Located in a reconstructed power plant at one end of the Millennium Bridge Entrance to the main exhibition is free

The Globe Theatre Originally built in 1599 Many Shakespeare’s plays were written for this theatre The present building is a copy of the old one No roof above the middle part Nowadays a working theatre and a museum

The London Eye The largest Ferris wheel in Europe (315 metres high) Built to celebrate the new millennium 32 capsules each for up to 25 people One revolution takes about 30 minutes

The O2 A huge entertainment centre on the Greenwich peninsula Built for the year 2000 celebrations Houses the O2 indoor arena (capacity up to 23,000), Vue cinema, a music club, an exhibition space and various bars and restaurants

References www.wikipedia.org Loko, Tiiu-Mai. Let Us Explore the British Isles. Koolibri, 2005. All photos taken by the author