G8a Travel Guide - published

Bolt purple

The Gherkin has won several architecture prizes and in 2005 it was named the most admired new building. It is also used in many films including "Harry Potter" and "The Half-Blood Prince".

It is the 10th tallest building in London and the UK.

Photo by&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@alexmotoc?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Alex Motoc</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/the-gherkin?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

The gherkin is closed with 24,000 square feet of outside glass, or the equivalent of five soccer fields.

Over 35 km of steel were used to construct the Gherkin.

Here is a video from the Gherkin , Enjoy it .

The Gherkin by Drone - The Drone Company

Houses of Parliament- Part 3: Architecture

The Houses of Parliament were first built in the early 11th century and served as a palace for the King of England. As already mentioned, it was burned down several times, so its design changed over the years. The most recent design is from the 1950s and still lasts until today. Letˋs hope there won't be another fire!

The renovation started in the 1930s but was not completed until the 1950s because of World War II. The outside was built with a special stone that was taken from a quarry near the village of Anston. But in the 1930s, it was replaced with Clipsham stone. Due to air pollution, the stone had to be replaced. The renovation lasted from 1981 to 1994.

In the inside are two libraries, one gallery, the Westminster Hall, which was the biggest hall in its time, the Commons Chamber, which is the room where politicians discuss multiple things, like new laws and more, and the Lords Chamber, which is basically like a throne room.

London Eye

With a weight of 2100 tons, the ferris wheel is as heavy as 1,272 London taxis.

What you need to know about London Eye!

The London Eye rotates 26 centimetres per second.

This section of the travel guide is about the

Opening times: Summer (01 March - 01 November) Until 23 October&nbsp; Wednesday-Sunday: 10:00-18.00 Last admission: 16:30, buildings within the Tower close at 17.30.

Tower of London

The Tower of London

Every year 2.5 million visitors visit the Tower of London, making it the most popular paid attraction in the UK. Here's what you need to know about visiting the Tower of London.

Closed: 24 - 26 December 1 January&nbsp;- Closed Open: Sunday 27 - Thursday 31 December: 9 am - 5 pm Last admission: 15:30, buildings within Tower close at 16.30.

Every year 2.5 million visitors visit the Tower of London, making it the most popular paid atraktoin in the UK. What you need to know about visiting the Tower of London. Opening times and prices (pound): <a href="https://www.londonmalanders.com/tower-of-london/">https://www.londonmalanders.com/tower-of-london/</a>

2 January - 12 February: Wednesday - Sunday: 10:00-17.00 Last admission: 15:30, buildings within the Tower close at 16.30.

Marble

Entrance fees: Adult&nbsp;(age 18-64) £25.00 Child (age 5-15)&nbsp;£12.50 under 5s go free, children aged 5-15 must be accompanied by an adult. Concession £20.00 Age 65+ or 16-17,&nbsp;full-time student, disabled visitor Family saver 1 £37.50 1 adult &amp; up to 3 children (aged 5-15) Family saver 2 £62.50 2 adults &amp; up to 3 children (aged 5-15)

<a href="https://www.google.de/maps/place/Tower+of+London/@51.5081124,-0.0759493,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa8bf49dde1d56467!8m2!3d51.5081124!4d-0.0759493?hl=de-de">The address of the Tower of London</a>.

QR code to the location of the Tower of London

Even before the renovation work, four mechanics were busy around the clock. These four mechanics have the official title “Keeper of the Great Clock“. There is a clock on all four sides of the tower. You can see the clock faces from far away. Each of the four clock faces has a diameter of 7 meters and consists of 312 individual parts. The minute hands are 4.3 meters long and weigh 100 kilos. The pendulum of the clock is 3.9 meters long and has a total weight of 299 kg. The clock is the second largest in Great Britain 🇬🇧.

Under the clock faces is written in Latin „Domine salvam fac reginam nostram Victoriam primam“, which means „O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First“.

Big Ben is the name of the thirteen ton bell. Because of its size, it was named "Great Bell". It is the largest und heaviest bell. Big Ben is the short form of Big Benjamin. The bell was named after the first commissioned of work, Sir Benjamin Hall or after the heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt. There are five bells in the clock tower, about 200 feet from the ground. The most famous one is the great bell Big Ben.

You can normally hear the clock tower from far away, but the clock remains silent during the renovation. The Great Bell strikes every full hour according to the time. The British call the stroke of the bell “The Voice of Britain”. The four little bells play the world-famous Westminster chime every 15 minutes. Because the bells will remain silent until 2021, here you can listen to the Westminster chime:

Light wood

The Thames has existed for more than 413 years.

The Thames is 346 km long, which makes it the second longest river in London.

It is crossed by over 200 bridges, 27 tunnels, six public ferries, aa cable car connection and a ford along 346 km

The Thames flows through Oxford , Wallingford, Reading, Maidenhad, Eton and last but not least Windsor 

<a href="https://youtu.be/iyG6Uz7M0Zw">https://youtu.be/iyG6Uz7M0Zw</a>

Fahrt mit dem London Eye (4K/UHD)

King Charles II made the park open to the public. In 1838 John Nash remodeled the park, this is how St. James Park emerged from the canal.

From the park, you can see the London Eye.

St  James's Park 

The Tower of London is a fortress that was built in the Greater London region of England, on the north bank of the Thames, in the 11th century. In those days, it was used for military purposes, for example as an arms store and as a prison. Today the Tower of London is a museum where you can see the Crown Jewels. The fortress is also setting in many dramas and novels by Edgar Wallace and Shakespeare. It was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. The Tower of London is managed by the Historic Royal Palaces and is owned by the British Crown.

The Royal Family and Buckingham palace are protected by the best soldiers. Changing the Guard means the event when the Queen`s guards change duty. It starts at 11 am in front of Buckingham Palace and lasts half an hour. It takes place daily from April to July, after that only every other day (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday)

Hi guys, are you interested in Buckingham Palace? Here you can find out interesting facts and important information – in short: Everything you need to know!

The Palace can be viewed from outside every day, the royal rooms can be visited from July 25th to October 4th in 2020.

Its most visited exhibiton is Rosetta Stone that is located in room 4 of the building. If you are planning to come, you have to expect huge crowds as the stone is very popular.

The&nbsp;Rosetta Stone&nbsp;is a&nbsp;big stone&nbsp;with three versions of a&nbsp;decree&nbsp;inscribed into it, wich was issued in&nbsp;Memphis,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,_Egypt"> </a>Egypt&nbsp;in 196BC.

The Rosetta Stone also helped to uncover the meanings on the Egiptian Hieroglyphs and is therefore a big knowledge piece.

The stone was made during the&nbsp;Hellenistic<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_period"> </a>period&nbsp;and is believed to have originally been kept inside a temple, possibly at a nearby city called Sais.

Here is a QR-Code to the official Wikipedia Site

Buckingham Palace is home of Queen Elizabeth II. and Prinz Philip.

On the back there is a large garden, which is the largest in London. from Schweinfurt to the Buckigham Palace it is 748 km

Hello and welcome to a short look in our „information-tour“ to the Picadilly Circus. We hope that you like it and have fun! In the presentation, you‘ll find some facts about - the year when it was built - where you can find it today - why it is a famous building in London and - for who the sculpture is. So let‘s get in now!

Dark wood

The meridian is very important for geography, because it is the beginning of the world wide coordinatesystem. The meridian runs through Greenwich.

The Meridian is very important for global coordinates. A line through Greenwich shows the Meridian.

- The university is for everyone, but it's very expensive to go there. - It has 18,000 students. - You can study Education and Health, but also Faculty of Engineering and Science.

John Boyega was a student at this university. He acted Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He studied film and media writing.

History The British Museum was built in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759. But because of the amount of people that visited the museum, it moved to a bigger building in 1850.

The British Museum in London is the biggest museum if it comes to&nbsp;art&nbsp;or history worldwide. The museum is especially well known because of its extencive collection of&nbsp;Egyptian,&nbsp;Greek&nbsp;and&nbsp;Roman exhibitions.

Opening times: It is open daily from&nbsp;10:00&nbsp;till&nbsp;17:30&nbsp;o'clock and Friday till&nbsp;20:30&nbsp;o'clock.

Ben

Hello everyone! Interested in Big Ben?! Here are some facts:

Big Ben is probably the most famous clock tower in the world and one of the most famous landmarks in London. Unfortunately, only the British are allowed to visit the Big Ben. Until 2021 no visits are possible because there is a renovation going on. The clock tower is already 161

years old and was last renovated in 1985. Therefore renovation work is urgently needed. Big Ben is almost completely encased in scaffolding. The historical place deserves a visit anyway.

It is 320 foot (96m) tall and has 11 floors. The tower has no elevator. If you want to visit the bell tower, you first have to climb 334 steps. Its official name has been Elizabeth Tower since 2012, but  most people call the clock tower Big Ben.&nbsp;

Did you know that Big Ben has its own <a href="https://twitter.com/big_ben_clock">Twitter Account</a>??

Tip: Go for a walk along the Thames in the evening because the clock tower looks most spectacular at night, when the Big Ben faces are illuminated.

Tip: For those who don't want to wait until 2021 for an uncovered clock tower, you can visit the little brother - Little Ben - in front of Victoria Station.

Incredible! In August 1945 a large crowd of birds settled down on the hands of the clock and slowed its progress. For the same reason, the clock ran out for almost five minutes in 1949.

Here you can find the location of the Little Ben:

Location of Little Ben

History:

Originally there stood a palace. In a fire in 1834 the palace was almost completely destroyed and then rebuilt in neo-Gothic style. The clock&nbsp;tower took 13 years to be built and was finished in 1859. The tower was built by the architect Augustus Pugin. The clockwork was designed by Sir George Airy and Edmund Denison and finally created by watchmaker Edward John Dent. There was also a prison in the tower, which was last used in 1880.&nbsp;

On 31st of May 1859 the clockwork was installed in the bell tower and this day is celebrated as Big Ben’s birthday. After the clockwork was started, the bell from the clock tower rang for the first time on 11th of July 1859. The&nbsp;Great Bell&nbsp;is the second bell which is in the Tower, because the first bell broke at the dress rehearsal in 1857. On 21st of August in 2017 at 12 o’clock the bells of the clock tower rang for the last time. Until 2021 the bells will remain silent.

Comparison with the Leaning Tower of Pisa:

The Elizabeth Tower has a tilt of 0,26 degrees and an overhang of 46 cm. It tilts a millimeter per year and the tilt is now visible. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has a tilt of 4 degrees and an overhang of 3,9 m.

- The Picadilly Circus is in London. - It was built in 1819. - The Picadilly Circus is a one of the most famous buildings in London. - It is close to many shopping centres. - There was a remodeling from 1924-1932. - It is in the West End of London. - The people, who are using it, are: • pedestrians • motorists • people of local transport - The „Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain“ is a sculpture for Eros. People bought it with a fundraiser. On the fountain, it`s not Eros, but an angel of Christian charity.

- Here runs the prime meridian. - There are a big library and a university. - District of London - Here's the Royal Observatory. - It has a clock museum. -A laser marks the meridian.

There is a laser outgoing of the Royal Observatory, that marks the Prime Meridian. You are able to see it over 36&nbsp;miles (57.94 km) with the naked eye and over 60&nbsp;miles (96.56 km) with binoculars.

The building was designed by the famous architect Norman Foster from Foster and Partners architecture firm. The Gherkin has 41 shops and a height of 180 metres. The total area of the building is approximately 47,950 square meters. There is a club meeting room on top, which offers a 360-degree-view of the entire capital. The building has a steel frame and a glass facade with diamond-shaped panels. The energy saving system of full contact, that the visible rotating stripe pattern allows the air to flow up through the spiral duct. Furthermore, the Gherkin is one of the most trusted confidential architectures in town.

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@alexanderjamestai?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Alex Tai</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/the-gherkin?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

Houses of Parliaments part 2: The Reconstruction of the Houses of Parliament

After the fires, the Houses of Parliaments were reconstructed, of course. You don't want the person who represents your country to live in a ruin, don't you?

After the first fire in 1512, which destroyed the Royal Apartments, the Palace of Whitehall was constructed nearby.

After the fire in 1834, which, again, destroyed almost everything, there was a design contest amongst architects to get the chance to reconstruct the Houses of Parliament. The winner, Charles Barry, decided to rebuild the Parliament in a "Gothic" style.

The Houses of Parliament, also known as The Palace of Westminster, is the location of the British Parliament, which is made of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A long time ago the Palace of Westminster was used as a place for Kings of England to live, but since 1529 no Monarch has lived there.

What are the Houses of Parliament? Basically, it is the equivalent to the White House in the USA, or the Bundestag in Germany. It is a place where the elected party and its members meet each other to discuss what to do. It is also the Seat of the Prime Minister.

Some of you were probably wondering: "What is a Prime minister?" He/She is the leader of the democratically elected party. The Prime Minister is responsible for running the country. All decisions made by the Parliament have to be approved by the Prime Minister and the Queen.

Who is in charge of the country? Since 1911 the Prime minister is in charge of the country. He/She is like a president.

The Thames is a real “treasure trove“.

Many thins were found in the Thames like coins, rings or pottery shards

earlier poor kids looked for things in the thames which they can sell, because the English people just threw their trash into the river.

Many archaeologists dig for these treasures there.

The Thames rises to a height of 110 meters above sea level. The well is called thames head.

Clouds pattern

The London Eye, which is located is near the river Thames and Westminster Bridge, is 135 metres high and has 32 cabins. Its construction began in 1998, and it opened on December 31st in the year 1999. The London Eye, also called "the Millennium Wheel", is the largest ferris wheel in Europe. One round takes half an hour. The cabins, in which 25-28 people can ride, are made of glass and are air conditioned inside. Four million people visit this London landmark every year.

When does it open? How much does a trip cost?

• A ticket for a child costs 24 pound. • A ticket for an adult costs 30 pound. • The wheel opens from June to August, from 10:00 to 20:30, and in other times from 11:00 to 18:00. • On Saturday it opens from 11:00 to 18:00. • From 7th to 22nd of January it is closed.

St. James Park is the oldest royal park in London. It is 23 hektare big, the park is in the city of Westminster, near Buckingham Palace. The park is a four kilometres long stripe in the centre of London.

In the park there is a long stretched lake with the name “St. James Park Lake” with two isles: Duck Island and West Island. In 1532 Henry VIII bought the ground, which was a swampy meadow. He made it a hunting ground with deer, and in the north of it, he built St. James Palace.

Houses of Parliament - Facts Part 1: All the fires

The House of Parliaments, also known as Palace of Westminster, was reconstructed multiple times because of fires. Because of that, it looks a lot different than the state it was when it was first constructed.

After the first fire in the year of 1512, which destroyed the Royal Apartments, the Palace of Whitehall was established nearby. In 1834 an even greater fire destroyed almost all of the Houses of Parliament, with only a few parts surviving.

What followed was a competition for the best design, and the design of the winner would be used to reconstruct the Houses of Parliament.

Location:

The famous clock tower is located directly on the banks of the Thames, in the Westminster district. The Big Ben is directly connected to the Palace of Westminster, where the Parliament meets.&nbsp; The Big Ben is easy to get to by Tube. It‘s best to take the Circle (yellow), District (dark green) or Jubilee (grey) line to “Westminster Station“. From there you can see the famous tower across the street. You can also take one of the many red double decker busses.&nbsp; On the opposite side of the Thames there is the London Eye, you can reach it via Westminster Bridge. Nearby, there are the famous Westminster Abbey, St. James‘ Park and Buckingham Palace.

Map of London

Tip: You have a good view of the Palace of Westminster from the bank opposite and from Westminster Bridge. But you can take the best photos from the London Eye.

Picture sources &amp; other stuff Most pictures were taken from Wikipedia, <a href="https://unsplash.com/">https://unsplash.com/</a> and <a href="https://pixabay.com/de/">https://pixabay.com/de/</a>.

If not attributed, the pictures are from Pixabay and don't need to be attributed. Cover page:<a href="https://unsplash.com/@sabrinamazzeo?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Sabrina Mazzeo</a>&nbsp;(left) and&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@henry_be?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Henry Be</a>&nbsp;(right) Big Ben: On the left Photo by <a href="https://pixabay.com/de/users/lnlnln-1131094/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4728199">Leonhard Niederwimmer</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4728199">Pixabay</a>. Picture of Twitter Photo by&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/users/joshborup-5103444/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2430933">Josh Borup</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2430933">Pixabay</a>. Picture of Big Ben in orange tones von&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/users/12019-12019/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2393098">David Mark</a>&nbsp;auf&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2393098">Pixabay</a>. Picture Palace of Westminster Photo by&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@bbsody?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Maxim Melnikov</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/big-ben?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>. Picture with London Eye Photo by&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@cea_lopez?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Carlos Aguilar</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/big-ben?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>. Picture the Leaning Tower of Pisa Bild von&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/users/maja7777-148271/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4087208">maja7777</a>&nbsp;auf&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4087208">Pixabay</a>. Picture Big Ben with scaffolding Photo by&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@nickpage?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Nick Page</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/big-ben?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>. Black and white picture with bells Von Autor unbekannt - The Illustrated News of the World, Gemeinfrei, Wikepedia Picture Clock face with the Keeper of the Great Clock Von Phooto in der Wikipedia auf Englisch. Bild von&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/users/koffergepackt-36308/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2119848">Mario Schlack</a>&nbsp;auf&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=2119848">Pixabay</a>. Picture Little Ben Von Original uploader was Tagishsimon at en.wikipedia. Picture Starling Bild von&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/users/blende12-201217/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4973518">Gerhard G.</a>&nbsp;auf&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=4973518">Pixabay</a>. Picture Palace of Westminster illuminated von&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/photos/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=919013">Free-Photos</a>&nbsp;auf&nbsp;<a href="https://pixabay.com/de/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=image&amp;utm_content=919013">Pixabay</a> Sound Westminster Chime: CC International 4.0 (by Alexander; orangefreesounds.com/westminster-chimes/) Tower of London: picture on the right by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@josephgilbey">Joseph Gilbey</a>, on the left <a href="https://unsplash.com/@bartchristiaanse">Bart Christiaanse</a> on <a href="http://unsplash.com/">Unsplash</a>; on second page by <a href="https://pixabay.com/de/users/waldiwkl-119738/">waldiwkl</a> on <a href="https://pixabay.com/de/">Pixabay</a>.

Thanks that you looked our presentation! If you want to know more about it, you can watch this video:

London - Tour around Piccadilly Circus - 4K

Welcome to our

As the Corona virus didn't really let us travel much this year, and also put us in quarantine A LOT (!!), we used the time@home and took some kind of virtual trip – to London, as you can tell from this book's cover page.

... and learned what tourist can do in the famous capital of England. Maybe you`ve been there before, maybe you will go there one day. Anyway, read on the following pages what you can do :)

G8a English Class of 2020/21 at WRG SW

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