The first thing that strikes you about London, especially to a country boy like me, is just how big London is.  Other good words to describe London would be busy, bustling and cosmopolitan.  I don't think I can recall seeing so many overseas folk in one place at one time!  It all adds to the unique atmosphere of a big city, of course, along with all the other sights, smells and sounds.

Parks

London has a wide range of parks, to provide some relief from the smell and pollution of the city.  Some are large parks, some are not so big.  Whichever park you chose to visit, you will always find a wide range of activities going on, or just some open space to chill out if that's what you need.

	Green Park		Regent's Park
	Hyde Park		St James' Park
	Kensington Gardens

Royalty and Religion

London of course is the home of the British royal family, with Buckingham Palace being the main centre of attraction.  Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral are important religious symbols of London, where many royal births, weddings and deaths have been celebrated and commemorated.

	Buckingham Palace		St Paul's Cathedral
	Kensington Palace		Westminster Abbey

Government

The government of the United Kingdom is centred on London, with the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall being the chief points of interest.  Big Ben is one of the best-known sights of London.

	Big Ben		Whitehall
	Houses of Parliament		Trafalgar Square

Roads

London is one of the great places to go shopping.  Many of the major shopping chains in the UK have their major stores or base in London.  You can travel from the popular stores in Oxford Street right through to the very exclusive stores in Savile Row and Bond Street.

	Bond Street		Piccadilly
	Carnaby Street		Regent Street
	Oxford Street		Savile Row

Down by the River

The River Thames is the major river that runs through the heart of London.  It is also the location for many of the major attractions of London.  The London Eye gives spectacular views across the capital, whereas the Tower of London gives a view of what life in London was like in days gone by.

	London Eye		Tower of London
	River Thames		Tower Bridge
	South Bank

Other Stuff

There are a vast number of sights in London, far too many to include in detail here.  The following sections show some sights that are also of interest to visitors, and which I didn't have time to capture in details during my visits to London.

	Marble Arch
	Museums
	Sundries