Part 5: London

Once the capital of the world's largest and most efficient empire, London has evolved into a pleasant metropolis - calm, handsome and overall charming.

Tower Bridge.

View of eastern London from Greenwich.

Copy of Sir Francis Drake's The Golden Hinde, tiny but unbeatable.

I always enjoy visiting London. It's so full of life and history. Street names are all familiar from literature, and many of the historic characters are almost like personal friends. Plus the parks, the museums, and the streets...

St. James' Park, London.

Cutty Sark, the fastest ship of the 19th century, Greenwich.

River Themes at night.

Street corner, London.

London is one of those cities where you can have fun just walking around for no particular reason, never knowing what you are going to see next.

Residential street, London.

Streets of London.

Savoy was the first building in the world to get electrical lighting.

Coming from the States, it's particularly nice to see so much beautiful architecture and so many good-looking girls in one place. I would really like to live in London for some time if I ever get a chance.

Small garden, London.

Whitehall complex, c. 1622-1890.

Guard, St. James's Palace.

Despite its infamous weather (which in reality isn't as bad as you might expect), London is a great place to explore with a camera: splashes of color against gray and brown walls, the funny mixture of modernity and tradition.

Guard, Whitehall.

Crimean War Memorial, c. 1861.

Statue of Captain James Cook, c. 1914.

London is a living monument to the fascinating history of the British Empire: the Age of Exploration, the Raj, the countless wars on all continents, the ever- evolving mix of all nations and cultures.

My personal favorite among the many London's statues, c. 1975.

Queen Victoria Memorial (c. 1901) and Buckingham Palace (c. 1705).

Big Ben. I did not add the Moon in Photoshop, I swear.

The most impressive building in London is the Houses of Parliament, one of the best examples of neo- Gothic style. It houses the world's oldest parliament. It was thoroughly cleaned in the late 1990-s, and now looks its best.

London morning.

The Houses of Parliament, c. 1840.

The Houses of Parliament.

The best view of The Houses is from across the river - try the eastern side of Lambeth Bridge.

The Houses of Parliament.

The Houses of Parliament, with Westminster Abbey to the right.

Greylag goose (Anser anser), London.

For one of the world's largest cities, London has a lot of wildlife. Female smew, London. Winter birdwatching in city parks and around lakes is especially good.

Male smew (Mergus albellus), London.

Mallards (Anas poecilorhynchus), London.

Greater scaups (Aythya marila), London.

Eurasian coot (Fulica atra), London.

Wood pigeon (Columba palumbus), London.

British cities have more bird species than similar habitats elsewhere in Europe. Wood pigeons are now so common, they seem to be replacing rock pigeons in many places.

Wood pigeon, London.

Winter wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes), London.

Assyrian relief, 9th century BC, the British Museum.

Whether you prefer chasing birds or wandering through museums, you'll never be bored. Plan on spending at least a few days in London before heading on to the very different cities beyond.

Aztec mask, 16th century, the British Museum.

Roofs, London.

Part 6: Other cities

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