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Hi, I'm Rick Steves back with more of the Best of Europe.

We're exploring London again �
a city that just keeps on getting better.

Thanks for joining us.

London. It's quintessentially English and yet cosmopolitan.

It's a city where the new and modern seem to mingle
enthusiastically with the old and traditional.

I keep coming back and always find a fresh travel experience.

We'll check out the new (like the Millennium Bridge
and the British Museum's Great Court)

and admire the old
(like a Leonardo and bits of the Parthenon).

We'll respect tradition

and do some shopping.

And after a bite of traditional English cheese,
we'll hike the newly revived South Bank of the Thames.

London - straddling the River Thames - is vast,

but everything we'll see is within
a few minutes by taxi, bus or tube:

We'll check out Hyde Park, Harrods,
the British Museum and National Gallery,

and the Tower of London.

We'll walk from St. Paul's across the Millennium Bridge
to visit the Tate Modern gallery

and attractions of the South Bank.

London was cutting edge in the '60s and it's back

in vogue again for fashion,
architecture, the arts and food.

Smoky pubs are giving way to trendy cafes.

London's City Hall seems to endorse
the wave of contemporary architecture

which studs the busy skyline and seems to clamor for attention.

Strolling through London's parks is a reminder that so many people
call London not a world class sightseeing destination,

but simply home.

The parks - like just about everything in the city -
sit on a foundation of history.

These inviting green spaces, once the hunting grounds of kings,
are now the sunbathing grounds of commoners.

And these Londoners may not realize that
they very well could be speaking French

if it wasn't for the heroics of the man who lived right here.

Apsley House was the mansion of the Duke of Wellington
who beat Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.

The duke's guests were greeted by the man he defeated
- a larger than life, nearly naked Napoleon.

The Duke of Wellington was once the most famous man in Europe.

His lavish living quarters are embellished by
gifts showered on him by a greatful Europe

including 200 paintings still displayed much
as the art-loving duke hung them.

Wellington's victory over Napoleon and the French
set the stage for Britain's glorious Victorian age

when it was the world's only superpower
and the sun never set on its empire.

This was the reign of Queen Victoria,
who ruled from 1837 to 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 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 today.

The queen built grand monuments
to her Albert, like the Royal Albert Hall.

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 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� was housed in a
giant temporary glass and steel people's palace.

It celebrated the Industrial Revolution
and the greatness of Britain.

The theme of the Britain Galleries is
�style, taste and design in Britain from 1500 through 1900.�

Four hundred years of English fashion history
are corseted into a series of display cases.

This painting, featuring this garment from around 1600,
was typical formal day wear

linen and silk embroidred with silver thread.

Night caps were fashionable among aristocratic men.

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

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

Whale bone and lacing kept torsos flat and long.

Fans were tools for flirting.

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

In the 1740s a wealthy woman's court dress
was an extravagant display of wealth

even if it meant she entered rooms sideways.

The huge collection illustrates the immensity
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

made for the benefit of London's 19th-century
art students who couldn't afford a rail pass.

Students could compare the Renaissance genius of Donatello,

who's David was Europe's first male nude since Roman times,

and that of Michelangelo a century later,
with his more heroic David.

Around the back you'll find that this David
came with an accessory - a clip on fig leaf.

As this was the Victorian Age, when royal ladies visited
it was hung on the statue for modesty.

If the delights of the V&A wet your shopping appetite,

London's Victorian galleries evoke shopping in the 19th century.

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

Harrods is London's vast and venerable department store.

It's huge - 300 departments, a million square feet
on seven floors - yet classy.

The food halls with their Edwardian tiled walls,

exuberant displays,

tempting eateries,

and staff in period costumes are lots of fun.

A small shrine invites visitors to pay their respects
to Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed,

whose father owns Harrods.

The Egyptian Escalator is a reminder that Mr. al-Fayed is from Egypt,

and he spent a fortune revitalizing this historic department store.

It takes you up into Harrods shopping wonderland.

You'll find everything from vast halls of designer womens wear

to traditional men's wear

to a $12,000 mini Jaguar - for the kid who has everything.

Huge European cities like London are made managable
by excellent subway systems.

London's mighty �Tube� takes us anywhere in the center

for less than the cost of a cucumber sandwich at Harrods.

We're on our way to 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.

This place, the British Museum, is the showcase
for those extraordinary treasures.

Its centerpiece is the Great Court

an impressive example of Europe's knack for
preserving old architectural spaces

by making them 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.

Karl Marx researched in this room while writing Das Kapital.

The British Museum is the chronicle of Western civilization.

You can study three great civilizations - Egypt, Assyria and Greece -
in one fascinating morning.

The Egyptian collection is the greatest outside of Egypt.

It's kicked off with the Rosetta Stone,
which provided the breakthrough

in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Discovered in 1799, it told the same story in three languages

Greek

a modern form of Egyptian

and ancient Egyptian.

This enabled archeologists to compare
the two languages they understood,

with the ancient Egyptian - which was yet to be deciphered.

Thanks to this stone, they broke the code,
opening the door to understanding a great civilization.

The Egypt we think of - pyramids, mummies,
pharaohs and guys who walk funny

lasted from 3000 to 1000 B.C.

It was a time of unprecidented stability -
very little change in government, religion or arts.

Imagine 2,000 years of Eisenhower.

Egyptian art was art with a purpose.

It placated the gods.

The entire pantheon - a cosmic zoo of deities -
was sculpted and worshipped.

And it served as propaganda for the pharoahs.

They ruled with unquestioned authority
and were considered gods on earth.

And much of the art was for dead people -
for a smoother departure and a happier afterlife.

In ancient Egypt, you could take it with you

Corpses were carefully mummified:

the internal organs were removed and put in jars.

Then the body was preserved with pitch,
dried and wrapped from head to toe.

The wooden coffin was painted with magic spells
and images thought to be useful in the next life.

The finely decorated coffins were
put into stone sarcophagus.

These were then placed inside a tomb -
along with the allotted baggage for that ultimate trip.

The great pyramids were just giant tombs
for Egypt's most powerful

carefully designed to protect their precious valuables
for the voyage into the next life.

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

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

Assyria considered itself the lion of
early Middle Eastern civilizations.

It 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,
falling to the next mighty power - Babylon.

History is a succession of seemingly invincible
super powers which all eventually fell.

Greece, during its Golden Age - roughly 400 B.C.

set the tone for much of Western Civilization to follow.

The city of Athens was the site of a cultural explosion

which, within a couple of generations,
essentially invented our notion of democracy,

theater, literature, mathematics,
philosophy, science and so much more.

A great remnant of Greece's glory days is the sculpture
which once decorated the Parthenon

a temple on the Acropolis hill in Athens.

Here a long procession of citizens
honor the goddess Athena.

The carvings of the temples pediment,
even in their ruined state, are a masterpiece showing

gods and goddesses celebrating the birthday of Athena.

The Greeks prided themselves
on creating order out of chaos,

here symbolized by the struggle between
half-animal barbarians and civilized humans.

First, the centaurs get the upper hand.

Then, the humans rally and drive them off.

In Golden Age Greece,
civilization finally triumphed over barbarism.

And where did this heroic triumph eventually lead?

Covent Garden.

This boutiquish shopping district is
a never-ending carnival of people enjoying life.

Nearby, Trafalgar Square is another vibrant people zone.

And overlooking it is the National Gallery,

with London's greatest collection of European paintings.

The National Gallery lets you tour the sweeping story
of European art without ever crossing the Channel.

From medieval altarpieces, which told Bible stories
in rich yet two-dimensional detail,

art enters the Renaissance.

Here the Italian master, Crivelli,
pulls out all the stops to show realistic detail

while portraying the annunciation.

Notice the playfulness he employs
to show off his mastery of 3-D

�from the foreground you go back,
back, back and then�bam,

you've got a pickle in your face.

And Renaissance painters revel
in pre-Christian classical scenes.

Here, another Italian master, Sandro Botticelli,

paints Mars taking a break from war�

succumbing to Venus and the delights of love,

while impish satyrs play innocently
with the discarded tools of death.

It was the dawn of the Renaissance

and there was an air of playful optimism.

Leonardo da Vinci takes holy Mary and Jesus

out of the gold leaf never-never land of medieval altarpieces

and brings them right down to
a real world we can relate to.

Leonardo's subtle play of light on the faces is masterful.

And the National Gallery's delightful
sweep of art history continues:

From Baroque - with dramatic fantasies
(this one thanks to Rubens)

to frilly Rococo decadence.

Impressionists like Renoir captured
the breezy ambiance of a boat ride

and Cezanne takes us to the brink of the modern world.

Many of London's top sights front the River Thames

which has become a transportation thoroughfare for tourists.

We're sailing from Westminster,
under Big Ben, to the Tower of London�

enjoying an entertaining narration with the views.

Tower Bridge looks medieval, but it was
actually built with a steel skeleton in 1894

in faux-medieval style - to match its famous neighbor,
just a few steps away.

The Tower of London goes back to the Norman conquest.

William, duke of Normandy became William the Conquer

when he crossed the English Channel in 1066
and took the throne of England.

To help establish his rule, he had this awesome�
and really awesome-in-its-day fortress built.

It's purpose: put 15 feet of stone
between him and his new subjects.

This original tower - the White Tower -
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 charming chapel of St. John

dating to 1080 and one of the oldest in England,
provides a neat 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 look at the
most dazzling crown jewels in Europe

no cameras allowed

...and an entertaining tour with one
of the Yeoman warders, or Beefeaters.

The tower marks the oldest part of London
a district called �The City.�

Today this is the financial center of Britain.

But these days bank headquarters fill shiny skyscrapers

and many of the elegant original
bank buildings survive as fancy pubs

Their vaults now filled with kegs of real English ale.

In pubs you order at the bar.

Lager is the cold carbonated American style beer.

Ales and bitters are
the more traditional English choice.

Only confused tourists leave a tip.

While the tube takes me on long jaunts underground,

buses are great for quick hops.

And, when armed with my cheap all day transit pass,
buses work perfectly for hopping on and off between sights.

Take advantage of the system
and London gets much easier.

In a move to overcome its notorious traffic problems,

London levies a �congestion charge�
on private cars entering the city center.

This seems to leave the center
mostly to the taxis and buses

things move along a little quicker�
and the money raised subsidizes public transit:

more departures and cheaper fares.

Somerset House, a grand 18th-century civic palace,
now houses several fine galleries and museums.

The Gilbert Collection displays some
of the finest in European decorative arts.

Snuff boxes are a highlight.

These contained powdered and scented snuff tobacco

a craze among the aristocracy in 18th-century Europe.

These fancy little boxes were popular as gifts

diplomats and royalty gave them away like jewelry.

A fashionable man would have
a different snuff box for every occasion.

Frederick the Great owned over 300 boxes.

His best - while considered part of the Prussian crown jewels -
are here in London.

This one, mother of pearl studded with precious stones

and a profusion of diamonds.

Micro-mosaics are another exqusite art form from the 1700s.

These were souvenirs for aristocrats
making the Grand Tour.

Scenes featured their favorite sights,
like postcards tourists pick up today.

Rome was the most popular destination featured.

Made from thousands of tiny fragments,
the pieces are so intricate,

that the museum provides magnifying glasses.

To adorn their jewelry,
wealthy women brought mosaics home

where their favorite jeweler fashioned them
into delights such as these.

The Millennium Bridge connects the City of London
with the South Bank of the Thames.

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 great Tate Modern art museum.

The Tate Modern, opened to celebrate the millennium,
fills an old power station.

It kicked off the 21st century with
a high-voltage collection of art from the 20th.

Visitors enjoy an entertaining cocktail of Dal�, Picasso,

pop art and Dada.

And just a block inland, at the Borough Market,

you can feel a little of the grit
of the South Bank before its revitalization.

A thousand years ago, farmers brought
fresh goods here, to the city gates.

Today the descendent of London's
oldest vegetable market fills this Victorian arcade.

This gourmet cheese shop keeps its devoted following happy

and introduces visitors to fine English cheeses with a passion.

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

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

The 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.

It runs efficiently and almost silently
as visitors enjoy a 30-minute once-around rotation.

From the top of the 450-foot high wheel,
the highest public viewpoint in London

Big Ben looks small and one of the world's greatest
cities seems to stretch on and on forever.

It's a city you can enjoy coming back to�
for the rest of your life.

Thanks for joining with us.
I'm Rick Steves. Until next time,

keep on travelin'.