LONDON ROUTES

Great Britain. Initially, the trip to London was on Anton’s priority list. He was sure London would give him the opportunity to get acquainted with the traditions of British democracy that had a great influence on the whole world. He also wanted to touch on the history of Great Britain.

Initially, the trip to London was on Anton’s priority list. He was sure London would give him an opportunity to get acquainted with the traditions of British democracy that had a great influence on the whole world. He also wanted to touch on the history of Great Britain.

  

Just as Holland is a part of the Netherlands,  England is an integral part of

 Great Britain. Initially, the trip to London was on Anton’s priority list. He was sure London would give him the opportunity to get acquainted with the traditions of British democracy that had a great influence on the whole world. He also wanted to touch on the history of Great Britain.

As usual, Anton was well-prepared for the journey, he studied the information about the hotels on Booking, then he talked to the administration of the Hilton Tower Bridge, and not only saved more than 10% of the cost of living in the hotel but also was able to choose a very comfortable for a wheelchair user room. 

This hotel is located in the heart of the city, close to the railway and bus stations. 

It is within a walking distance of London Bridge and the metro which can take you to various attractions in London (North and Jubilee lines). Guests can also easily reach Canary Wharf business district, O2 Arena and Westminster. 

Anton went with his girlfriend and her 11-year-old 

daughter.   

 

A five-hour flight was accurately planned in advance, so there weren't any accidents. The only negative point was that the food was not served in the plane. You can order sandwiches there but it's quite expensive,  so Anton did not do it. Upon their arrival at London Airport, Anton took a taxi. From the point of view of economy, this was not the best solution because such a trip cost £ 100. On the way back, Anton and his girlfriend went to the airport by train and this trip was several times cheaper. In addition, this train has a platform to get on and off in a wheelchair. Unlike in the Netherlands, you don't even need to pre-book it.

 

Anton lived on the 3rd floor in  a three-bedded room. The room was fully adapted for wheelchairs and had everything you need.

 

Anton stayed in London for a week at the end of July. The weather was great and sunny, it wasn't hot, between 20-25*C. Only the first two days a fine rain drizzled a little.

 

Anton was pleasantly surprised by the kindness and responsiveness of the British, they were much more welcoming than the Dutch, for example.

It was a great surprise that the roads and promenades were fully accessible in London, with no curbs or stairs. In this London is much more doable than Rome, for example. Before that Anton was in the Eternal City, so he had the experience to compare. You can wheel a kilometre along the Thames on which various sights are located. 

Anton had a sceptical impression of the food assortment in the hotel. In his words, the hotel restaurant serves mainly two dishes: fish and meat.

   Therefore, one day Anton decided to visit a supermarket near the hotel. There were neither sellers nor cashiers, and all the purchases were paid by buyers on their own using computers.

Anton used his time for a variety of excursions to the historical sites located mostly on the banks of the Thames.

 

The Tower Bridge was located near the hotel. It's a must-see touristic sight. You can also visit the museum located in the construction of the bridge. The bridge is movable, so you can see it lifted 4-5 times a week.

Next to the famous Tower Bridge there stays a moored cruiser "Belfast", the ship of Her Majesty's navy, named after the capital of North Ireland. Currently, it is an exhibit of the Imperial War Museum . This ship played a significant role in the events of World War II.

 

 

  The largest Ferris wheel in Europe is located in the southern part of the Thames , and  in the other part of the city there is the famous Big Ben.

 

The height of the wheel is 135 meters.  From its top you can see the entire city and even its suburbs.

The wheel stops completely very rarely and only for the disabled and the elderly people to safely enter / exit it.

  Our traveler also did not miss the opportunity to admire another famous landmark of London - Big Ben, 

 

the clock tower of Westminster Palace. The House of Lords and the House of Commons meet in this Palace.

Anton went to the world's oldest English Parliament and heart of the English-speaking world - the Royal Buckingham Palace.

 

 

It has an excellent Queen's collection of paintings open to visitors two months a year, in August and September, when the Queen leaves the Buckingham Palace. The palace also has its own swimming pool , post office and cinema.

 

What Anton remembered the most was visiting Hyde Park that can be easily reached by metro. 

 

The vast majority of the world's oldest London metro stations are accessible for wheelchairs: they are equipped with elevators along with escalators. By the way, you can get free metro maps with  designated accessible stations at the metro entrances. There are ticket boxes in the metro stations where you can buy a weekly, monthly or other pass. 

 

 

 

Purchase of such a pass is cost-effective as it allows you to significantly reduce the cost of travel. Trains allow you to quickly reach remote areas of the British capital.

 

 

 

Each district of central London has its own name: Chelsea, Fulham, etc. But the districts in the old city have no clearly defined boundaries. There are districts with a lot of attractions and entertainments.

Metro in London is divided into numerated zones for the convenience of payment. Accessible tourism experts advise booking a hotel only in the 1st and 2nd zones , the Circle zone is the best one because if you take a room in a hotel, say, in Districts 4-6, you'll spend a lot of time just traveling from one places to another

And there are city outskirts. 

Riding

Waiting

 

Kings Park area of 1.4 square kilometers in the center of London called Hyde Park is the traditional place of political rallies, festivals and celebrations.

 

 

 

The main attraction of the park is the Serpentine Lake, it is allowed to swim there

 

Also Anton was excited by visiting the Museum of Modern Art and Westminster Abbey.

 

 

 

The Museum of Modern Art is located in a 6-storied building. Two floors can be visited for free , but you need a ticket t5o get to other floors. Each floor is dedicated to one particular art direction, and in addition, the museum hosts thematic  exhibitions, for example, the works of Picasso, which Anton observed during his visit to this museum. The entire room is fully accessible for people with disabilities.

 

 

 

Another London landmark which you should visit is Westminster Abbey - a giant tomb in which famous people and those who made a great contribution to the prosperity of the kingdom rest from the Middle Ages to the present day. There is a large number of stone slabs with the information about people's life and accomplishments carved in them.

 

 

 

Ancient times

 

 

 

Nowadays

 

Each tourist will find their own suitable route in London, the route that will meet their needs, means and time for the trip. Some people like museums and other cultural facilities. Others prefer architectural monuments and other historical sights. Some people prefer places of rest , exhilaration and entertainment. Others would rather visit stadiums. However, no one will be disappointed. Full of positive impressions from the good old England, Anton with his girlfriend and her daughter returned to his beloved Israel.