A day trip to London part II

The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey face each other across Parlia­ment Square, where statues of Sir Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and several other statesmen stand.

Every day when people in the UK and overseas switch on their radio to listen to BBC radio news, they can hear one of the most famous sounds in London. On the hour, the bells of Big Ben ring loud and clear. Many people think that Big Ben is the clock or the whole tower next to the Houses of Parliament. In fact, it is the largest of the five bells at the top of the tower.

No visit to London would be complete without a look at St. Paul's Cathedral, which was built after the Great Fire of 1666. It stands in the heart of the City. The architect was Sir Christopher Wren. It took him thirty-five years to finish St. Paul's. Wren designed St. Paul's to give a feeling of space and light. You can climb 627 steps to the dome, which houses the famous Whispering Gallery. If you whisper close to the wall on one side of the dome, you can be heard on the other side.

St. Paul's was the burial place of Wren, who died at the age of 91, having changed Lon­don's skyline with some 50 exquisite churches.

To make sure you make the most of London, go to Buckingham Palace, the London home of the kings and queens of Britain, and watch the Changing of the Guard, one of the most popular tourist sights. First the band marches through the Gates of the Palace. The job of the police is to keep the tourists from following the guards! The guardsmen wear their traditional uniform: a tweed coat and a black helmet. The helmet is called "bearskin" and it's made of fur.

If you want to look deep into the essence of things, be sure to visit at least one of London's museums and galleries.

The British Museum is an incomparably rich treasure-chest, brimming with things of world historical importance. It was founded in 1753 and, since then, has grown to include every conceivable kind of artifact from all over the world.

The Victoria and Albert Museum is equally impressive, with an outstanding collection of fine and applied arts housed in a grand building opened in 1909 by Edward VII. Just next door, and especially popular with children, is the Natural History Museum. Within this vast and elegant building, unsuspecting visitors may come face to face with anythingfrom huge dinosaurs to working displays of their own insides!

London is equally rich in art galleries, from the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square which houses one of the world's finest collections of European art, to the smaller galleries such as the Wallace Collection, with its unrivalled representation of eighteenth-century French art. The Tate Gallery houses the national collection of British painting and modern sculpture. Mention must be made too of the National Portrait Gallery with its fine collection of portraits spanning six centuries.

If you'd rather see a bit of London greenery, you can enjoy the delights of London parks, green islands of peace and quiet in the middle of the noisy sea.

The best-known parks are, of course, the central ones: St. James's Park, Hyde Park. Regent's Park and Kensington Gardens. They have many attractions. Hyde Park has the Serpentine, a little lake, where, if one feels inclined, one may take a swim or go for a row and Speakers' Corner where one get up and say anything (or almost anything!) one pleases. Kensington Gardens has the Round Pond where "dry land sailors" of all ages sail every kind of model yacht. St. James's Park boasts a truly elegant lake on which lives a great variety of wild duck.

As evening falls, shops and museums close, but restaurants, cinemas and theatres open. So it's time to hop on the first sightseeing bus at the nearest but stop and it will bring you to Piccadilly Circus, your starting point. You won't be able to leave London captivate: by the West End. Magic, for there's a feeling of gaiety and well-being that you might find infectious. London's entertainment scene is colorful and diverse. All tastes are catered for in theatre, music and dance. Whether classical music, Shakespearean theatre, raucous comedy or discotheques are your preference, London has something for everyone.

There is so much to see in this, the largest city in Europe that is sure to exhaust you before you exhaust its possibilities.

Late at night you leave London determined to visit this fascinating city again and again.