LONDON

Olympic city

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Location

London is the capital city of Great Britain.

It is in the south-east of England,

on the River Thames.

More than 7 million people live in London.

Millions of tourists visit the city every year.

River Thames

The River Thames flows through London.

It is 338 km long and 245 m wide here.

Even big seaships can visit London.

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Transport

It is a very big city, so you can´t walk everywhere.

People travel by car, bike, motorbike, bus, taxi or underground.

There are lots of double-decker buses and black taxis in the

streets of London.

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But most of the people travel on the London underground, known

as THE TUBE.

It was the first underground system in the world.

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Monuments and buildings

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Buckingham Palace

This is the home of the Queen.

The palace has got 600 rooms but the Queen only lives in 12.

Many guards protect the palace. They wear special hats.

There is a ceremony called “The Changing of the Guard”.

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Her Majesty

The Queen of Great Britain is Elizabeth II.

Her husband is the Duke of Edinburgh.

This year she is celebrating her Golden

Jubilee.

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Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The British Parliament has got more than 1000 rooms.

Big Ben, the big clock tower, is the symbol of London.

It strikes hours.

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Trafalgar Square

The name of this square comes from a famous battle in 1805.In the middle of the square there is Admiral Nelson’s Column, a

captain in that battle.There are always a lot of people and pigeons on the square.Every winter there is a big Christmas tree which is a gift from

Norway.On New Year’s Eve people gather around the tree and hear Big

Ben at midnight.

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Westminster Abbey

All English kings have been crowned and buried in the church since 1308.

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The Tower of London

The Tower of London has been a fortress, a palace, an arsenal, a mint, a prison, an observatory, a zoo, the home of the Crown Jewels and a tourist attraction.

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Beefeaters

The quards of the Tower are called Beefeaters.

A legend says that if the ravens leave, the Tower and the country will fall.

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Tower Bridge

The most famous bridge in London is Tower bridge.

Tower Bridge is a bascule-bridge.

The bascules will open to let ships pass through.

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The London Eye

The London Eye is an enormous wheel next to the River Thames.

It´s 135 metres tall.

You can see incredible views of London from the top.

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Museums and art galleries

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The National Gallery

This is the National Gallery. It is in Trafalgar Square.

Here you can see paintings of lots of famous artists: Picasso, Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, …

“The sunflowers” by Van Gogh, is here.

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Madame Tussauds Waxmuseum

Here you can see famous people, good and bad, made of wax.

This is the King Henry VIII and his wives and the Beatles.

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Parks and gardens

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Hyde Park

London is also very famous for its parks and gardens.

There you can walk, jog, run, play, have a picnic or simply relax and get away from the noise.

One of the most famous is Hyde Park and its “Speakers Corner”.

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Shops

In London there are more than 40.000 shops.

The most famous shopping centre is Harrods.

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Oxford Street

Oxford Street is more than 2 km long and it has got more than 300 shops.

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Covent garden

Covent Garden is the centre of street life.

There you can find street entertainers and buskers.

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Hamleys

This is the most fascinating toy shop in the world.

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A fascinating city

London is a fascinating city.

There is always something to do in London.

Samuel Johnson, a famous English writer, said in 1777:

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”

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London, Olympic city

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The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad, will take place in London from 27 July to 12 August 2012.

London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.

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The Olympic Park

The main focus of the games will be a new 200 hectare Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site at Stratford in the east of London. The Games also make use of many venues which were already in place before the bid.

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Olympic mascots: Wenlock and Mandeville

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