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1. More than 300 languages are spoken in the London area. Thanks to a rich history of immigration, London is home to a diverse range of people and cultures, i.e. from Kurdish to Korean, the lingo in London is hugely varied.

2. London is the centre of the world. Well, sort of. Specifically, Greenwich. This is where you’ll find the Royal Observatory which defines 0º longitude (i.e. the Prime Meridian) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

3. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world. The first line was opened in January 1863.

4. London was the world’s largest city from 1831 to 1925. After that, New York City took the lead. London is now the world’s 33rd largest.

5. Did you know that London is one of the world’s greenest cities. It’s got more than 40% of green space and open water, 2,000 species of flowering plants, 120 species of fish in the Thames, 60 species of birds nestling in Central London, as well as 47 species of butterflies, 270 kinds of spiders, and 1,173 moths... It has so many trees that if falls within the UN definition of a forest!

6. Interesting fact for cultrue vultures: many of London’s museums and galleries are free! The National History Museum, The Science Museum, The V&A, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, British Museum, the Imperial War Museum, and many more are all free.

7. Pubs are the best place to go to get a glimpse of local life. It’s where people go after work, where they start a night out, where they hang out on a sunny day... Many are older than the United States, e.g. The Hoop & Grapes in Aldgate dates back to the 17th century!

8. Black Cab Drivers know every street in the city. Part of the 2-4 years of training to become a black cab driver involves memorizing every single street in London. Every. Single. Street!

9. Everyone knows when the Queen is home. If Queen Elizabeth II is chilling at home, you’ll know, because the Royal Standard will be flying. The rest of the time, you’ll see the Union flag.

10. London has more Indian restaurants than Mumbai. Fancy a curry?

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1. Did you know that the pound sterling is the oldest currency in continous use? It dates back to 1200 years ago.

2. It’s the fourth most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the US dollar, the euro and the Japanese yen.

3. The pound isn’t only used in the UK. As well as being used in the independent islands of Jersy, Guernsey and the Isle of Man surrounding the British Isles, the currency is used as far away as the British Antarctic Territory, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and a few islands in the mid and South Atlantic.

4. The pound is divided into 100 pence. The symbol for the penny is ‘p’, that is why an amount like 50p is properly pronounced ‘fifty pence’ but it is more colloquially, quite often, pronounced ‘fifty pee’ /fɪfti: pi:/.

5. The Pound Sterling currency is made up of several coins and notes. In common everyday use in the UK you can find 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p (the world’s first seven-sided coin), £1 and £2 coins and £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes.

6. A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on all Bank of England banknotes since 1960. On the opposite side of Bank of England notes are images of famous British people, i.e. Sir Winston Churchill on the back of £5 notes, Jane Austen on the back of £10 notes, JMW Turner on the back of £20 notes and Alan Turning on £50 notes. Previous famous faces on the notes are Sir Isaac Newton, the Duke of Wellington, George Stephenson, Florence Nightingale, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare and Sir Christopher Wren, among others.

7. Before the arrival of the decimal system in 1971, the pound functioned with a complicated system of shillings and pennies.

8. A common slang term for the pound sterling or pound is quid, which is singular and plural. It originates from the phrase Quid Pro Quo, which translates literally to ‘what for what’ and it dates back to 1661!

9. Two 1p coins weigh the same as one 2p coin, and two 5p coins weigh the same as one 10p coin!

10. Being in London, I couldn’t go without mentioning some Cockney rhyming slang to describe money. Apple core or Score means £20, Uncle Ben means £10, and if someone asks to borrow a taxi driver, they actually mean a fiver (= a £5 note).

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Trafalgar Square is often considered the centre of London and it's actually where distances are measured from (like Plaza del Sol in Madrid).

There are four plinths in the square, three of them have statues of previous English kings. The fourth plinth never had a statue built for it. So, it has been used to show specially commissioned artworks. Currently, the space is ocupied by Heather Phillipson's sculpture The End - a giant swirl of whipped cream, a cherry, a fly and a drone that transmits a live feed of Trafalgar Square (you can see it on the left side of the photo). ⛲️

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The Houses of Parliament, officially called the Palace of Westminster, is the home of British politics. This is where the House of Commons and the House of Lords sit down together to make laws. You are allowed to visit them on guided tours and even sit in the same seat as the Prime Minister! 😎

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The theatre we can see today is an accurate replica on the site of the original building. The first theatre was built in 1599 by the acting company of which William Shakespeare was a member. It was an open air theatre with three floors and could seat 3,000 people!

Nowadays, you can visit the theatre with a guided tour and you can also watch one of Shakespeare's plays.

Check out this link for a virtual tour. 🎭

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Did you know that Big Ben isn't actually the official name of this famous landmark? For hundreds of years it used to be called the Clock Tower but in 2012 it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower to commemmorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Big Ben is actually the bell inside the tower.

It is currently under restoration (since 2017) but we can see the clock's faces with their brand-new glass panels and blue hands and numbers - instead of the previous black. 🕗

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Buckingham Palace is a must for anyone visiting London!

Its first oficial resident was Queen Victoria in 1837 and has been the official royal residence since. 👑

If you're passing by and wondering if the Queen is in or not, just have a look at the flag. If the Royal Standard flag is flying over the palace, then she's in. But, if it's the Union flag 🇬🇧, then you're out of luck. I guess she wasn't in today! 🤷🏻‍♀️

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These are two of the largest Royal parks in London. They were both initially created by King Henry VIII who used them as hunting grounds.

Hyde Park is famous for its Speaker's corner and its 350 acres include over 4,000 trees, a large lake (The Serpentine), a meadow and ornamental flower gardens. 🌿🌸

Regent's Park contains a mosque, a zoo, an open air theatre, a lake and up to 400 assortments of roses and more than 30,000 rosebushes in Queen Mary's Rose Gardens. 🌹⛲️

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Little Venice is a charming and picturesque area located in the residential area of Maida Vale in London. It has beautiful canals and waterways and you can also find nice cafés, pubs and restaurants. It's perfect to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city! 🛶

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Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were detective characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. According to the books, they lived at 221b Baker Street in London between 1881 and 1904. At this address, there's a museum dedicated to the life and times of Sherlock Holmes and the interior has been maintained to reflect what's in the published stories. 🕵🏻‍♂️🔍

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Located next to Trafalgar Square, St Martin-in-the-Fields is a beautiful 18th-century church. Here you can enjoy beautiful music at its free afternoon performances.  Today, I could sit and listen to Lacrymosa from 'Requiem' by Mozart sung by St Martin's Voices. 🎶🎵🎹

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The West End is the main theatre district in London. If features musicals, comedies and plays. Here are some interesting facts: the largest West End theatre is the Apollo Victoria Theatre; The Mousetrap is the longest-running play in London's West End - it first opened in 1952; and The Misérables the longest-running West End musical - since 1985. 🎭

Chinatown is also located in the heart of London's West End. The gates, the pagoda and the lanterns are all distinctive features of this popular district. 🏮🐉🥟

Leicester Square is probably one of my favourite parts of London. Here, you get the feeling you are in the beating heart of the city. It's an epicentre of entertainment: cinemas, theatres, bars, clubs, restaurants and many nightclubs. So, if you're in the mood for a night out this is the place to go to! 🍾🎊

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Carnaby Street is known for its fashion and for its famous music icons who would shop here, e.g. Jimi Hendrix, Tom Jones, The Who, The Sex Pistols, The Jam, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

Today, it still is synonymous with shopping but it also offers many opportunities to try some great food with dishes from all over the world - Hawaiian, Asian fusion, Indian, tapas and even tea and hot chocolate shops.

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Savile Row is a short street in London near Regent Street. It is mainly known for its traditional men's tailor shops where you can find bespoke suits: those that are cut and then made by hand. Styles go from traditional to modern to cutting edge. 🕺🏻

But this street is also known for The Beatles' final live performance which was held on the roof of one of the buildings on this street in 1969. 🎶🪲

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Hamleys is the oldest toy shop in the world and the largest in London. It has seven floors of endless toys: stuffed animals, interactive toys, games, etc. and it has over 5 million visitors per year! 🧸🚂🪁

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At St Pancras station you can catch a Eurostar train and be in France in under an hour! 🚂

It also has a Yamaha piano waiting for the public to come along and play it. Elton John left it there as a donation after a performance in 2016! 🎹

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As a fan of Harry Potter, I simply had to visit King's Cross - where students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy catch the Hogwarts Express. 🧙🪄

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The British Museum is the world's oldest national public museum - it opened in 1759. Its collection is said to span more than two million years of human history. It is home to more than eight million artifacts, originating from every continent in the world.

The most popular exhibits at the British Museum are the Oxus Treasure (a collection of 180 pieces of metalwork in gold and silver plus 200 coins from the Achaemenid Persian period found by the Oxus river between 1877-1880), the Rosetta Stone (a stone with writing carved into it written in three types of writing found in Egypt in 1799 and which gave people a better understanding of the Ancient Egyptian writing system called hieroglyphics) and the Elgin Marbles (a series of ancient Greek sculptures made from marble originally part of the Parthenon Temple in Athens).

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The neighbourhood of Shoreditch in the East End has nothing to do with typical London. It is loaded with everything from massive murals to old-school graffiti pieces and tags but also full of weird museums and markets.

At the weekend, at the Old Truman Brewary on Brick Lane there's a market with vintage fashion and yummy food stalls. And you can also find talented musicians playing in the streets.

It used to be an industrial area of London and now it is undergoing gentrification - with its obvious negative aspects too as property prices have soared more than 25% in the last five years! Many of the old factory buildings are now trendy apartments.

Shoreditch and street art go hand in hand. Banksy is one of the artists who has left his mark in this area but many of his works have been covered up over the years. But there are many other street artists worth keeping an eye out!

Are you a lover of street art and graffiti? Remember to look up, down and all around every nook and cranny to see what hidden work you can find! Have a look at some of the photos I was able to take this morning - on my/your next visit they'll probably be completely different! 🏘👣

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The Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersive Experience

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The Van Gogh Exhibit: The Immersive Experience

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Have you ever dreamt of stepping into a painting? Now you can with this exhibition that has been touring since 2017. In London, you can now visit it just two minutes away from the Old Spitafields Market.

Learn about Van Gogh's life and work as well as stepping into his paintings. For more information, click here. 🌻🎨

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The Shard is currently the tallest skyscraper in Western Europe and is located in Southwark, London. It is 309.6 metres tall, has a total of 44 lifts, and has 96 floors of which 72 are habitable. It includes a 26-floor office complex, 3 restaurants, 5-star hotels and resorts, residential apartments and an observation deck.

The name 'Shard' comes from its resemblance to a pointy piece of glass.

One last fact: the cleaning of the Shard is done manually and it takes the six workers four weeks to clean all the four sides. Can you imagine? 🪟🏙

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Tower Bridge is one of London's most iconic landmarks.
- It was built between 1886 and 1894.
- The central span of the bridge can be raised to allow ships to pass and it is opened around 1000 times a year.
- It is 244 metres long and each tower is 65 metres high.
- Over 40,000 people use Tower Bridge every day.
- There's a legend that says it's good luck to see the bridge being raised! 🌁⛵️

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On the 43rd floor of this building known as the Walkie Talkie you can visit Sky Garden's viewing gallery for fantastic views of London's skyline.

Entry to the Sky Garden is free but limited so make sure you book your tickets online. Click here for more info. 🪴🏙

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The Monument commemorates one of the most important events in London's history: the Great Fire of 1666.

On 2nd September 1666, a fire broke out in a bakery in Pudding Lane. As most of the city's buildings were built from wood and there were limited resources for putting out fires in those days, the blaze raged for four days and devastated the city. It destroyed rougly 13,000 houses and around 89 churches. Fortunately, only six people died but many were left homeless.

The Monument commemmorates the Great Fire but also celebrates the modern city that eventually rose from the ashes.

It is 62 metres tall and has a viewing platform at the top which can be reached by a narrow staircase of 311 steps. 🔥

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Saint Paul's cathedral is the masterpiece of Britain's most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren and was built between 1675 and 1710.

It has held many important events such as the funeral of Admiral Nelson in 1806, the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965 and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981. ⛪️

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Today I was able to watch one of the most popular plays in London's West End: The Mousetrap! Here are some interesting facts about it:

- It's the longest running show of any kind in the world - it's been running for 70 years!
- The show has been presented in 27 languages in more than 50 countries.
- Since it opened on 25th November 1952, over 460 actors and actresses have appeared in the play.
- In March 1974 the play moved from The Ambassadors Theatre to the St Martin's Theatre without missing a single show.
- After each performance the audience is asked 'to preserve the tradition of The Mousetrap by keeping the secret locked in their hearts.'

But what is it about? Check here for the trailer. 🎭🔎

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The Thames below Westminster by Claude Monet

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North of Trafalgar Square, we can find The National Gallery which has one of the world's most impressive collections of paintings.

Here you can find: Virgin of the rocks by Leonardo Da Vinci, Mars and Venus by Botticelli, Lady standing at a virginal by Vermeer, Sunflowers by Van Gogh, Waterlilies by Monet and The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, among many others. 🖼🎨

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Black Cabs are probably one of the first things that come to mind when we think of London, but do you know these fun facts?

- While black is the most common colour for London taxis, it's not required to be so. They can be blue, yellow, green, red...
- There are approximately 21,000 black cabs in London.
- A taxi is not by law legally obliged to give you change.
- It's against the law to shout out for a black cab and if you do, the cabbie should drive straight past you. Simply raise your arm!
- A black cab driver or cabbie is expected to know over 25,000 roads, 20,000 landmarks and memorise 320 routes within a six mile radius to Charing cross - they must all pass the test called 'The Knowledge' and it takes an average of 2-4 years' study! 🚖

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Neal's Yard is one of London's most colourful places - even on a grey day like today.

Walk through a small alleyway and you'll arrive in this courtyard full of picturesque multi-coloured buildings and shops and it's just minutes away on foot from busy Covent Garden! 🌈🏡

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Madame Tussauds Wax Museum first opened in 1835 and is still a favourite tourist destination in London.

Today's wax figures include historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and famous murderers.

I simply couldn't resist having my picture taken with the Queen! ☕️👑

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Piccadilly Circus is one of the most famous intersections in the world. It's iconic for several reasons: the unique architecture around it, the advertisements that adorn the buildings, the statue of Eros in the middle...

An interesting fact: did you know that Coca Cola has had a sign here since 1954? 🥤🏙

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So, I have to admit I've been really lucky with the weather these two weeks as it only rained twice! Today was one of those days - grey, wet and cold! ☔️

Here are some interesting facts about British weather:

- Weather talk: more than nine in 10 Brits have talked about the weather in the last six hours. No other nation talks about it as much!

- It’s not that rainy! London is one of the driest cities in the UK and it’s not even in the top 10 of the wettest capitals in Europe.

3. It’s raining cats and dogs: this idiom dates back to the 17th century and it’s not really known where it comes from. One of the theories is that stray cats and dogs were often found dead floating in the flooded streets after heavy rain.

4. It’s totally unpredictable! You can easily witness five or more different types of weather in one single day. A sunny morning, a rainy afternoon and a snowy evening!

5. There are over a 100 British words for rain.! If you don't believe me, check out this link: https://starkeycomics.com/2019/03/14/100-british-words-for-rain/

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London's red double decker buses are probably the most iconic symbol of the capital. But why are they red?

The reason behind their colour dates back to the 1900s, when the transport system was operated by different rival companies. In 1907, London General Omnibus Company painted its entire fleet red to stand out from competitors. Since 1933, the colour was adopted by London Transport and it has remained ever since.

There are 8,600 buses, operating on 700 routes, serving 19,000 bus stops. According to TfL they carry around 6.5 million passengers each day! That's way more than the whole population of Galicia! 🚌❤️

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Did you know that the London Underground was the world's first underground railway? It dates back to 1863 and was nicknamed the Tube by Londoners.

Here are some interesting facts about it:

- The London Underground has a staggering 270 stations.
- The network of tunnels extends to 402 km.
- Around 55% of the London Underground is actually above the ground.
- The deepest station is nearly 61 metres below street level.
- The average speed on the underground is 33km/h but on certain lines they can reach over 96.5 km/h.
- The average Londoner spens 11.5 days of each year on the tube.
- An estimated half a million mice live in the tunnels.

If you want to know more, click here. 🚇🐁

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Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the world's best known musical theatre composers. He has written 21 musicals, won 45 awards and his shows have dominated the West End and Broadway for more than 50 years. His hits include Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar.

His latest musical is Cinderella - a hilarious romantic musical comedy with a twist to the original tale. Click here to watch the trailer.

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Camden Town is one of London's most vibrant areas and is packed with brilliant places to see. It has an alternative vibe with its many different markets, cool street art, live music venues, street performers and lively bars.

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By climbing to the top of Primrose Hill, you can enjoy views of the London skyline from different viewpoints. On a sunny day like today you can see attractions and landmarks like The London Eye, The Shard, St Paul's Cathedral and the BT Tower.

What better way to bid London farewell than with these stunning views! See you again soon! 👋🥰