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England: Buzzing and Beautiful

Early morning view of the London Eye and the Thames, Photo Credit: Inderjit Singh

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The cool and exciting vibes of London are balanced by the serene, green English countryside.

May 08 , 2014

05 Min Read

Early morning view of the London Eye and the Thames
The viewing pods of the London Eye.
Trafalgar Square, the iconic area in front of the National Gallery, is a hop, skip and jump from the Charing Cross tube station. The column facing the National Gallery building is Nelson's Column, named after Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Victoria Memorial, the statue of Queen Victoria, in front of the Buckingham Palace. The statue is placed at the centre of the space known as Queen's Gardens.
A royal guard at Buckingham Palace. The guards, who stand immobile like statues, are a big draw for tourists. Changing the Guard is a highly anticipated ceremony, and the dates and timings are listed on the official website of the British monarchy.
A London underground entrance sign. The iconic design and the 'Mind the Gap' announcement made for passengers on the tube trains feature in typical souvenirs like T-shirts and fridge magnets.
The Sea Life London Aquarium, located near the London Eye, is a popular place for children with its huge collection of marine species, and the option of snorkelling with sharks.
The very popular show Les Miserables, running at the Queen's Theatre on West End. The building is on Shaftesbury Avenue, the favourite London hangout of theatre-lovers. Shaftesbury Avenue is at the heart of London's West End theatre district and marks the beginning of Chinatown.
An eye-catching restaurant facade in Camden Town, which has London's most popular open-air market area with stalls, shops, pubs and restaurants.
The parks of central London are among its most beautiful features, full of flowers and lakes.
The Shard is one of London's more recent architectural attractions, an 87-storey building that is part of the London Bridge area development plan.
The clock tower of Big Ben glows at night. In 2012, it was officially renamed the Elizabeth Tower to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The tower, which holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world, celebrated its 150th anniversary on May 31, 2009.
A work of highly sophisticated and complex engineering, the Tower Bridge houses a permanent exhibition inside, called The Tower Bridge Experience. When it was built in the late 19th century, it was the only way to cross the river Thames.
Chinatown, the neighbourhood containing a number of Chinese restaurants, supermarkets and other Chinese-run businesses, is a part of the Soho area of London.
Wind turbines loom over calmly grazing sheep in the countryside.
Sunderland, a seaside town north of London - it takes about five hours to get there - has seen a multi-million pound seafront development.
Arty graffiti in Sunderland.
Durham, near Sunderland, has a castle that is wholly occupied by the University College, Durham. Students live here, but the general public can visit during guided tours.
This latest model car creates a striking contrast with the time-worn buildings in Durham. The city is located by the river Wear, to the south of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The Norman cathedral in the city and the 11th century Durham castle are both Unesco World Heritage Sites.
The streets of Durham retain an old-world feel.
A street in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The city came up on the site of an ancient Roman settlement called Pons Aelius. The present name comes from the castle built in 1080 by Robert, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror. Wool and coal were important commodities in Newcastle trading. This is the origin of the British saying
The Angel of the North is a sculpture by Antony Gormley, located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. The sculptor meant it to have a three-fold significance: first, to signify that beneath the site, coal miners worked for two centuries; second, the transition from an industrial to information age; and third, to embody hopes and fears.