London

City of Wonder

Some words in 1999. Updated a little in 2007.

Some questions for you to consider:-

How many of you I wonder, have wished that you could visit London?

Have you ever thought about it seriously?

Would you like to come over but feel worried about where you would stay or what the City is really like?

Are you worried that the English are not a very friendly race of people?

I have been talking to people from all over the world since I got my first Internet connection, and in the main I have found them to be very friendly, genuine people. We have exchanged information about our respective countries and towns and cities and I have gained the impression that lots of them would like to visit England and London but have some reservations.

Well, I love my City and I am very proud of it. I would love to have all of you come over here either one at a time or in HUGE groups. In fact the bigger the group the better.

Last year, a friend of mine and I tried to get a visit set up. Unfortunately I think we left it too late in the year and did not give most people enough time to make plans. So in the end we had to give up on the idea.

I would still like to have a get together so I want to tell you a little about London and maybe some things about England in general if space allows. I will also put some pictures on this page, or the following pages so that you can see what the place is like.

What worries you all most, I wonder? Prices? Cleanliness? Danger?

Prices!

It is always hard to compare prices between different cultures. I guess I have to admit that after speaking to friends who live in the USA, prices of some things here are dearer than you are used to. In particular Petrol (gasoline) and food are dear. I believe that in America you pay about $1.50 or less for a gallon of petrol. In England it is about £5.00p. At the moment the English Pound is worth around $2.00 so you can see that petrol is about $10.00. Not cheap at all. Restaurants vary in price but are about 25% more expensive here than in the USA.

Having said that though, most other things are very much on a par with the USA and you can have a really great time without it costing a lot more than back home. And after all, you are on vacation and it is only money! On a more serious note, the best way to see London and England is with an organised tour by bus or coach and that form of travel is remarkably inexpensive. And the food here is fantastic and there is an enormous variety to choose from. You name it, we have it!

Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Malayan. Italian, German, French, Caribbean, African, Traditional English, American, Irish or whatever. You will not believe the number of restaurants we have here.

Cleanliness!

A single sentence covers this. The United Kingdom is as clean as anywhere in the world and possibly cleaner than most places anywhere you care to compare it with.

Danger!

The fear most often expressed to me by friends from America is about the danger of physical attack. Well, consider this, I have lived here for over half a century now and have never been attacked or threatened in any way. Not even a single occasion! When you remember that London is a city of some 6 million people, that is not at all bad. I doubt if many places in the world have as good a record as we do. OK, there are bad guys here naturally. There are a small number of muggings and robberies but by using the most simple of precautions you can be absolutely assured of your safety.

From the 1st of July 2007 the whole of England has new smoking laws. It will be illegal to smoke in any public place such as workplaces, pubs, restaurants, shops, museums, art galleries, places of interest etc and it is already illegal to smoke on buses, trains or anywhere on the London Underground train network, even on the stations that are above ground.

If you want to use London Buses make sure you have small change in coins. Buses rarely give change if you offer them a banknote. Also note than in the centre of London you need to buy a bus ticket BEFORE you get on the bus. There are ticket machines at the bus stops.

Precautions? What precautions? Just plain old common sense.

1. Don't carry large sums of money when you go out.

2. Keep your valuables in an inside pocket especially when you are in crowded places.

3. If you use the 'Tube', our Underground Railway, (Subway or U-Bahn) late at night, try to get into a carriage with at least 4 or 5 other people. The 'Tube' late at night is perhaps the only thing I would recommend that you be particularly careful about. If in doubt, get a Black Cab taxi.

Black Cabs are the ones most people think of when they imagine a London Taxi. They are well regulated and licensed by the Police. You hail them by simply raising your hand and waving at them as they approach you on the street. If they are empty they will have an orange light on the front of the roof that is lit up with the word 'TAXI'. If they have people in them already, the light will NOT be lit up.

4. If you go out at night, try not to go alone and keep to the more well-lit streets.

(Actually, most of London's streets are very well-lit and you will find it hard to find any dark and seedy back streets.)

And really that should cover it. Even in the most crowded of places in London, you can feel perfectly safe. Our policemen really are 'Wonderful' and there are lots of them. They are very friendly and you can turn to them with any request for help. Whether you are lost, want to know the time or advice about what to do or where to go, ask a London 'Bobbie' or 'Bobby' (Named after the founder of the London Metropolitan Police force, Sir Robert 'Bobby' Peel) They were originally also called 'Peelers' for the same reason.

It is hard for me to be able to stress strongly enough how nice London is and how safe too but it is.

If you have ever felt you would like to come over, then do it!

Get down to the travel agents RIGHT NOW!

Then call me and we can arrange to meet up. I have a lot of friends who operate official tours of London. Mainly in open-topped buses. The best way to see the city. If there is a group of us up to about 50 people, I can get some really excellent deals on prices for Hotels, tours, restaurants, river trips on the Thames (London's river) and all sorts of stuff. If just one or two of you want to come over, I can show you round myself.

Now, let me put a few pictures and things on the following pages.........