With a population of just under
eight million, London is Europe's
largest city, spreading across an
area of more than 620 square miles
from its core on the River Thames.
Ethnically it's also Europe's most
diverse metropolis: around two
hundred languages are spoken within
its confines, and more than thirty
percent of the population is made up
of first, second- and
third-generation immigrants. Despite
Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish
devolution, London still dominates
the national horizon, too: this is
where the country's news and money
are made, it's where the central
government resides and, as far as
its inhabitants are concerned,
provincial life begins beyond the
circuit of the city's orbital
motorway. Londoners' sense of
superiority causes enormous
resentment in the regions, yet it's
undeniable that the capital has a
unique aura of excitement and
success - in most walks of British
life, if you want to get on you've
got to do it in London.
For the visitor, too, London is a
thrilling place - and since the
beginning of the new millennium, the
city has also been overtaken by an
exceptionally buoyant mood. Thanks
to the lottery and
millennium-oriented funding frenzy
of the last few years, virtually
every one of London's world-class
museums, galleries and institutions
has been reinvented, from the Royal
Opera House to the British Museum.
With the completion of the Tate
Modern and the London Eye, the city
can now boast the world's largest
modern art gallery and Ferris wheel;
there's also a new tube extension
and the first new bridge to cross
the Thames for over a hundred years.
And after sixteen years of being the
only major city in the world not
to have its own governing body,
London finally has its own elected
mayor and assembly.
In the meantime, London's
traditional sights - Big Ben,
Westminster Abbey, Buckingham
Palace, St Paul's Cathedral and the
Tower of London - continue to draw
in millions of tourists every year.
Monuments from the capital's more
glorious past are everywhere to be
seen, from medieval banqueting halls
and the great churches of Sir
Christopher Wren to the eclectic
Victorian architecture of the
triumphalist British Empire. There
is also much enjoyment to be had
from the city's quiet Georgian
squares, the narrow alleyways of the
City of London, the riverside walks,
and the quirks of what is still
identifiably a collection of
villages. And even London's traffic
pollution - one of its worst
problems - is offset by surprisingly
large expanses of greenery: Hyde
Park, Green Park and St James's Park
are all within a few minutes' walk
of the West End, while, further
afield, you can enjoy the more
expansive parklands of Hampstead
Heath and Richmond Park.
You could spend days just
shopping in London, too, hobnobbing
with the upper classes in Harrods,
or sampling the offbeat weekend
markets of Portobello Road and
Camden. The music, clubbing and
gay/lesbian scenes are second to
none, and mainstream arts are no
less exciting, with regular
opportunities to catch brilliant
theatre companies, dance troupes,
exhibitions and opera. Restaurants,
these days, are an attraction, too.
London has caught up with its
European rivals, and offers a range
from three-star Michelin
establishments to low-cost,
high-quality Indian curry houses.
Meanwhile, the city's pubs have
heaps of atmosphere, especially away
from the centre - and an exploration
of the farther-flung communities is
essential to get the complete
picture of this dynamic metropolis.
