London, England Europe Vacations

In food, fashion, film, music, and just about everything else, London now stands at the cutting edge, just as it did in the 1960s. If this sea of change worries you more than it appeals to you, rest assured that traditional London still exists, essentially intact . From high tea almost anywhere to the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the city still abounds with the tradition and charm of days gone by.

Discovering London and making it your own can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you have limited time. The actual City of London proper is 1 sq. mile of real estate around the Bank of England. All of the gargantuan rest of the city is made up of separate villages, boroughs, and corporations. Together, however, they add up to a mammoth metropolis. London is a mass of contradictions. On the one hand, it's a decidedly royal city, studded with palaces, court gardens, coats of arms, and other regal paraphernalia, yet it's also the home of the world's second-oldest parliamentary democracy. Today London has grown less English and more international. The gent with the bowler hat is long gone; today's Londoner might have a turban, a Mohawk, or even a baseball cap.