Island Life August/September 2018

Travel
A
Gem
on our
Doorstep
I have been fortunate enough to visit over 40
of the world’s capital cities in my lifetime, and
without a doubt in my mind, London would rank
as one of the best. It was the English writer Samuel
Johnson who in the 18th century declared: “Sir,
when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,
for there is in London all that life can afford”.
By Terry Willey
In my view this quotation remains
just as relevant today, and
whatever your budget, London
still can offer you so many options
and at wonderful value. In
recommending it to my foreign
visitors over the years I am always
keen to learn of their specific
interests so that their time in the
Capital will hold a personal interest
and provide a lasting memory.
London has some of the finest
museums and art culture in the
world, and for any historian it
has a wealth of possibilities to
explore. Its history is unsurpassed,
which perhaps is why it attracts
so many fascinated visitors from
the world over. From the Tower of
London to our Royal residences
and Palaces, the City ‘opens it
doors’ for all. Whether you are
viewing them on foot or from an
open-top bus or a river cruiser, the
fascination is there to behold. You
could spend a year in London and
never see the entirety of it all!
Apart from the obvious
attractions that our Capital
city offers, there are so many
hidden secrets and eating
establishments that are not
obvious from street level. Many
of them date back to the time
of the Great Plague of London.
As competition is considerable,
eating in the Capital can be
relatively inexpensive, provided
you are prepared to shop around.
The shopping culture itself is
immense with millions of pounds
being ploughed into the City
each year from tourists, as well as
from our own nationals flocking
to some of the main shopping
areas around Oxford and Regent
Streets. The area surrounding
Covent Garden offers some of the
most talented street entertainment
and the London Underground
network offers a quick and
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