What is so special about London? It is the many constrasts of the city: tradition and modernity, Royality and hip club-scene, traditional 5 o´clock tea and Chinese Chop Sueys.
Looking at London's skyline, you will not only see the traditional monuments like Big Ben, Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey, but also extraordinary new buildings like the Swiss Re Tower, due to its form also called "Gherkin“ , or the new City Hall, in the form of a glass helmet. The metropolis on the Thames is a successful mix of old and new, mainstream and egocentrisme, and is in permanent move. The dirstict of Soho with its trendy shops, elegant bars, restaurants and theatres, is the heart of London. On the other hand, in charming Notting Hill residants go jogging to get their newspaper in pyjamas. In green Hampstead you find excentric artists, promenaders and kite-flyers.
Since its alternating history, London has always been dominant: capital as the largest sea-power, centre of industrialization, city of the first world expositions (1851), city of the world largest news agency "Reuters" and birthplace of 12 nobel-price-achievers. In 2012, London will be home to the Olympic Games for the third time. Once more, London will present its image as the European trend metropolis.
