The surroundings of London: Cities not to be missed - A Guide To London.

A Guide to London

1. Pre-deaprture advice for London: preparing yourself for the journey
2. The Airports of London: Reaching the city centre
3. Accommodation in London: the best options
4. What to see in London
5. London transport
6. English cuisine
7. London nightlife
8. The surroundings of London: Cities not to be missed

The United Kingdom, a big land of surprise, of incredible beauty and if I even started to talk about all of the places that you have to visit, there wouldn't be enough years in my life for me to finish. We are going to concentrate on England in particular, apart from the north of the country, because there also England is a huge world of wonder, which I believe, is necessary to visit at least once in life. The south however is something that I know better. Therefore I will bring you on a journey with me for a vista made entirely of historical discoveries, relaxation, places that are worth visiting, even if its not directly about London or if they're not particularly well known (by Foreigners, Obviously the English know them very well).

So, to conclude with the guide of London, I would very much like to write a brief paragraph about the areas in close proximity to the city of London, that deserve a visit. If you find yourself with enough time in England, don't isolate yourself just to the awesomeness of London, travel outside the city and find some countryside; that will leave you speechless, pleasant towns and colourful villages, well known film set locations or the importance of the university that occupies it, for the vast green plains that you will find there and for the naturalness that big cities often lack, but not in the case of London. Maybe it is the only big metropolis (that I have seen), in which you can see suburban foxes, rabbits and squirrels in the parks. Astonishing environment and atmosphere. But we have already talked about London (There is always something to add), so what else remains to visit?

The South-East

Canterbury - Sissinghurst - Dover - Beachy Head - Brighton

Canterbury

In the county of Kent, you can find this beautiful town, rich and full of history. Sounds familiar to you? Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Canterbury Cathederal, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Additionally it has a huge university campus, inside of which there is a lot of vast and hospitable garden space for Rabbits, cats and Foxes. Part of the world of "man", as if they also were, they bounce around peacefully from one place to another and it is an unforgettable spectacle. The university campus is from an American film, with confraternities, a canteen, different halls, small cottages in the traditional English style, where students are accommodated, there are even some shops and an aesthetic centre. The city itself is quite small, but its traditional streets will leave you satisfied to have visited Canterbury. The Cathedral is a spectacle of nature I would like to say, but in this case it is better to say a spectacle of architecture created by man. Inside you can observe a typical protestant mass, with hymns of joy and beauty of inside the cathedral. To enter the cathedral you have to pay, but I don't remember exactly how much, but it's worth it! You can walk through the narrow medieval streets and think that just there, in this little street where you are walking now, a young Orlando Bloom was running happily though the streets of his native town, Canterbury.

The Canterbury Cathedral and the canal

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Sissinghurst

Still remaining in the county of Kent, you can catch a glimpse from above of a castle surrounded by a garden, more beautiful than anything I have ever visited in my entire life. The castle is visitable and a couple, who were writers, were living there. The house also has a very old typewriter n the attic (the room of Mrs. Sackville). The The writing life of Sackville-West lived in this castle with her husband, they worked on the garden together, trying to maintain the life and the theme of the garden. The garden is in fact divided into different parts, with every part following a different colour them, from white to yellow, violet to pink. You have an amazing panorama of the garden from the terrace (top floor) of the castle. Some say that Mrs. Sackville had been a lover of the writer Virginia Woolf, and if I remember rightly it wasn't just a rumour, but a confirmed fact.

The garden of Sissinghurst

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Dover - Beachy Head

Moving towards the coast now, we have four really extraordinary places that you have to vist in the south of England. Dover, famous for its White Cliffs, in which you can climb up and remain with the unchanging breeze of the beauty that you can see in front of you. The town of Dover is also very pleasant. Beach Head - the very name already says it all. Previously, this head of the beach would be the part of the cliff (on the coast of southern England) that protrudes the most, hence the head. Climbing up there creates a feeling of freedom, but also of fear at the same time, as it is known that many people have committed suicide, as the cliff head is very high and frightful.

Beachy Head and Dover, United Kingdom

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Brighton

We are adding to the theme of coastal town with the addition of the seaside town of Brighton. A traditional city with a big metropolitan mood, a beautiful harbour and a cold sea, but it always better than not having a sea at all. The famous Arabic and Japanese art of the Grand Pavillion, a pavilion of astonishing beauty that has been built with the inspiration of oriental art, that has never been seen before but imagined by the architect of the construction. It is an oriental piece of art in the vision of Europe, with no similar building in the rest of the world, therefore a visit is a must-do. At the exit there is a little restaurant just outside the gate and at the opening, if you want to spend the mornings in the sun, it is really nice to stay there and eat. You can walk through the streets in the city centre, do some shopping and then continue along Brighton Pier (the harbour) for an ice cream or to have a hot dog for dinner.

The Royal Pavilion e il Brighton Pier

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South-West

We're now travelling onto the south west of London, where after a 30 minute train journey you will find 3 small villages that are definitely worth a visit.

Egham - Windsor - Virginia Water

Egham

A pretty normal village with nothing really to see, until you go up the hill and come across the Royal Holloway University of London.

This university spectacle was created by Queen Victoria and is in the castle style of Harry Potter, surrounded by a vast garden area, a forest that brings all of the buildings together, which form the departments, canteens, shops and even the university campus bar. It is a world inside a world, lie in the American films that you see on television. But other than the university there is not much else to visit, so you can take a bus and in about 10 minutes you will find yourself in Windsor.

Royal Holloway University of London, Egham

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Windsor

This city is very attractive, you can go there in the evening to enjoy a spectacular view, eat at Wagamama, a chain of Asian restaurants, but only after having spent the afternoon walking between the medieval narrow streets of the city or after having done some shopping or visiting the very famous Castle of Windsor.

Windsor Castle, Windsor

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Virginia Water

Given its name for obvious reasons. Or maybe not. The Virgin Queen makes you think of something? The Queen Elizabeth I was called this and it was to her that the name of this place was dedicated. A natural lake with grass for relaxing or eating ice cream with some friends. The perfect excursion. In the past it was a very rich area, in which mainly lived the nobles who drank tea at 5 and played cricket.

The waterfall and the Lake

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The North

Oxford - Milton Keynes

Now we're reaching the northern part of the southern counties of England, always using London as a reference point.

Oxford

How do I say this? The photo speaks for itself. An old city, full of History, of important personalities and of a university considered one of the best in the world. The University of Oxford, of course. You can visit the museums that will narrate for you the history of the city, as you walk through the narrow and little avenues, for England is not just London, Cities and Metropolises, but also tradition, history, architecture, greenery, nature, beauty in every part. Ok, it's true, I am one of those parts. But you can go and visit and then let me know if I'm not right.; )

Oxford from above and the university of Oxford

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Milton Keynes

We will conclude with a small, new, sparse village. Realistically I would not advise you to go Milton Keynes, as in this new city not only is it very aesthetically modern, but also lacking a lot of history and culture. The reason I would go there, is to visit the shopping centre Xscape. Stop, stop right there. It's not just any shopping centre, it has many cinemas, restaurants, shops and much more but the main attraction is the Ski and Snowboard slope and the artififcla rock face for doing rock climbing. All of these things are inside the shopping centre. Of course the rock face isn't exactly Machu Picchu, but it is however a cool experience. However, for the ski slope you need to book in advance, as places are limited and the demand is high.

Xscape shopping centre, Milton Keynes

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That's Everything! You're maybe wondering if I'm crazy for not making a list about Cambridge, Nottingham (Robin Hood Giulia, Robin Hood! ), Derby, Leeds, Manchester and many more. But in reality, I couldn't have visited these fantastic cities, or even visit Scotland or Ireland, that deserve to challenge even my love of England. In all, I was limited to recommending only the places that I had spent time in, where I can really give a good insight into. I hope I have been useful in some way. If you have any doubts or want to express your opinion on this article, please feel free to comment.

Enjoy your trip; )

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