Hyde Park
by LanaFromRiga
London’s largest (145 hectares) park. It’s a magnificent venue for open-air concerts, demonstrations and royal occasions.
Open 5.30am-midnight, the underground station Hyde Park Corner/Marble Arch/Knightsridge/Lancastr Gate Great place to feel like in a rural area, but in the centre of London.
EasyNet CyberCafe - Cheap Internet in the center
by MedioLatino
While spending some time in London you might need some Internet connection (to chack some more tips on VT for example :).
The easiest to access Internet place seems to be EasyNet's huge one on Tottenham Court Road facing the Bedford Avenue.
You can buy an internet ticket for 1 pound and get acces to the net for an hour or even more if you are using it in the off-peak period!
HP sauce
by rickyvilla81
Did you know that the HP in HP sauce stood for Houses of Parliament?
It is known as the Mother of Parliaments. Someone told me once, "It is not the Oldest, that is the Alting in Iceland", to which I replied, "that my friend is the Father of Parliaments, but we all know who our mother is."
We've had a Parliament in England since 1235 AD. It is divided into two main chambers, The Commons and The Lords. The Commons has green seats, thus Westminster Bridge is green. The Lords sit on red, and Lambeth Bridge is, yes, red.
Most of the Palace of Westminster dates back to the 1840s, and was designed by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, but the oldest part is the Great Hall, dating from the late eleventh century. It was the main hall of King William II, who tragically died in the New Forest in a freak accident when an arrow 'bounced off a dear' and hit him in the neck.
The large Tower at the end is Victoria Tower, but most people are interested in the Clock Tower, commonly called Big Ben , although that is just the name of the humungous bell inside (the second largest in London, after the one at St.Pauls). The clock face is not the largest in the capital, but the minute hand is fourteen feet long and takes a whole hour to go round once.
You can visit the interiors from July 26 to August 30, and again from September 19 to October 4 2003. Tickets cost £7, or £5 concessions. Book tickets on 0870 906 3773.
On the tour you'll see the Sovereign's Entrance, Victoria Tower, the House of Lords, the Queen's Robing Room, the House of Commons, Central Lobby, St.Stephen's Hall and Westminster Hall.
Pay some respect to dead
by Imbi
Highgate Cemetery
There are mausoleums, catacombs and ornate crumbling tombs of eminent writers, politicians and artists in the rambling, overgrown west section of this woodland graveyard. Celebrity corpses include Karl Marx, Michael Faraday and Christina Rossetti. Be aware that you must purchase a photography license (£2) in order to take photographs within the cemetery.
Opening hours below are from April-October. Times are 10am-4pm daily from November-March.
Admission: guided tours cost £2-£3
Address
Swains Lane. NW6
There's something about the...
by Rude_boy22
There's something about the London punk scene and names. Each place has about fifty of them. I kept hearing about these different shows happening on June first to correspond with the Queen's Golden Jubilee. One called the 'Sonic Muck Experiment', another called 'F*** the Jubilee'...'F*** the Sex Pistols' (Those washed up old fogies were trying to reinact the cruise ship thing that night), and 'The Future Rock and Roll Festival'. I finally came to realise that they were all the same concert. There are other examples too: Paradise Island is also called Dirty Water Club, Billy Childish has about fifty names for his three bands etc. etc. etc..... It is kind of cool that there are not as many labels on things, but it makes things a bit confusing. Next time I talk to someone about a London event, I'm just going to make up a name and see if they know what I'm talking about. Yeah, I went to the Psychic Bonobo festival held at the Fat Chihuahua club. Its the only place I've heard proper rock and roll here.
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