London, the capital city of England, is among the most exciting and famous European cities. All year round its crowded with tourists coming from different parts of the world who come to see the city's tourist attractions. An unusual symbol of this extraordinary city is the British Airways London Eye. Thanks to a thirty-minute flight in this world's largest observation wheel you can see 55 of London's most famous landmarks.
The first thing that comes to many people's mind when they think of London is Big Ben. It is one of the city's most iconic landmarks. Big Ben is the massive bell inside the Clock Tower, also called St. Stephen's Tower. Its weighs in at over 13 tons. The clock looks spectacualr at night when its illuminated. The clock first rang across Westminster on 31 May 1859. there are two different theories concerning the origins of the name Big Ben. The first says that it was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works leading to building of the Tower. The other theory is that the name comes from the champion of the prize ring at that time, Benjamin Caunt, also known as 'Big Ben'. The clock has rarely stopped and timekeeping is strictly regulated by the workers of the Greenwich Observatory.
Another London's famous landmark is Buckingham Palace, situated in the city centre and built the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It is both home of the royal family and the place where the Queen holds meetings with public officials. one of the oldest and most popular ceremonies associated with Buckingham Palace is Changing the Guard. This royal ceremony is conducted outside Buckingham Palace at 11.30am everyday. Crowds of tourists gather in front of the palace gate to watch a New Guard exchange duty with the Old Guard, accompanied by a Guards band.
Another place worth visitng in London is Tower of London, which houses the Crown Jewels. Built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, the Tower used to be a palace, a prison, an arsenal and even a zoo.
There are many other famous tourist attractions in London, for example Tower Bridge, situated on the River Thames; Windsor Castle, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral and many museums and galleries: Madame Tissaud's, Tate's, National Gallery, British Museum or Natural History Museum.
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