Rick Steves' Europe

Hey, I'm Rick Steves, back with more exciting travels.

And right now, it's teatime, as we explore the best of London.

Thanks for joining us.

London is a city of icons: kings, queens, beefeaters, black cabs, and Big Ben.

With a thousand years of royal heritage, it honors its proud traditions.

And with 9 million citizens, it's also a cutting-edge capital, a city that's constantly reinventing itself.

This city may be old, but it never gets old.

We'll cruise the Thames, ride its mighty wheel, get fancy at an afternoon tea, romp to royal pomp... and enjoy a garden in the sky.

We'll jog with locals, then drink with locals.

We'll ogle street art, celebrate London's diversity on a food tour, remember Britain's heroes from the first Elizabeth to the last, enjoy its industrial past, and how that's become a foundation for a promising future.

London, the capital of England, straddles the River Thames.

We'll check out Westminster, with its Abbey, Houses of Parliament, and Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, St.

Paul's Cathedral, and the Tower of London.

We'll prowl the East End and enjoy grand museums, a forest of skyscrapers, and its iconic wheel.

We'll start with the traditional-- the changing of the guard, here at Buckingham Palace.

It's the ultimate in royal pageantry, and a huge crowd is gathering to enjoy it.

[Marching band music] While no longer ruling a vast empire, London is still a capital of regal traditions.

At the end of a long shift, fresh guards march out to relieve the exhausted ones.

Three times a week, this ritual comes with marching bands and a public spectacle.

This time-honored ceremony still stirs British hearts.

[Guard yelling commands] Rick: And while you have to be very tall, or very early, to actually see the guards change, I get a kick out of watching what seems like every tourist in London gathered together in one place at the same time.

[Indistinct chatter] Today, England's royal family calls Buckingham Palace home.

But a thousand years ago, they lived on the River Thames in what was called the Palace of Westminster.

Over the centuries, that palace of monarchs evolved to become this building and the center of modern Britain's democracy.

[Bell tolling] It started when representatives of local communities, or "commons," gathered here to be near their king.

Eventually, they began meeting independently as the "House of Commons," or parliament.

And to this day, Britain is ruled from right here, the Houses of Parliament.

Visitors are welcome to queue up for a free look at today's democratic process in action.

Your visit starts with a stroll through the majestic building itself.

Westminster Hall, surviving for over 600 years, was at one time the grandest hall in all of Europe.

At first, it was a glorious throne room, the heart of the palace.

Imagine the king, ruling as a divine monarch, presiding from the far end-- dispensing justice, welcoming ambassadors, and hosting boisterous banquets.

The self-supporting oak hammerbeam construction, an ingenious network of braces and arches creating a longer span with shorter pieces of wood, survives from 1397.

Just down the richly ornamented hall, the public is welcome to witness the parliament in action.

This is where the leading politicians of England, either in the uppity House of Lords or the rowdier House of Commons, have gathered for centuries.

While Westminster Hall is original Gothic, like much of the most medieval-looking architecture in Europe, the exterior of the Houses of Parliament is actually over-the-top faux medieval.

It's Neo-Gothic, from the 1800s, the age of Queen Victoria.

With prickly spires, stained glass, and church-like pointed arches, Victorian England reaffirmed both its royal and Christian medieval roots.

The famous bell tower is also Neo-Gothic.

People call it "Big Ben," but it's actually the Queen Elizabeth Tower.

Ben is the famous 13-ton bell behind the clock.

[Bell tolling] In the 1500s, King Henry VIII moved to an enormous new royal palace that once stood here.

The biggest palace in Europe in its day, it stretched all the way from Big Ben to Trafalgar Square at the end of this street.

While that palace is long gone, its name survives: Whitehall--today.

Britain's most important street.

The British Empire, which once ruled nearly a quarter of the world's population, was managed from here.

A Whitehall walk, passing Britain's version of the Pentagon, is filled with reminders of Britain's proud and hard-fought history.

Stately reliefs, war heroes on pedestals, and stern buildings seem to celebrate the "empire upon which the sun never set."

[Yelling commands] Rick: As it has for centuries, the royal horse guard cavalry still keeps the royal family safe.

And if you're here at the right time, you'll enjoy the ritual changing of this guard as well.

Britain's prime ministers have long lived and worked on Whitehall at the famous and carefully guarded address Number 10 Downing Street.

And one of the greatest was Winston Churchill, remembered here with the iconic trench coat he wore leading his country through the dark days of World War II.

Deep under the halls of government, you can visit the Churchill War Rooms.

This was the secret underground nerve center of the British government's fight against the Nazis, even as German bombs rained down on London during the Blitz.

Shut down after victory in 1945 and ignored for decades, these war rooms are open today as a fascinating time warp for visitors to explore.

Audio guides give it meaning.

Man on recording: On the morning of the 16th of August 1945, the day after V-J Day and the end of the war, the map officers tidied their desks, switched out the lights for the first time in six years, and went home.

And that's the way the room stayed.

Rick: You'll see the room where Churchill famously took his short naps.

In this room, the progress of the entire war was followed as the day-by-day movement of troops and convoys was charted.

And this room was the communication hub from where Churchill maneuvered Britain to ultimate victory.

The adjacent museum introduces you to Churchill the man.

It brings the colorful statesman to life, complete with his trademark cigar, bow tie, cognac-- he loved his drink-- and famous bowler hat.

You'll get a taste of Winston's irascibility, wit, work ethic... even the industry of kitschy knickknacks he inspired.

Back out on Whitehall, there are more monuments-- this one built to remember the fallen from World War I, and this one to honor the 7 million women who served in World War II.

Whitehall spills into Trafalgar Square, with its memorial to perhaps the greatest English war hero of all time: The one-armed, one-eyed, and one-minded Admiral Horatio Nelson, looking boldly out to sea.

The year was 1805.

Napoleon, with his grand French army, was poised just on the other side of the English Channel, preparing to invade.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles to the south, off the coast of Spain, Admiral Nelson defeated the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Napoleon was stopped, and Britannia ruled the waves.

Bronze battle reliefs made of melted-down French cannon decorate the column, and these huggable lions are a hit with kids.

Trafalgar Square is a vibrant people zone.

It's where Londoners gather to enjoy concerts, cheer their national team, to kick off a political demonstration, or just enjoy the fountains and a sunny day.

Trafalgar Square marks the very center of London.

Big Ben, just past Admiral Nelson.

Buckingham Palace, a straight shot that way.

Soho, where all the nightlife is, it's about six blocks over there.

The National Gallery has the greatest collection of European paintings in Britain, and St.

Martin-in-the-Fields is famous for its classical concerts and its charity work.

Just around the corner, the National Portrait Gallery is the perfect place to look into the eyes of the dynamic cast of characters in Britain's compelling story, as it grew from small-island nation to global superpower.

500 years ago, it was the formidable Henry VIII who first planted England on the world stage while navigating six wives.

Henry's shrewd daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, ruled a prosperous age that fostered great minds-- minds like William Shakespeare, whose timeless plays explored the full range of human experience.

As their empire grew, the energetic British reshaped the world in many fields.

The curious scientist Isaac Newton noticed a falling apple and thought, "Hmm...gravity."

Novelist Charles Dickens opened his fellow citizens' eyes to the inequalities that came with the Industrial Revolution, while mild-mannered Charles Darwin shocked everyone with his bold theory of evolution.

In the turbulent 20th century, our old friend Winston Churchill would rally the nation to victory in World War II.

And Queen Elizabeth II served dutifully through 70 years of unprecedented change before passing the crown to her son, Charles, with his queen, ensuring that Britain's long legacy of glorious traditions continues proudly into the 21st century.

Britain's history continues to unfold, and the gallery works hard to keep up.

With creative displays and a focus on including once-marginalized people, there's an ever-changing array of the latest cultural luminaries.

From monarchs to war heroes, fashion icons to pop stars, the National Portrait Gallery puts a literal face on the fascinating story of Great Britain.

Big as it is, London's easy to get around in, and its iconic double-decker buses can be both efficient and fun.

Just joyriding, enjoying the view from the top deck, is one of the great treats of this city.

While the Tube goes underground and does the long trips quicker, buses can be handy for short hops.

This one, like any bus going in this direction, is heading directly into the historic core of London, that one-square-mile district locals call "The City."

The City was the center of London back in the days of Shakespeare and Dickens.

Its historic borders are marked by griffins like this.

These days, fewer than 10,000 people actually live here, but its 9-to-5 crowd numbers half a million.

Today, this is Britain's Wall Street, busy with bankers and lawyers, thriving with big-time commerce, and packed with heritage.

Fleet Street was famous for publishing.

Home of early printing presses and newspapers, this was a state-of-the-art center of the original Information Age.

And The City has long been a global center of finance, hosting hundreds of banks, both international and English.

This district helped create the first great capitalist economy.

At London's original stock exchange--stock, yeah-- actual livestock like cattle and sheep was exchanged right here.

The Bank of England serves as this country's Fort Knox, guarding a national fortune of gold bars.

Its free museum is fascinating and offers an unforgettable chance to actually hold onto a 28-pound gold bar-- at today's exchange rates, worth well over a million dollars.

Wow!

Yeah, a million bucks.

Rick, voice-over: But these days, bank headquarters have moved out, and many of the elegant original bank buildings have morphed into fancy pubs, their vaults now filled with kegs of real English ale.

In a British pub, you order at the bar.

For a cold and carbonated American-style beer, you'd go for a lager.

A bitter and an ale, that would be the traditional English beer.

Rick, voice-over: The lagers have short tabs, and the ales and bitters have the long handles, as they need to be physically drawn from kegs in the cellar.

The default is a pint, like Josh is having.

Or if you're a lightweight TV host trying to stay sober, you can always order a half a pint.

Cheers!

Refreshed and back out on the street, more history awaits.

This Tudor-style building is one of the few that survived London's Great Fire of 1666.

Before that, back in Shakespeare's day, the entire city was made of wood, half-timbered, and looked a lot like this.

This monument commemorates that devastating fire that started here and burned down nearly all of London.

These reliefs show, in heroic terms, how the king and the city leaders came together, determined to rebuild.

A young, ambitious architect named Christopher Wren was chosen to spearhead the project.

The city that rose from the ashes was rebuilt of stone, much safer.

And that city was decorated by the Wren-designed spires of some 50 churches, featuring Wren's signature style-- soaring spires and geometrical simplicity outside and under barrel-vaulted ceilings, practical, uncluttered interiors-- seating galleries overlooking the nave, clear windows enhancing the interplay of light and dark, and artfully carved woodwork throughout.

Christopher Wren spent four decades, the rest of his life, working on his grand vision.

The centerpiece?

This mighty cathedral, St.

Paul's.

It's the symbol of London's resilience, its rise from the Great Fire, and how London survived the Blitz of World War II.

The church is one of the world's biggest.

Wren accentuated its spaciousness by the lack of decoration.

Notice the simple ceiling and how the clear glass lights everything evenly.

Today, only the west end of the church keeps Wren's original vision.

In the 1800s, Queen Victoria called St.

Paul's "Dim, dingy, and ungodly."

So the simple beauty of the east end of the church was then slathered with Victorian bling-- beautiful Victorian bling.

While the church's survival in World War II was almost miraculous, the apse of the church did take a direct hit.

It was rebuilt as the American Memorial Chapel to honor our nation's contribution to the defense of Britain.

We see Jesus, Mary, and...George Washington!

The American iconography includes stars, stripes, and eagles.

And hiding behind birds and plants native to the USA, it's a U.S.

rocket, circa 1958, shooting up to the stars.

The British are grateful to their World War II allies.

The "Roll of Honour" lists the 28,000 American servicemen based in Britain who gave their lives.

The heart of the church is Wren's masterpiece-- a majestic, light-filled dome that visitors can't help but gaze up into with a sense of awe.

Climbing the dome is like climbing a 30-story building with no elevator.

And the reward?

A commanding view of London.

Christopher Wren spent nearly half his life working on St.

Paul's.

At age 75, he got to see his son crown his masterpiece with this triumphant cross.

Piccadilly Circus, the Times Square of London, has a magnetic attraction all its own.

With its tipsy yet somehow balanced statue of Eros, the Greek God of Love in the center, this is where tourists gather and where worlds of temptations fan out in all directions.

London is a great city for shopping, or, depending on your budget, window shopping.

You'll find everything from venerable department stores to high-fashion boutiques to traditional clothiers.

There's funky street markets and food halls, and ever-popular toy stores, always a hit with children.

For some local expertise on this scene, I'm joined by my friend and fellow tour guide Katherine Alcock.

Katherine: These kind of shopping arcades became enormously popular in the Victorian period, when fine Victorian gentlemen and ladies could do their shopping, but out of the effects of the inclement English weather.

Rick: The London rain.

Katherine: Absolutely, yeah.

Gotta keep dry while shopping.

Rick: And all over London, you'll find inviting little shops for whatever treasure you fancy.

Katherine: This is the street where you can buy anything that a gentleman needs, really.

I mean, traditional shaving brushes, historically made of badger hair.

Rick: Badger hair?

Katherine: Yeah, absolutely.

Rick: And many of London's finer traditions are wearable.

Try on the classics.

A Panama hat.

Katherine: Oh, yeah, very nice.

Yeah, I could see you at the cricket in that.

-Cricket tomorrow?

-Yeah.

Rick: I'll fit right in.

[Laughter] Rick, voice-over: A top hat.

And people wear these?

Salesman: Yeah, at Ascot, certainly.

Rick: Ascot, yeah.

Salesman: Garden parties.

-Everybody--every-- -A proper English gentleman-- Rick: Every proper English gentleman needs this.

Katherine: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

One in every wardrobe.

Rick, voice-over: And how about a bowler?

Oh, that feels better.

Yeah?

Katherine: Yeah.

Rick: So, this is my go-to-work.

I got my briefcase, my umbrella.

Katherine: Your workaday hat.

Yeah.

Salesman: Newspaper.

The future.

Knows what's happening.

[Laughs] Rick: Go local.

Rick: Touristy Covent Garden, once a produce market and now a thriving shopping scene, is a never-ending carnival of people enjoying life, with the help of enchanting buskers.

Afternoon tea is a great British tradition, and London does it with style.

While often taken in a fancy department store, I prefer the experience in an intimate garden.

Katherine: Traditionally, you start with the sandwiches.

Got egg mayonnaise, cucumber, and mint here.

You've got cheddar and caramelized onion and smoked salmon and cream cheese.

So, this is a very traditional selection.

You should never be afraid of making a little bit of a mess with afternoon tea.

I mean, the point is to enjoy it, yeah.

And it's very much finger food.

Rick: So, when I think of tea in England, I think of Empire.

Katherine: Mm.

The two are inextricably linked, that's for sure.

And, I mean, really, for the past 300 years, Britain has been obsessed with tea, the drink.

It's driven wars.

It's driven innovation.

I mean, some of the fastest ships in the world, the great tea clippers, which would race across the oceans to bring the first harvest of tea into Britain for the highest price, fueled a whole industry and a whole world around it.

-Here's to tea.

-Here's to tea.

[Laughter] -I'm liking this tea.

-Mm.

Rick: And everything is just exquisite.

It's artful.

Katherine: Afternoon tea must always present well.

Rick: So, there's two different kinds of scones?

Katherine: Right, you've got fruit scones, which I'm going to have, and plain scones, as well.

So, the sign of a good scone is that you don't need to use a knife.

You should just be able to pull apart with your bare hands.

There we go.

Rick: So, that's a good scone.

Katherine: That's a very good scone, yeah.

On the scone, you put a little bit of jam.

I like to do the jam first.

Then I follow it up with a little bit of clotted cream.

Rick: Oh, that looks low-calorie.

Katherine: Mmm.

[Both laugh] Katherine: Definitely a decadent treat.

Rick: Tea and scones with clotted cream.

It doesn't get much more British than that.

Katherine: It certainly doesn't.

Rick: Mmm.

Exquisite.

We have a big morning planned with three important sites-- a great abbey, a great museum, and a great library.

Yup, it's Great Britain.

A short Tube ride away from our B&B is Westminster Abbey.

This most historic church in the English-speaking world is where kings and queens have been crowned, married, and buried since 1066.

While it was first built in the 11th century, much of what we see today is 14th century.

When there's a royal wedding, coronation, or funeral, the world looks on as, amid all this splendor, Britain's glitterati gather under graceful Gothic arches.

The centerpiece is the tomb of Edward the Confessor, who founded the abbey.

And surrounding Edward are the tombs of 29 other kings and queens.

This is the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I. Her royal orb symbolizes that she was queen of the entire globe.

The abbey is filled with the remains of people who put the "Great" in Britain-- saints, musicians, scientists, and soldiers.

For lovers of English literature, strolling through Poets' Corner can be a pilgrimage in itself.

The Lady Chapel, with its colorful windows and fanciful banners, has the festive air of a medieval pageant.

The elaborate ceiling is a fine example of fan vaulting-- a style that capped the Gothic age.

At the far end, a wall of modern stained glass marks the Royal Air Force Chapel.

It honors the fighter pilots of all nations who died defending Britain in 1940.

With saints in stained glass, heroes in carved stone, and the remains of England's greatest citizens under the floor stones, Westminster Abbey is the national church and the religious heart of England.

And now for the British Museum.

At the peak of its empire, when the Union Jack flew over a quarter of the planet, England collected art and artifacts as fast as it collected colonies, and this is the showcase for those extraordinary treasures.

Its centerpiece is the spacious Great Court--an impressive example of Europe's knack for making old architectural spaces fresh, functional, and inviting.

The stately Reading Room-- a temple of knowledge and high thinking--was the study hall for Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, and T.S.

Eliot.

And smack in the middle of capitalist London, Karl Marx formulated communism right here while writing "Das Kapital."

The British Museum is the chronicle of Western civilization.

Many 19th-century Britons immodestly saw their own empire as the culmination of the great ancient cultures that came before.

And here they could study three great civilizations-- Egypt, Assyria, and Greece-- in one inspiring morning.

The Egyptian collection is the greatest outside of Egypt.

The Egypt we think of-- you know, pyramids, mummies, pharaohs, and guys who walk funny-- lasted from about 3000 to 1000 B.C.

It was a time of unprecedented stability-- very little change in government, religion, or arts for 2,000 years.

Egyptian art was art with a purpose.

It placated the gods-- their entire pantheon, a cosmic zoo of deities, was sculpted and worshipped-- and art served as propaganda for the pharaohs.

In its waning years, Egypt was conquered by Assyria-- present-day Iraq.

These winged lions guarded an Assyrian palace nearly 900 years before Christ.

Seeing itself as the lion of early Middle Eastern civilizations, Assyria was a nation of hardy and disciplined warriors.

Assyrian kings showed off their power in battle, and by hunting lions.

This dying lioness, roaring in pain, was carved as Assyria was falling to the next mighty power: the Babylonians.

History is a succession of seemingly invincible superpowers, which all eventually fall.

Greece during its Golden Age-- roughly 400 B.C.-- set the tone for so much of Western civilization to follow.

It hosted a cultural explosion, which, within a couple of generations, essentially invented our notion of democracy, theater, literature, mathematics, science, philosophy, and so much more.

An evocative remnant of Greece's glory days is this sculpture, which once decorated the Parthenon-- a temple on the Acropolis Hill in Athens.

London's subway, fondly known as the Tube, is one of this planet's great people-movers and easy to master.

It takes us anywhere in the city without being stuck in the traffic that so plagues buses and taxis up on street level.

You just tap in and tap out with your credit card.

The system calculates your most economic way to pay.

Then, follow signs to the right platform.

Lines are labeled "north," "south," "east," or "west."

Each train has two directions and therefore two platforms.

Signs list the line, direction, and stops served by each platform.

Signboards announce which train's next and how many minutes till it arrives.

Final destinations are displayed above the windshield.

And always... Recorded announcer: Mind the gap.

Rick: Once onboard, you can track your progress.

Confused?

It's explained in helpful apps.

And many of the locals speak English.

Our stop is King's Cross.

Helpful signs show your best street exit, saving lots of walking.

British Library, right this way.

The British Library is the national archive.

The statue of Isaac Newton measuring the immensity of the universe symbolizes the library's ambitious purpose-- to preserve the record of man's endless search for knowledge.

This massive building fills 180 miles of shelving with over 12 million books.

For sightseers, only one room matters-- the Treasures Room.

It showcases early gospels on papyrus... the first complete New Testament, written in Greek from the 4th century, illuminated manuscripts with pages lovingly illustrated by monks, creating some of the finest art of the Middle Ages... and the Gutenberg Bible from 1455, printed with revolutionary movable type.

The Magna Carta from 1215 documents the first steps towards government by people rather than kings, and the king was forced to hang his seal on it.

Cases are dedicated to the titans of English literature, showing, for instance, early editions of Shakespeare's plays.

You'll see precious musical manuscripts-- a handwritten score of Handel's "Messiah," a Beethoven work tracing his stormy creative process, and handwritten Beatles lyrics.

And you can ponder the evolution of maps.

In 1350, this view came with Jerusalem at the center of the world.

By 1550, with this, you could plan your next trip to England.

London's a work in progress-- always changing, always growing.

Since the Middle Ages, its kings, queens, armies, and navies have played a leading role in the story of Europe.

In the 19th century, it was shaped by the Industrial Age, and today, London has become a leader in regeneration, incorporating its rich and rusty industrial heritage as it builds for the future.

Katherine: So, this is the Docklands, and it is a great example of regeneration.

At one point, this was the busiest port in the world, until the advent of container shipping, when the port moved out and this became an industrial wasteland.

But just look at it today.

It's a landscape of skyscrapers.

In fact, when constructed, it had the tallest skyscraper in Britain.

And today, it's a place where workers have fantastic infrastructure.

There are beautiful, green open spaces.

It's a wonderful place to live and work.

Rick, voice-over: Just up the River Thames, the Battersea Power Station is another great example of regeneration, with its four iconic stacks no longer billowing smoke but still standing tall.

Rick: This must have been a huge deal in its day.

Katherine: I mean, it produced a fifth of the city's energy, so it was pretty vast, and it was burning coal.

So, of course, the problem with that is that it's filling up everybody's lungs with soot and smoke, and the city in those days was not a pleasant place to be.

In 1983, they shut it down, and it was derelict for decades.

Rick: It's not derelict now.

Katherine: No, it certainly isn't.

It certainly isn't.

Rather than a sort of urban blight, it's surrounded by modern condos, really expensive and well-designed for good living.

Rick: And they sure take advantage of this riverside setting.

Katherine: Right.

I mean, this park-like landscaping stretches right to the river.

It's only June, and this kind of heat is becoming the new norm.

And those piers that once received coal now receive tourists.

Rick: Today, what was a power plant is now an upscale mall with over 100 shops and eateries.

Upstairs, a small exhibit celebrates its gritty past, and visitors can ride a glass pod up the inside of a chimney!

It goes up, up, up until it pops into the sunlight.

The reward?

A commanding 360-degree view of London.

[Indistinct chatter] Over the river, Coal Drops Yard and Granary Square is yet another impressive regeneration project.

Here in the 19th century, this canal connected London with England's industrial heartland in the north.

Today, the canal, with its barges and towpaths, is used not for hauling coal or grain, but for recreation.

I can feel the industrial foundation, and, at the same time, it's so livable.

Katherine: Right, yeah.

I mean, this is where barge loads of coal were loaded and unloaded to power the Industrial Revolution.

Rick: I remember when I came here as a kid--broken glass, drug addicts, prostitutes everywhere.

Katherine: Yeah, and it's been the subject of an incredible rejuvenation.

Smart policies, bold investments.

It's really transformed the area.

Rick: Condos, beautiful condos built in the industrial frames.

Katherine: Right.

Rick: I just love that.

Katherine: It's amazing how they've decided to keep these things.

They've kept that sort of sense of history, and yeah, it's an amazing place now for people to come out and enjoy themselves.

Rick: The adjacent St.

Pancras train station is a reminder that transportation infrastructure has always been a foundation of prosperity.

Thanks to an expensive project, now recognized as a great investment, it's been transformed from sooty to sleek.

The slick Eurostar terminal, with bullet train service through the English Channel Tunnel, connects Londoners and Parisians in just over two hours.

And with its dramatic canopy of iron and glass, the station stands like a palace remembering the Industrial Age.

Rick: This is quite a statue.

Katherine: Isn't it just?

And this is the lovers, and it's here in St.

Pancras where people have been meeting and parting for 150 years.

What I love is it's quite ambiguous.

I mean, you don't know if this is hello or good-bye.

Rick: You really don't.

Katherine: No.

And along the bottom, we've got this amazing frieze of different scenes of meeting and parting.

Here we've got the First World War.

You've got people here returning from war, wounded servicemen, and then families waving good-bye to their loved ones.

What I find particularly moving is how people have touched these hands.

They're worn, as people have sort of wanted to take part in this moment themselves, which I think is rather sweet.

Rick: The most noticeable change in London for visitors in the last generation has been the advent of a modern skyline.

Until 1963, the tallest building in London was St.

Paul's Cathedral.

Today, its dome is dwarfed by a commotion of gleaming and showy skyscrapers.

Walking below what feels like a forest of skyscrapers, you can't help but crane your neck to admire the sleek and creative architecture.

Developers are obligated to provide the public with a lofty viewing space for the privilege to build.

And a quick and easy elevator ride takes us to sky gardens like these, a popular new sightseeing thrill with visitors.

This beautifully landscaped roof garden offers grand views of The City's towering buildings.

Katherine: And we here in England love to nickname our skyscrapers as well.

So, over here, we've got the Shard, the Shard of Glass.

Rick: Oh, yeah.

Katherine: And this one's known as the Walkie Talkie, just over here.

Yeah, very evocative.

And, of course, last but not least, we have the Gherkin, which I think in America you call a pickle.

Rick: Ha!

It does look like a pickle.

Katherine: It does.

It does.

Rick: And dwarfed by it all, buried deep in the shadows, a delightful reminder of London's 19th-century industrial heritage survives-- the very impressive in its day Leadenhall Market.

As they have for 200 years, traders still labor hard to make their money and enjoy their beer after a long day of work.

[Indistinct chatter] Simply wandering around London as evening approaches and people come out to play is an experience in itself.

Katherine: Soho is the real center of nightlife in London.

And this is Shaftesbury Avenue.

There must be 20 theaters within a couple of blocks of here, catering for everything-- comedy, tragedy, Shakespeare.

It's something that visitors love and locals love.

I mean, there's something for everybody.

Rick: And buried below all this action, you can find an unforgettable escape-- Gordon's Wine Bar.

Here, you can join the timeless parade of Londoners who, through the generations, have enjoyed their own medieval cellar, capping their day by savoring a tasty selection of English cheese and a nice glass of port.

We're staying on a delightful and peaceful street in South Kensington.

Hotels in London are expensive.

Choose carefully.

I recommend finding small, family-run hotels that come with a personal touch.

Here, my room provides a good home base.

And to stretch my budget-- especially helpful here in London-- I stock it with a few groceries.

This conservatory has a sunny Victorian elegance, and a genteel breakfast here is a fine way to start your London day.

There are so many ways to meet locals in your travels, especially in a big city like London.

It's Saturday morning, and across town, people gather for a weekly 5K run.

Man: 3, 2, 1.

Runners: Yay!

[Laughter] Rick: This run is hosted by an international organization called Parkrun.

There are dozens of these in London alone, and we're jogging through Hyde Park-- green, beautiful, and lots of fun.

Running or just strolling through London's many fine parks-- this is St.

James's-- is a reminder that, sure, London's a world-class sightseeing destination, but for literally millions of people, it's simply home.

These inviting green spaces-- once the hunting grounds of kings and nobles-- are now the domain of commoners embracing life, just enjoying a break from the urban intensity of this city.

Much of the London we enjoy today was shaped during Britain's glorious Victorian Age.

This was the age of Queen Victoria, who ruled for 64 years, until 1901.

The Victorian Age was an exuberant time.

The Neo-Gothic Albert Memorial reminds London how Victoria's beloved husband, Albert-- the only one who called her "Vickie"-- did so much to promote technology and culture during that industrial boom time.

The statues at the base herald the great accomplishments of Britain's 19th-century glory days.

Albert died in 1861.

His wife, Queen Victoria, was possibly the world's most determined mourner.

She wore black for the standard two years, and then tacked on 38 more for good measure.

Taking mourning to new heights, she required that the city's once-colorful finials be painted black, as they remain to this day.

The queen built grand monuments to her Albert, like the Royal Albert Hall, still a thriving venue for concerts, from classical to pop.

And this neighborhood, nicknamed Albertopolis, remains a collection of grand cultural centers and museums.

The Natural History Museum, complete with a dinosaur's welcome in its Evolution Garden, was purpose-built in the 1870s to showcase a vast collection of wonders from the natural world.

Charles Darwin holds court as the bones of a massive whale named Hope, who washed ashore in Ireland a century ago, greet visitors.

The museum's a hit for families and students, especially with its animatronic T. rex.

[Roaring] Rick: Next door, the immense Victoria and Albert Museum is named for the royal couple who did so much to support the many triumphs of their day.

Like so many of London's top attractions, it's free.

The V&A grew out of the Great Exhibition of 1851.

This first World's Fair, housed in a temporary glass and steel "people's palace," celebrated the Industrial Revolution and the greatness of Britain.

The theme of the museum's Britain Galleries is "style, taste, and design from 1500 through 1900."

400 years of English fashion history are corseted into a series of exquisite display cases.

This painting, from around 1600, is of a woman wearing this actual garment.

It was typical formal daywear-- linen and silk embroidered with silver thread.

Nightcaps were fashionable among aristocratic men.

This tortoiseshell and silver toiletries kit shows that, in 1640, careful grooming was as important as dressing magnificently.

In the 1670s, shoes were called "straights," and there was no difference between right and left.

Whalebone and lacing kept torsos flat and long.

Fans were a tool for flirting.

It was said, while a man's weapon was a sword, "a woman's weapon was a fan, and the fan did more damage."

In the 1740s, a rich woman's court dress was an extravagant display of wealth, even if it meant she entered rooms sideways.

And the huge collection illustrates the far reach of the British Empire, from its exquisite Indian art to its sumptuous hall of Chinese artifacts.

The hall of casts is filled with plaster copies of Europe's greatest statuary, ideal for London's 19th-century art students who couldn't afford to travel.

They could compare the Renaissance genius of Donatello, whose David was Europe's first male nude since Roman times, and that of Michelangelo a century later, with his more heroic David.

And around the back, you'll find that this David came with an accessory.

As this was the famously prudish Victorian Age, when aristocratic ladies would come to visit, they'd hang this fig leaf on the statue for modesty.

Well, times have changed, and there's not a fig leaf in sight in London's trendy East End.

Once a rough-and-tumble immigrants' neighborhood, today, it's a creative playground for artists and chefs alike.

London's looming skyscrapers tower above the East End like a tsunami wave, ready to crash this party.

But life here seems more focused in the present.

We're joining a food tour for a tasty education.

Max: Hey, guys, I'm Max with Eating Europe.

We're going to go on a food tour today in Spitalfields Market on the East End.

This is where culture, immigration, and food all meet.

Spitalfields Market was a fruit and vegetable market for over 300 years.

Today, Spitalfields Market is just filled with these incredible food stops.

It doesn't matter what it is-- as long as it's good, it will find itself here.

Rick: First up, a cheese plate appetizer.

Max: All right, we have got a lovely, creamy blue cheese, then we've got a really light French cheese here, Comt.

This is a Swiss alpine cheese-- nutty, creamy, delicious.

Help yourselves, guys.

We love cheese over here.

[Laughter] Max: We love it.

Okay.

Curry sauce, big in this country.

We've got three here.

Butter chicken, black lentil Dal Maharani, railway lamb.

That will be the spiciest, but it's all pretty English spicy.

[Laughter] Curry in the last 20, 30 years has become the UK's national dish.

There are 5,000 more curry houses in this country than there are fish and chip stands.

The East End is by far and away the best place to have a curry in London.

This street alone has more than 30 curry houses on it.

It's the spiritual home of the Bangladeshi community.

You will notice, though, every curry house on Brick Lane says it's the best on Brick Lane.

[Rick laughs] The East End has centuries of layers of cultural history.

The French were here, then the Jewish were here, then the Bangladeshi community, and now the hipsters are here.

If you want to come and see street art in London, you come to the East End.

This is not just graffiti, this is art.

This is a way of people-- the voiceless expressing their voice with their spray cans.

And every one of these pictures tells a unique story.

If you come back here this time next year, all of this will have changed.

All of it will be different.

New stories for new people, in a neighborhood that is ever-changing.

Everywhere you go around the East End, every street you turn, there is always something new and something beautiful.

It's time for an East End classic, fish and chips.

And here... [All exclaim] are our fish and chips.

Fish and chips was made, invented, in the East End in the 1850s.

It is still an absolute icon of this area.

So, we have curry sauce here, quintessentially British.

You can slather it on, you can dip.

Same with the mushy peas.

It's like a thick split-pea soup.

Goes perfectly with chips.

Tartar sauce there.

You've got your pickle or "gherkin" or "wally."

If you're from the East End, it's a "wally."

Salt and vinegar is crucial.

It's mandatory.

Vinegar first, then the salt, so the salt sticks.

Oh, yeah.

Rick: Health food.

Woman: Mm-hmm!

[Laughs] Rick, voice-over: And just when it feels like you couldn't eat another bite, we head back to Spitalfields Market for one final British delight.

Max: Crumble is the quintessential British dessert.

Stewed apple in sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon.

On top of that, you've got your shortbread layer, kind of crumbled shortbread.

On top of that, you have your warm vanilla custard.

On top of that, you have our non-traditional crumble ingredient-- pink, piped marshmallow, which is then lightly blowtorched, and then sprinkled with some rose petals.

Perhaps the most hipster crumble you will ever see, possibly in your lifetime.

The trick is, dig right the way to the bottom, get every single layer on that spoon.

Not so humble anymore.

One of London's leading art galleries is the Tate Britain.

Here you'll see how English painting followed European trends but with its own distinctive style.

A forte of British art is from the Victorian Age, Romantic art from the 19th century.

Amid a surging Industrial Revolution, British artists--with their free spirits--pushed back.

Nature was appreciated as never before: painters were climbing mountains, poets were hugging trees.

Artists took long walks in the English countryside to commune with nature.

Romantic painters captured the majesty of soaring clouds, soul-stirring mountains, and epic landscapes that seem to say: "Nature is big; we are small."

William Turner captured the Romantic forces of nature-- burning sun, swirling clouds, churning waves, storm-tossed souls.

This old sailing ship being towed into the sunset by a steamship was a metaphor for the coming of the modern world.

As he aged, Turner's brushwork became frenetic and more intense, capturing the stormy inner passions that defined the Romantic Age.

While the modern world was hurtling forward, a dedicated brotherhood of painters was looking back.

Inspired by a romanticized medieval world before the great Renaissance painter Raphael, they called themselves the Pre-Raphaelites.

They reveled in medieval damsels, mythical goddesses, and legendary lovers-- all immersed in the fertile serenity of nature, captured in radiant colors and luminous clarity, melancholy visions of pure beauty.

Here, tragic Ophelia, who's fallen while picking a garland of wildflowers, is singing before she drowns.

Her body, open and skyward, is somewhere between saintly and sensual, as she ecstatically gives herself over to the timeless power of nature.

London was born on the River Thames.

Located near the mouth of the Thames, the city grew rich on trade between Britain's interior and the open sea.

Once the sewer of the city, congested with cargo ships and routinely flooding, today, the river's cleaned up and tamed by a massive flood barrier a few miles downstream.

The River Thames is busy with passenger ferries.

Uber boats are for commuting and quick trips, while the various sightseeing boats are there to make memories for tourists.

We're sailing from the Halls of Westminster under Big Ben, downstream, enjoying an informative narration with the views.

Guide: On your right, the HMS Belfast saw action in the Second World War.

Rick: And our boat finishes under the Tower Bridge, dropping us at London's very first royal palace.

The Tower of London goes back to the Norman Conquest.

The year was 1066.

Over in France, William, Duke of Normandy, gathered his troops.

He crossed the English Channel, invaded, and occupied England.

Ultimately taking the English throne, he became William the Conqueror.

To consolidate his rule, he built this, the first stone fortress in Britain.

Yes, the Tower of London.

Its purpose?

Put 15 feet of stone between him and his new subjects.

This original tower, formidable like nothing locals had ever seen, gave the castle complex its name.

The style of the age was Romanesque, which the English call "Norman" for the invaders who imported it.

This stark yet serene chapel of St.

John, from 1080 and one of the oldest in England, provides a rare look at pure Norman architecture-- round Roman-style arches and thick walls.

You'll see an intimidating collection of medieval weaponry and armor.

Your entry includes a peek at the most dazzling crown jewels in Europe-- sorry, no cameras-- and an entertaining tour with one of the historic tower guards, a Yeoman Warder, or "beefeater."

Beefeater: The Wakefield Tower just down there, it's named the Wakefield Tower after the Battle of Wakefield, which occurred during the Wars of the Roses.

After that battle, hundreds of Yorkist prisoners were captured.

They were crammed into the lower dungeon and just left there to die in appalling conditions.

Some say it's the most haunted tower anywhere in the complex.

In fact, people say to me all the time, "Gary, have you seen any ghosts while you've lived here at the Tower?"

What a great question.

I've lived here now for 232 years, and I've never seen a ghost.

[Crowd laughing] Rick: The Millennium Bridge connects the City of London with the South Bank of the Thames.

Built to celebrate the new millennium, it's a suspension bridge, but its pylons veer out in order not to obliterate the fine views.

Nicknamed the Blade of Light for its sleek design, it connects old and new-- St.

Paul's Cathedral with the Tate Modern art gallery.

The Tate Modern, filling an old, abandoned power station, and another example of London's creative post-Industrial regeneration, is a high-voltage collection of modern art.

Visitors enjoy an entertaining cocktail of Dal, Picasso, Stella, Pop Art, dada, and the work of artists, who perhaps have yet to become household names.

Simply wandering through its vast and entertaining halls, you can enjoy the refreshing juxtaposition of bizarre images, surreal fantasies, and a vivid reminder that London still pulses with cultural energy.

The South Bank of the Thames, yet another success story of a revitalized London, now thrives with trendy bars, condos, and cultural centers, like Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, all tied together by the Jubilee Walkway.

This riverside promenade stretches from the Tower Bridge to just across from Big Ben.

It comes with plenty of opportunities to relax along the way.

It's a hit with strollers, friends enjoying a picnic dinner, hard-working bands busking, lovers, and daydreamers.

Our riverside walk finishes with a classic view of a familiar sight-- Big Ben and the Halls of Parliament.

And for a quick and easy flight over London, we're riding the London Eye.

This world's largest observation wheel is designed like a giant bicycle wheel.

A pan-European undertaking, it's made with British steel, Dutch engineering, and German, French, and Italian parts.

Visitors enjoy a smooth and silent 30-minute once-around rotation.

From the top of the 450-foot-high wheel, Big Ben looks small.

And this commanding view caps our visit to one of the world's greatest cities.

London.

It's a city you can enjoy coming back to for the rest of your life and always find something new.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Rick Steves.

Until next time, keep on traveling.

By the way, this program is one of 4 hour-long specials featuring my favorite European cities.

You can also enjoy Paris, the City of Light; Rome, the Eternal City; and Istanbul where East meets West.

Thank you.

How do I look?

[Katherine laughs] It's the one square-mile district locals call the Tube-- The Tube!

And if you'd rather have a more traditional beer in Britain--Bah!

A great abbey, a great museum, and a great... But it's the Roman wall: ancient Londinium.

No?

Men: No.