Letter from England: London, The City of Big Dreams

My dear travellers and all lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the travelogue from the series of posts from London on the Mr.M blog. The month of March will be dedicated to an unusual country in the heart of Western Europe and the largest constituent country of the United Kingdom, a country known for its royal family, traditional English breakfast, famous English accent, tea, rain, rain and more rain. At the very beginning of today’s travelogue about the capital of England – London, I would recommend you to take your favourite soft or hot drink, snacks or your favourite sweets, relax and enjoy today’s travelogue about the British metropolis where only big dreams are dreamed.

I believe that all travel lovers who have been following my blog for years know about my indescribable love for this European city, which simply cannot be described in words, but I tried to convey at least a part of the atmosphere that reigns in London every day through numerous travelogues on the Mr.M blog. This city is special, it has a million faces, but I am sure that everyone who visits London will definitely fall in love with one of the many faces of this British metropolis and find an additional reason to love this city.

London is a city where absolutely everything is possible and every dream can come true, a city that is so traditional, faithfully maintaining the image of its heritage and tradition, yet so modern and progressive. Many predicted that after Brexit this city would lose its popularity among tourists and that attendance would decrease significantly, but that did not come true, which is why I am extremely glad. In this post, I will try to describe this city to you once again, but also give some useful tips for visiting tourist attractions that I have not mentioned before on my blog.

London is the main and also the largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of almost 9 million inhabitants according to the data from the last census in 2022. An interesting fact is that it is London with its wider metropolitan area that is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of almost 15 million inhabitants. London is located on the River Thames in South East England, almost 80 km from the tidal estuary to the North Sea and this area has been a major settlement for almost 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial center, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries.

The City of Westminster, west of the City of London, has been the home of the national government and parliament for centuries. London grew rapidly in the 19th century, becoming the largest city in the world at the time. Since the 19th century, the name “London” has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically divided between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire, which since 1965 largely comprises the administrative area governed by the Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym of the City of London Borough.

As one of the world’s largest cities, London exerts a powerful influence on the world’s arts, entertainment, fashion, commerce, finance, education, healthcare, media, science, technology, tourism, transportation and communications. Despite the exodus of stock listings from the London Stock Exchange after Brexit, London remains a European economic powerhouse and one of the world’s largest financial centers. It has the largest concentration of higher education institutions in Europe, some of which are the highest-ranking academic institutions in the world: Imperial College London in the natural and applied sciences, the London School of Economics in the social sciences and the comprehensive University College London. It is the most visited city in Europe and has the busiest city airport system in the world. The London Underground is the oldest rapid transit system in the world.

London’s diverse cultures include over 300 languages. Greater London’s 2023 population of just under 10 million made it the third most populous city in Europe, accounting for 14% of the population of the United Kingdom and over 16% of the population of England. The built-up area of ​​Greater London is the fourth most populous in Europe, with around 9.8 million inhabitants as of 2011. The London metropolitan area is the third most populous in Europe, with around 14 million inhabitants as of 2016, making London a megacity.

What is interesting about this city is that four world heritage sites are located in London itself: Kew Gardens; The Tower of London, a site containing the Palace of Westminster, St Margaret’s Church and Westminster Abbey, as well as the historic neighborhood of Greenwich where the Royal Observatory defines the prime meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square. The city has the most museums, art galleries, libraries and cultural facilities in the UK, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, British Library and numerous West End theatres. Important sporting events held in London include the FA Cup Final, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the London Marathon. It became the first city to host three Summer Olympics after hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics.

What tourist attractions should you visit if your trip takes you to London? In the previous pictures, you had the opportunity to see the most recognizable symbol of London – Big Ben. Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster and for the clock tower itself, located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. Originally known simply as the Clock Tower, it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. The clock is a strike clock with five bells.

The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is commonly called the House of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative houses that occupy the building. The palace is one of the centers of political life in the United Kingdom. The word “Westminster” has become a metonym for the British Parliament and the British government, and the Westminster system of government marks the name of the palace. Since 1970, the palace has been a Grade I protected building, and since 1987 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Royal Horse Guards is a historic building in Westminster, between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade. It was built in the middle of the 18th century, replacing an earlier building, as barracks and stables for the household cavalry. The current and previous buildings were, between the early 18th century and 1858, the main military headquarters of the British Empire. The Horse Guards originally formed the entrance to Whitehall Palace and later to St James’s Palace; for this reason, it is still solemnly defended by the King’s Life Guard.

Although it is still in military use, part of the building houses The Household Cavalry Museum, which is open to the public. It also functions as a gateway between Whitehall and St James’s Park. It is also a very popular tourist attraction because of the guard soldiers on horses and all the tourists take pictures with the horses and try to pet the horses, this is not recommended because the large number of people makes the animals nervous. My advice to you is to take a picture of the guard on the horse from a safe distance without approaching the horses and continue your tour of the city.

Each morning, the Royal Horse Guards ride from Hyde Park Barracks in Knightsbridge, via Hyde Park Corner, Constitution Hill and the Mall, to take up guard duties in a ceremony at 11:00 on weekdays or 10:00 on Sundays. The Guard is usually provided by the Household Cavalry Regiment, consisting of squadrons from each Household Cavalry regiment, Lifeguards wearing red tunics and white helmet plumes, and Blue and Royal wearing blue tunics and red plumes. However, some other cavalry units from Britain and other Commonwealth realms occasionally post a guard; The Royal Troop, Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Canadian Mounted Police are examples.

When the monarch is in London, the guard consists of one officer and twelve other ranks, including a trumpeter and standard-bearer; known as the Long Watch. When the monarch is not in London, the guard is reduced to two non-commissioned officers and ten soldiers; known as short guard.

The King’s Lifeguard Changing Ceremony takes place on Horse Guards Parade next to the Horse Guards Building. Two guards on horseback guard the entrance to the Horse Guards on Whitehall from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and change every hour. At 16:00 there is a parade with horses and two guards remain on duty until 20:00.

When you are done visiting this tourist attraction, I highly recommend you to visit the most visited park in London – St. James’s Park. This unusual park has a small lake, St. James Park Lake with two islands known as West Island and Duck Island, the latter named after the resident waterfowl that live in the lake. In the late nineteenth century Duck Island was considered a remote enough location for Scotland Yard to establish a bomb disposal facility there; the resident bird keeper was given the responsibility of taking care of the tools kept for dismantling the device. It now houses pumps and water purification machines for the lake and fountains.

A permanent colony of pelicans has been a feature of the park since the Russian ambassador presented them to Charles II in 1664. While most of the birds have their wings clipped, there is a pelican that can be seen flying, occasionally outside the park boundaries. In addition to birds, this is home to numerous other animals, the most famous of which are cute squirrels that cause positive reactions in people. This park is unfairly confused by many tourists with Hyde Park, but they are not the same parks at all and there are no famous swans and squirrels there, but only paths for walking and cycling.

The blue bridge over the lake offers a tree-framed view west towards Buckingham Palace. Looking east, the view includes the Swire Fountain on the north of Duck Island and next to the lake is the Horse Guards Parade Ground, with the Horse Guards, the Old War Office and Whitehall Court behind. South of Duck Island is the Tiffany Fountain on Pelican Rock; and next to the lake is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with the London Eye, Shell Tower and the Shard beyond. The park has a children’s playground with a large sandpit.

There are numerous signs in the park telling tourists and park visitors that it is not allowed to feed the animals, but 99% of people feed them and the animals are used to it. If you want to make a nice memory and the famous picture with the squirrels in St. James Park, bring a small bag of hazelnuts and arm yourself with patience and be quick, the squirrels are used to the presence of people, but they are not completely tamed. Be considerate of the animals in the park and do not disturb them.

A leisurely stroll through this park takes you to the next very important London landmark, which is the famous Buckingham Palace. This palace is the royal residence in London and the administrative seat of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the center of state occasions and royal hospitality. This place has been the focus of the British people in times of national rejoicing and mourning.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the core building of today’s palace was a large town house built for the Duke of Buckingham and Normanby in 1703 on a site that had been privately owned for at least 150 years. It was bought by George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte and became known as the Queen’s House. During the 19th century, it was expanded by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, who built three wings around the central courtyard. Buckingham Palace became the London residence of the British monarch upon the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. Today this palace is a famous tourist attraction of London.

London is an extremely large city and you can walk around the city to visit the tourist attractions, but in that case wear comfortable shoes. If you are not a fan of walking around the city, there is a diverse transportation system consisting of buses and metro lines, my recommendation is the bus – it is cheaper and you can get to know the city in a better way.

Of course, there is also the famous taxi, but trust me their services are overpriced. I’ve taken a taxi in heavy rain a couple of times and you don’t want to know how much their driving bills were.

If you get tired of visiting these attractions, I advise you to use transportation to visit the famous Kensington Palace, which is our next stop. Kensington Palace is a royal residence located in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. It has served as the residence of the British royal family since the 17th century and is currently the official London residence of several royal families, including the Prince and Princess of Wales – William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Eugenie, their two sons Jack Brooks and her husband, two sons Jack and Banks. The term “Kensington Palace” is often used as a metonym for the offices of the royal family who reside there.

Today, the State Rooms of Kensington Palace are open to the public and are managed by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that operates without public funding. The offices and private living quarters of the palace remain the responsibility of the Royal Household. In addition, Kensington Palace displays a number of paintings and other artefacts from the Royal Collection.

Here you can also find the Statue of Diana, Princess of Wales located in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace. Commissioned by her two sons Princes William and Harry on the 20th anniversary of her death, the statue was designed and executed by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley and placed in the newly redesigned Pip Morrison Garden before being unveiled as a memorial to Diana on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday.

Kensington Gardens, formerly the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are part of London’s royal parks. The Gardens are shared between the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and are located just west of Hyde Park, in West Central London known as the West End. The gardens cover an area of ​​107 hectares. The open spaces of Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park and St. James’s Park together form an almost continuous “green lung” in the heart of London. Kensington Gardens is listed as High Grade 1 on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

If you’ve decided to visit Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace on a Saturday, then let me help you complete your time in the right way! I am taking you to an area of ​​London that became incredibly famous because of a Hollywood production of the same name with an actress who captivates with her appearance, charisma and conquered the world because of her smile – Julia Roberts. I’m taking you to Nothing Hill! This area is located very close to Kensington Gardens, so I think you should not skip a visit to this interesting district.

You must be wondering why I advised the day of the visit to be a Saturday, it is because of the famous street market that is held on Saturdays from morning to afternoon, every Saturday of the month. Then the streets are lively and there are a lot of visitors, so you will have a better memory of Nothing Hill. I tell you this from my experience because I visited Nothing Hill several times on weekdays and there was not a soul on the street, so you don’t get the impression that the neighborhood is visited. This part of the city is lively only on Saturdays and during holidays precisely because of the street market.

To disappoint you right away, you won’t find the famous Nothing Hill bookstore here and there are no blue doors, but you can find interesting pieces of clothing, antiques and various gifts that you didn’t even know you needed in your life.

The main day of the antiques market is Saturday, the only day when all five sections are open: used goods, clothing and accessories, household goods, fruit, vegetables and other food, antiques. Remember Saturday is the ideal time for Portobello Road and the famous market on Nothing Hill which you must not miss.

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington. It has a capacity of 5,272 seats. Since the hall was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world’s leading artists from many genres of performance have appeared on its stage. It is the venue for the BBC Proms concerts, which have been held there every summer since 1941.

It hosts more than 390 events in the main hall annually, including classical, rock and pop concerts, ballet, opera, film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment, sporting events, award ceremonies, numerous school and community performances and banquets. An additional 400 events are held each year in non-public spaces. During its 153-year history, the hall has hosted people from various walks of life, including meetings held by suffragettes, speeches by Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle and Albert Einstein, fights by Lennox Lewis, exhibition fights by Muhammad Ali and concerts by regulars such as Eric Clapton and Shirley Bassey.

The hall was originally to be called the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but was renamed the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences by Queen Victoria after laying the foundation stone for the hall in 1867, in memory of her husband, Prince Albert, who had died six years earlier. It forms the practical part of the memorial to the Prince, the decorative part being the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens, now separated from Hall by Kensington Hill.

The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a wide range of specimens from different segments of natural history. It is one of the three main museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. However, the main frontage of the Natural History Museum is on Cromwell Road. The museum houses life and earth science specimens that include about 80 million items in five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology and zoology. The museum is a research centre specialising in taxonomy, identification and conservation.

Given the age of the institution, many collections have great historical and scientific value, such as specimens collected by Charles Darwin. The museum is particularly known for its display of dinosaur skeletons and ornate architecture , sometimes referred to as nature’s cathedral, exemplified by the large diplodocus that dominated the vaulted central hall before being replaced in 2017 by a blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. The Library of the Natural History Museum contains an extensive collection of books, journals, manuscripts and works of art related to the work and research of the scientific departments; access to the library is by appointment only. The museum is recognised as an eminent centre of natural history and research in related fields in the world.

Although commonly referred to as the Natural History Museum, it was officially known as the British Museum (Natural History) until 1992, despite legal separation from the British Museum itself in 1963. Originating from the collections within the British Museum, the landmark Alfred Waterhouse building was built and opened until 1881, later incorporating the Geological Museum. The Darwin Center is a recent addition, designed in part as a modern facility to house valuable collections.

Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, the Natural History Museum does not charge admission. The museum is an exempt charity and a non-departmental public body under the auspices of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is important to note that the Princess of Wales is the patron of the museum.

One of the most famous and certainly the most prominent exhibits — nicknamed “Dippy” — is a 32-meter-long replica of the Diplodocus carnegii skeleton that has been on display in the central hall for years. The cast was gifted by the Scottish-American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, after discussions with King Edward VII, then a keen trustee of the British Museum. Carnegie paid £2,000 (equivalent to £272,185 today) for the cast, copying the original held at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The works were sent to London in 36 crates, and on May 12, 1905, the exhibition was presented with great public and media interest. The actual fossil had yet to be mounted, as the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh was still being built to house it.

As word of Dippy spread, Carnegie paid for additional copies to be made for display in most major European capitals and in Central and South America, making Dippy the most viewed dinosaur skeleton in the world. The dinosaur quickly became an icon of the museum and appeared in many cartoons and other media. After 112 years on display at the museum, the dinosaur replica was removed in early 2017 to be replaced by an actual young blue whale skeleton, a 128-year-old skeleton nicknamed “Hope.” Dippy embarked on a tour of various British museums starting in 2018 and ending in 2020 at Norwich Cathedral.

The skeleton of the blue whale, Hope, that replaced Dippy is another prominent exhibit in the museum. The display of the skeleton, about 25 m long and weighing 4.5 tons, was made possible only in 1934 with the construction of the New Hall of Whales (today it is called the Sisari Gallery (in a separate room where there is a model of a blue whale)). The whale had been in storage for 42 years since it ran aground on sandbars at the mouth of Wexford Harbor in Ireland in March 1891 after being injured by whalers. At that time, it was first exhibited in the Sisari Gallery (blue whale model), but now it takes pride of place in the museum’s Hintze Hall.

Discussion of the idea of ​​a life-size model also began around 1934, and work was conducted in the Hall of Whales itself. Since making a plaster cast of such a large animal was considered prohibitively expensive, models were used to carefully fit the structure together. During construction, workers left an opening in the whale’s stomach, which they would use for stealthy cigarette breaks. Before the door was closed and sealed forever, some coins and a phone book were placed inside – which soon grew into an urban myth that a time capsule remained inside. The works were completed in full in the hall and in front of the public in 1938. At the time, it was the largest such model in the world, with a length of 28 meters. Construction details were later loaned by several American museums, which further expanded the plans. The work involved in removing Dippy and replacing him with Hope was documented in a BBC television special the day before Hope was unveiled to the public.

The Darwin Center is home to Archie, an 8.62m giant squid that was caught alive in a fishing net near the Falkland Islands in 2004. The squid is not on display but is stored in a large tank room in the basement of the building. Special visits are available to the public and they see unexhibited items behind the scenes for a special fee by booking one of several tours that can be found in their daily offer. Upon arrival at the museum, the specimen was immediately frozen and preparations began for its permanent storage. As there are few complete and relatively fresh examples of the species, “wet storage” was chosen, leaving the squid undissected. A 9.45-meter acrylic tank was constructed, and the body was preserved in a mixture of formalin and saline.

The museum houses the remains and bones of the “Thames River Whale”, a northern right whale that lost its way on January 20, 2006 and swam into the Thames. Although it is primarily used for research purposes and is stored in a museum warehouse in Wandsworth. Dinocochlea, one of paleontology’s more enduring mysteries (it was originally thought to be a giant gastropod shell, then a coprolite, and now a concrete worm tunnel), has been part of the collection since its discovery in 1921.

Trafalgar Square is a public square in the City of Westminster, central London, established in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. The square’s name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on October 21, 1805, off the coast of Cape Trafalgar.

The site around Trafalgar Square has become a significant landmark of London since the 1200s. For centuries, distances measured from Charing Cross served as location markers. The site of today’s square formerly housed an elaborately designed, enclosed courtyard, the King’s Mews. After George IV moved the mews to Buckingham Palace, John Nash restored the area, but progress was slow after his death, and the square was not opened until 1844.

The 52-meter-high Nelson’s Column is guarded by four lion statues in its center. A number of commemorative statues and sculptures occupy the square, but the Fourth Plinth, left empty since 1840, has hosted contemporary art since 1999. Prominent buildings overlooking the square include the National Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Canada House and South Africa House.

The square has been used for community gatherings and political demonstrations, including Bloody Sunday in 1887, the culmination of the first Aldermaston March, anti-war protests and climate change campaigns. Since 1947, Norway has donated a Christmas tree to the square and it is placed twelve days before and after Christmas. The square is the center of London’s annual New Year celebrations. It was famous for its feral pigeons until their removal in the early 21st century.

Piccadilly Circus is a crossroads and public space in London’s West End in Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with Piccadilly. The name comes from the Latin word meaning “circle”, is a round open space at a street intersection.

Piccadilly Circus now connects Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Haymarket, Coventry Street (onwards to Leicester Square) and Glasshouse Street. It is close to the main shopping and entertainment areas of the West End. Its status as a major traffic intersection has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and tourist attraction. The circus is particularly notable for its video display and neon signs placed on the corner building on the north side, as well as the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain and the statue of Anteros (popularly thought, though mistakenly, to be of Eros status). It is surrounded by several notable buildings, including the London Pavilion and the Criterion Theatre. Below the square is Piccadilly Circus station, which is part of the London Underground system.

And now I would like to introduce you to a London neighborhood that is particularly dear to me because of its unusualness. Covent Garden is a district of London, on the eastern edge of the West End, between St Martin’s Lane and Drury Lane. It connects to the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist area and to the Royal Opera House, which is itself known as “Covent Garden”. The district is divided by the main thoroughfare Long Acre, to the north of which is given over to independent shops centred around Neal’s Yard and Seven Dials, while to the south is the central square with its street performers and most of the historic buildings, theatres and entertainment venues, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

The area was grassland until briefly settled in the 7th century when it became the heart of the Anglo-Saxon trading town of Lundenwick, then abandoned in the late 9th century after which it reverted to grassland. By 1200, this part of the present-day city was enclosed by the abbot of Westminster Abbey for use as arable land and orchards, which were later called the “Abbey and Convent Garden” and later the “Monastery Garden”.

After the dissolution of the monastery, the young King Edward VI granted it in 1552 to John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, a trusted advisor to his father King Henry VIII. The 4th Earl commissioned Inigo Jones to build some fine houses to attract wealthy tenants to the area. Jones designed the Italianate arcade square along with St. Paul’s Church. The design of the square was new to London and had a significant influence on modern city planning, acting as a prototype for new estates as London grew.

By 1654, a small outdoor fruit and vegetable market had developed on the southern side of the modern square. Gradually, both the market and the surrounding area came into disrepute, as taverns, theaters, taverns and brothels opened. By the 18th century, it had become notorious for its abundance of brothels. An Act of Parliament drawn up to control the area erected a neoclassical building by Charles Fowler in 1830 to cover any current deficiencies and help organize the market.

The market gradually grew and new buildings were added: the Flower Hall, the Charter Market, and in 1904 the Jubilee Market was opened. By the end of the 1960s traffic congestion was causing problems, and in 1974 the market moved to New Covent Garden Market about 5 kilometers south-west at Nine Elms. The central building reopened as a shopping center in 1980 and is now a tourist site containing cafes, pubs, small shops and a small interesting craft market called the Apple Market, along with another market held in the Jubilee Hall.

Chinatown is an ethnic enclave in the City of Westminster in central London, bordering Soho to the north and west, Theaterland to the south and east. The enclave currently occupies an area in and around Gerrard Street. It contains a number of Chinese restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, souvenir shops and other Chinese businesses. The first Chinatown was located in Limehouse in the East End.

The first area of ​​London known as Chinatown was located in the Limehouse area of ​​East London. In the early 20th century, London’s Chinese population was concentrated in the area, opening up businesses that catered to the Chinese sailors who frequented the Docklands. The area was known for exaggerated reports and stories of slum houses and (then legal) opium dens, rather than the Chinese restaurants and supermarkets of today’s Chinatown. However, much of the area was damaged by aerial bombing during the Blitz in World War II, although a number of elderly Chinese still choose to live in the area. After World War II, however, the growing popularity of Chinese cuisine and the influx of immigrants from Hong Kong led to an increasing number of Chinese restaurants opening elsewhere.

The current Chinatown, located off Shaftesbury Avenue, did not begin to develop until the 1970s. It used to be an ordinary area of ​​Soho, run down, with Gerrard Street as its main thoroughfare. It was dominated by the Post Office, facing Macclesfield Street, and other large establishments were The Tailor & Cutter House, now a Chinese supermarket and restaurant, the Boulogne Restaurant, near the end of Wardour Street, and the Peter Mario Restaurant at the other end. Other businesses included a bakery, the Sari Centre, the Lesgrain French Tavern, Harrison Marks’ Glamor Studio, an Indian restaurant and various brothels. Many assume that the first Chinese restaurants were opened on Lisle Street, parallel to Gerrard Street, and gradually they opened in greater numbers, one of the first restaurants being the Kowloon Restaurant. This area now has more than 80 restaurants.

London is a city that you can explore for years and believe me you will never fully discover it because this city is so big, it is best to just get lost in the streets of London and explore this city when you visit all the main tourist attractions. Trust me, you’d be pleasantly surprised what you’d discover about this city if you let yourself be completely charmed by it.

Since I spent most of my life in London, both because of my sister who trained as a doctor for years in London, this city is well known to me and when I’m in it and I have extra free time, I get on an interesting bus line and take the opportunity to see the city. That’s my strategy for getting to know the parts of London that I haven’t been able to discover, but I leave it up to you to choose your own way of discovering this unusual European metropolis.

When you get tired of sightseeing or just want to enjoy the charms of shopping, London is the center of hedonism for all shopping lovers. You must bear in mind the fact that London is the center of luxury and supreme hedonism and that it is possible to find absolutely everything needed to satisfy the needs of the most demanding clientele. On the other hand, there is also an affordable side of London where people on a budget can enjoy this city. Due to this fact, ie. because of that balancing balance i love this city because it can satisfy everyone’s needs depending on the clientele’s capabilities.

During this visit to London, my home was located in Marylebone, an upscale neighborhood located in central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. The ancient parish, and later the city borough, merged with the boroughs of Westminster and Paddington to form the new City of Westminster in 1965.

The area is also served by numerous tube stations, such as: Baker Street, Bond Street, Edgware Road (Bakerloo Line), Edgware Road (Circle, District and Hammersmith & City Lines), Great Portland Street, Marble Arch, Marylebone, Oxford Circus and Regent’s Park.

During every trip, the hotel where we stay is very important to all of us, because the hotel is our home in the new destination and therefore it is very important to choose a good hotel in each destination. During my stay in the capital of England this time, The Marylebone Hotel was my home, adorned with style, comfort and a beautiful atmosphere in the very heart of London.

The Marylebone is a 5-star hotel, ideally located in the heart of the English capital, one of the most exciting cities in Europe. This great hotel is just a moment’s walk from bustling Oxford Street and trendy luxury shopping and entertainment districts such as Bond Street, Hyde Park and Soho. Its location in the borough of Marylebone makes it the perfect base for those looking to explore central London, shop or sightsee with ease, while staying in one of London’s most cosmopolitan and stylish areas.

The vibrant charm of the Marylebone neighbourhood is reflected in the style and ambience of Marylebone. This alluring tone begins in the hotel’s chic lobby and cocktail bar, characterised by inviting angles and the elegance that this hotel exudes. Then there’s the ever-popular 108 Brasserie and Bar, set on the cobblestones of picturesque Marylebone Lane – a lively forum for locals and visitors alike. The elegantly designed guest rooms and suites at The Marylebone Hotel, including the Roof Terrace Suites, represent modern comfort in the heart of London.

The Marylebone Hotel belongs to The Doyle Collection group of luxury hotels, where guests can always enjoy free access to the exclusive Third Space Health Club, which has a gym and an 18m swimming pool among other modern facilities.

In the next post, I will share with you a review of this hotel, as well as many details about this amazing hotel. I would like to give a special thanks to the staff at The Marylebone Hotel for their warm welcome and hosting me at their hotel. The stay in their hotel was exceptional, a unique experience that I will remember!

My dear travellers, we have come to the end of this first special travelogue in the series of travelogues about London where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this British metropolis. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of The Marylebone Hotel in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of English local culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from London.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with many companies and businesses in the tourism sector and I would like to thank The Marylebone Hotel and The Doyle Collection once again for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual local English culture and tradition in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about London, the British metropolis and the heart of Western Europe? Have you had a chance to visit London so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with a new story!

With Love from London,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by The Marylebone Hotel and The Doyle Collection Group. This post represents my personal and honest review of the impression of the destination and the tourist services provided during my stay in London.