Hi, I'm Rick Steves, here in London for the finale of our grand circle tour of Europe. This city is a rich brew, and we are going to sample freely: from the colorful market places to the historic walks, these grand squares, pigeons everywhere, the people, even the weather. We'll cruise the Thames down to Greenwich, for a look at Britain's nautical history, and we'll sidetrip out to Salisbury Cathedral to get a handle on Gothic architecture. Along the way I'll be sharing some ideas on ways you can improve your favorite souvenirs-your very own photos.

This is our final stop on this tour which began 3000 miles ago in Amsterdam. Wound down theMosel and Rhine Rivers, traveled the Romantic Road into Bavaria, took a leisurely swing through the highlights of Italy, climbed back up into Switzerland, hit Paris, and now, London.

7 million people in 600 square miles of urban jungle, London is a barrage on all the senses. Much more than museums and famous landmarks, I see it as a living, breathing organism. And when I'm in town, I'm one happy corpuscle.

And I love its contrasts! Here we are walking under Big Ben, the Halls of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and at the same time, I'm surrounded by the 20th century. Let's go feel the pulse of this complex city.

It goes way back, back to this gutsy Celtic Queen Boudicca, who led an uprising against the Roman Empire, in 61 AD, when this place was called Londondinium.

It's this guy we all recognize, Winston Churchill, who inspired the British during WWII. It's the guy who figured out if you electrified Winston, the pigeons would sit elsewhere.

It's the red double-decker buses, the big black cabs, the friendly-looking "bobbies", eccentric characters, No. 10 Downing Street, St Paul's Cathedral, and topnotch theater. You can travel the world over by visiting the British Museum. It's the greatest chronicle of civilization anywhere, containing as some describe it-the booty of its formerly vast empire. And you can see people from the world over, as London learns to live as a microcosm of that former empire.

Chinese take-outs compete with fish and chip shops. Hotel staff speak English with foreign accents as huge communities of Jamaicans, Indians, Africans and Asians fill out the workforce.

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sample vt.品尝

nautical adj.船员的，航海的

Mosel or Moselle river, France, Luxembourg, and Germany. A river rising in the Vosges Mountains of northeast France and flowing about 547 km (340 mi) north then northeast to the Rhine River in western Germany. The German valley of the river is noted for its castles and vineyards.

Celtic Queen Boudicca Boudicca was a Briton tribal leader of the Iceni (in the Norfolk area of England) who rebelled against the Roman legions approximately 60 AD with particular savagery and bloodshed. 亦作Boadicea狄阿狄西亚(?-62,英国东部 Iceni族女王,曾反抗罗马)

booty n. Goods or property seized unlawfully, especially by a victor in wartime 战利品,缴获物;掠夺物;赃物