It's London, Baby! Part 2

It's London, baby! Part 2

In the previous podcast of this series you discovered how to get to London, navigate your way around and found out a few spots to buy food in. This time, we will focus on the touristic attractions worth visiting.

I'm not big on going to numerous museums and galleries, yet the ones given below caught my attention:

Natural History Museum

Cross my heart, being in this place is the closest you'll get to being Harry Potter. Both the exterior and the interior of the building are magnificent, what's more, this museum boasts the biggest collection of minerals in the world. Apart from minerals, you will find a vast collection of dinosaur remains and a number of stuffed animals.

National Gallery

When I went in I got absolutely speechless. I don't reckon there could be any other reaction to seeing “The sunflowers” by Van Gogh. Apart from his works, you can also find works by Leonardo Da Vinci, a vast collection of impressionists and early Western European painters. The halls are very spacious, so you are guaranteed not to be distracted by crowds while enjoying the art.

Westminster Abbey and Co.

I'll be honest here, I haven't actually been inside the traditional sights, such as The Tower or Westminster Abbey as I was short on time. Yet what I did do, was take a few hours to walk along the river Thames, where most of the iconic attractions are. To do it you need to set off from Westminster tube station, and, having enjoyed the Houses of Parliament and the Abbey itself, cross the river to the other side. Now that you are on the right bank, you can simply move along towards the Tower Bridge. On your way, you'll see London Eye, the Royal National Theatre, Tate Modern and The Globe Theatre (the one created and run by Shakespeare himself). The walk can be nicely rounded off by crossing the river again, and finding yourself at the Tower Of London.

The City

I was unaware that the so-called business centre of London originally was a town in its own right. Apparently, it has its own crest and clearly marked boundaries, along with its own university. But what usually strikes you when you get into this part of London, is the overwhelming sense of ambition and hunger for power. This is hardly surprising if you come to think of it, as London is the world's financial capital, and The City is its heart. To get a better understanding of the place and the people working there, I'd recommend you to take a stroll along in the lunch hour. Apart from that you can always visit the Bank of England Museum or look around one of the weirdest buildings in London – the Gherkin (a famous skyscraper, placed in the London's financial district, the City).

I'd like to stress, that the given sights are just my personal favorites. Obviously, London has much more to offer. In particular, in the final podcast of the series we will discover some of the food you just have to try there and the places to try it in.

Vocabulary:

i'm not big on – I'm not a big fan of – я не любитель
cross my heart – honestly – честное слово
boasts – has smth and is proud of it – может похвастаться
remains – the body of an animal that has died – останки
stuffed animals – dead animals, filled with cotton to make it look as if they are alive – чучела
speechless – unable to say a word – потеряла дар речи
reckon – think – думаю, полагаю
vast – huge – огромная
spacious – big, having a lot of space – просторные
was short on time – didn't have enough time – у меня было мало времени
bank – side of a river – берег
run – managed – управлял
rounded off – finished – завершила
in its own right – by itself – сам по себе
crest – a design, used as a symbol of a town, institution or a family – герб
boundaries – lines, marking the limits of something – границы
if you come to think of it – if you think about it – если призадуматься
take a stroll – take a slow, relaxing walk – прогуляться