Discovering London and making it your own can be a bit of a challenge. Daniel Defoe wrote about London “stretched out in buildings, straggling, confused, out of all shape, incompact and unequal; neither long nor broad, round nor square.” The actual City of London proper is 1 square mile. All of the gargantuan rest of the city is made up of separate villages, boroughs, and corporations each having its own mayor and administration. Together, however, they add up to a mammoth metropolis.

The core of London is one of the most fascinating places on earth. With every step, one can feel the tremendous influence this city once exerted over global culture when it had an empire on which the sun never set. London is a mass of contradictions. On the one hand, it’s a decidedly royal city, studded with palaces, court gardens, coats of arms, and other regal paraphernalia, yet it is also the home of the world’s second-oldest parliamentary democracy.

London manages to retain its charming English traditions within the world of a modern cosmopolitan city. One can enjoy afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches, or relish a ploughman’s lunch at one of the friendly neighborhood pubs where Londoners gather with friends to watch soccer and drink ale. Also savor the pungent flavors of cuisine from India, Malaysia, China, the Caribbean, Africa, or the Mediterranean. Over a third of London’s population is immigrants; the benefits of this diversity are evident in the distinctive, exuberant neighborhoods of Soho, Mayfair, Marylebone, Piccadilly Circus, Bloomsbury, Knightsbridge, Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, and Bayswater.

London’s size, vast crowds, and hectic pace add to the exhilarating energy of the city. Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, The National Gallery, Kensington Gardens, and Harrods department store, the Royal Opera House all these enchanting sites are worth a visit. The dazzling civic landmarks, Roman ruins, baroque churches, quiet squares, narrow alleyways, and perfectly manicured parks make London the walker’s paradise. However, London’s greatest treasure is perhaps its unparalleled theater scene. From the Royal Shakespeare Company to recent Broadway hits and avant-garde pieces, the fine productions offered continue the most distinguished and innovative thespian tradition in the world. In addition to the high quality of the shows, discount tickets are almost always available at one of the many entertainment outlets around town.

London is a year-round tourist centre, with few of its attractions closing or significantly reducing their opening hours in winter. The best chance of good weather is, of course, at the height of summer in July and August, but there’s certainly no guarantee of sun even in those months - plus it's when you can expect the biggest crowds and highest prices.

The outward shapes of London may alter and the inner spirit may be warmer, the base-rocks of London’s character and tradition remain the same. Deep down, Britons have a sense of the continuity of history. Even in the modern metropolis, some things rarely change. The British bobby is alive and well. The tall, red, double-decker buses still lumber from stop to stop. Teatime is still a hallowed part of the day.. Then there’s that greatest living link with the past -- the Royal Family. The Changing of the Guard, at Buckingham Palace and at Whitehall, is one of the greatest free shows in the world for any tourist.

Anil Gupta
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Picture: London