WELCOME TO LONDON! Lets go sightseeing in London with Sasha Krylov, a Russian boy travelling around Great Britain.

Trafalgar Square We started in Trafalgar Square. In the centre of the square there is a big column. At the top of the column there is a statue of Admiral Nelson who defeated the French at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

The Houses of Parliament From Trafalgar Square we went down the street and visited the Houses of Parliament. The British government is there. It was built in1840. The style is rich Gothic.

Big Ben Big Ben is a symbol of London. Its a clock tower 316 feet high (95 m). Its situated in Saint Stephens Tower of the Houses of Parliament. It is called after Sir Benjamin Hall who rebuilt it. The great clock was installed in the Tower in 1858.

Buckingham Palace The Houses of Parliament are very near Buckingham Palace, so we went there next. Its the London home of the Queen. We couldnt go in because the palace isnt open to the public.

Changing the Guard We saw the Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace. The new guard led by a band arrived to take over from the old guard. The ceremony lasted half an hour

Madame Tussauds After Buckingham palace we went to Madame Tussauds. Its a famous museum of wax figures.

Madame Tussauds They have wax figures of all the famous people in the world. I took a lot of pictures there. Here is a picture of me with the Beatles.

The London Eye In the evening of the first day we went to the London Eye. Its on the Thames. Its the largest observation wheel in the world and its very popular with tourists.

The Thames Below the wheel we saw the river Thames. It is the deepest and most beautiful river in London.

Hyde Park We had an opportunity to rest in Hyde Park. It is the most famous park in London. It was a pleasure to watch Londoners walk and jog in the Park, eat their sandwiches, talk, sunbathe, read books and enjoy music. There were no signs like Do not walk on the grass.

The Tower of London Next day we went to the Tower of London which was a fortress, a castle, a royal mint, a prison and a zoo. Now its the oldest museum in London.

The Tower of London Now its the oldest museum in London. The most famous thing in the Tower of London are the Crown Jewels. They have the biggest diamond in the world – the Star of Africa.

Tower Bridge Going to the Tower of London London we went over Tower Bridge. There are 14 bridges across the Thames in the city. Tower Bridge is the only Thames bridge which can be raised when big ships come up to the bridge

Greenwich After the Tower of London we went to Greenwich. Three hundred years ago it was a village and now its a part of London. There is Greenwich Palace here. Queen Elizabeth I lived in it.

Greenwich The most interesting sight of this place is the Greenwich Observatory. It is the centre of the time and space.

Greenwich The prime meridian of the Earth, which divides east from west passes there. If you stand over the line, you can have one foot in each hemisphere.

Fleet Street Going sightseeing we saw Fleet Street – home of Britains national daily newspapers. Printers have been working in Fleet Street since 1485.

St Pauls Cathedral We saw the biggest cathedral in Great Britain. St Pauls Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1710 by Sir Christopher Wren. It is 111 metres high.

Oxford Street Finally, we went to Oxford Street which is the biggest shopping street in London. You can buy a lot of presents for your family in its stores.

Hamleys We learnt that Hamleys is the biggest toy shop in London. There are six floors with millions of toys.