MY FIRST VISIT TO LONDON by Javier Torres (NA)

Last week, some friends of mine and me went to London to spend some days after a period of nerves and sleepless nights because of our January exams. This was a trip which we had prepared for months and one on which we had pinned all our hopes.

We left Spain on a Wednesday morning. From the moment we took off, we knew that London was going to surprise us, but not as much as it eventually did. After having been on a plane and suffered the tedious London traffic jams, we finally got to Picadilly – the place where our hostel was -, at seven in the evening, or thereabouts. We made ourselves comfortable and decided to go to Covent Garden, a bustling, crowded area near Picadilly where very different street performances take place. The day had been completely tiring, but after all the evening wasn’t a waste

of time.

Being university students, we didn’t have much money to spend, but we discovered that there are many things to see for free, so we weren’t going to find a gap in our pocket at the end of the trip. London offers a lot of fascinating cultural events with its various historical buildings and monuments, but above all its splendid museums. The National Art Gallery has many beautiful paintings, for example by Rubens; The Tate offers you the latest in modern art; The British museum is well known for its Egyptian and Greek sections, with mummies and the Parthenon rebuilt inside the museum; and last but not least, the Science museum, which shows how we (human beings) have been developing technologically in the different periods of history.

Apart from museums, London is a multicultural city where a vast variety of nationalities (from Indian to Chinese) and styles live together, which gives it a special atmosphere. Picadilly Circus is the area that

never sleeps; Covent Garden is the place where street art and performances take place; Camden Town is the lively suburb that you can’t fail to visit. Its extremely original shops and the street markets (selling clothes, books, food, etc) will compel you to buy a souvenir; and if you can afford anything, you shouldn’t leave London without going to Oxford Street and world-famous Harrods.

As you see, London lets you enjoy urban life in many ways. But you can also go sightseeing because there are many buildings and monuments steeped in history. The best places I visited were:

Trafalgar, an enormous square where you can find the prestigious National Art Gallery - the equivalent to the Prado Museum in Madrid - and which contains many monuments celebrating the English victory in the namesake battle.

Near Trafalgar and close to the river Thames are some of London't most recognizable landmarks: Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben – the latter with a golden clock on the top. These buildings represent the harmonious coexistence between history, elegance and modernity in the same city.

Crossing the river Thames is London Eye, a huge wheel that boasts an awesome panoramic view of London – if you want my advice, going at night is the best bet.

Other sites worth visiting are the magnificent Tower of London - displaying the Queen’s lush Crown Jewels and where Anne Boleyn was locked away - and indeed the iconic Tower Bridge.

Buckingham Palace is nice too, but personally I liked the lovely surroundings better than the palace itself; last but not least, if there’s time to go on a picnic, Hyde Park is a haven of tranquility and the ideal place to chill out.

London is a wonderful city where you can do whatever you want. It’s a good idea to travel there to have fun and practice English too, so I encourage all of you to go, and if you have already been, why not go again?