12 Facts...

So, yesterday was my birthday so I decided to focus on that, that is why there is no Day 13 post. However, I am back on track and I have another wonderful list of twelve things--- 12 Days to go!

12 Interesting Facts about London

1. There are more languages spoken in London than in any other city in the world. (I truly believe that after living in Shepherds Bush, English is a foreign language there).

2. Believe it or not, If London was a country it would be the 8th biggest in Europe.

3. Angel Tube Station, has Western Europe’s longest escalator with 318 steps, I suppose you could call it a tourist attraction. It does seem to go on forever.

4. It takes 61 seconds to open Tower Bridge, which opens about 1,000 times a year. Sometihng that I have to personally witness, but I will one of these days.

5. The well known landmark, Marble Arch was originally built as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, but was never used. There is actually a tiny office inside it, which use to be used as a police station.

6. The tallest building in London and the UK, is in Canary Wharf, which is part of the London Docklands. It is called the Canary Wharf Tower and stands at 244 metres or 800 feet high and was built in 1991.

7. The Houses of Parliament also known as the Palace of Westminster, has over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases and 3 miles (5 km) of corridors, as well as 19 bars and restaurants, which I’m sure those robbing MP’s are never out of when they are actually there!

8. London is formed by two ancient cities – City of London and City of Westminster, both cities forming the region of Greater London

9. The London Underground, was built in 1863, which is known as the ‘Tube’, and was the first metro of the world. It is quite probably the most out of date, broken down and delayed metro system in the entire world.

10. Big Ben is not actually the name of the clock or the tower, it isn’t ? But the 13-ton bell inside the clock. The tower is known as St Stephens Tower, dam, I have been calling it Big Ben for all these years.

11. There are eight Royal Parks, in Greater London, which were once, as you can guess  lands that were once upon a time owned by the Royalty as playgrounds for themselves and their privileged friends. Bushy Park, 1,099 acres, The Green Park, 47 acres, Greenwich Park, 183 acres, Hyde Park, 350 acres, Kensington Gardens, 275 acres, The Regent’s Park, 410 acres, Richmond Park, 2360 acres,St. James’s Park, 58 acres. You see London is more than just a concrete, glass, steal and vehicle filled jungle.

12. There are twenty four bridges over the River Thames in London. The newest bridge is the Millennium Bridge, which opened in 2000 and the oldest one is London Bridge, which was originally made of wood and was built in 1209.