F O O D
The London Underground
The world’s first underground railway, the
London Underground, nicknamed the Tube
is a public rapid transit system crisscrossing all
over, and under, London and your experience to
this city will remain incomplete until you have
ridden the Tube.
The system features 270 stations, spanning over
400km, and in spite of its name, only 45 per cent of
the railway actually runs underground. Dubaians
might naively think that the Tube cannot be all
that different from the Metro system in Dubai but
will be pleasantly surprised to find that the London
Underground offers a unique experience of its own
with 70 of its stations being housed in buildings
that are on the Statutory Lost of Buildings of Special
Architectural or Historic Interest for one.
The Underground is also a huge part of pop culture
and has been featured in many movies and TV
shows including Skyfall, Tube Tales, Sherlock, and
Neverwhere. In fact, the system has its own dedicated
London Underground Film Office. Horror fanatics
might find it interesting that rumours of the Tube’s
hauntings persist to this day.
Hyde Park
The largest of the four Royal Parks, Hyde Park was
established in 1536 by Henry VIII and opened to the
public in 1637. Since the park has seen a multitude of
historical events including duels among members of
nobility and The Great Exhibition of 1851 for which
Joseph Paxton’s the Crystal Palace was erected.
A key feature of the park includes
free speech demonstrations with
many protests – the Chartists, the
Reform League, the suffragettes –
being held over the years. Hyde Park
has also played host to several free
rock concerts featuring groups such
as Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones
and Queen.
Buckingham Palace
The London residence and headquarters
of the reigning monarch of the United
Kingdom, Buckingham Palace
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