Great Chitter Chatter - Stories from Loud Voices

England is an incredibly beautiful|a most amazing nation in which to take a vacation. It has a great many visitor attractions well worth visiting to suit all tastes. For instance|One such place is the historic city of York which dates back to the times of the Roman Empire, Torquay (often called the English Riviera) and Liverpool (European City of Culture 2008). Possibly the most famous place to spend some time is London the capital city of the United Kingdom of Britain

London is an amazing destination to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, maybe for a longer period. You may be surprised at the number of people residing in Britain who have not yet visited London, this is especially surprising when you bear in mind the fact it is usually top of most visitors lists (of places they enjoyed most).

There are so many things to see and do in London that it is quite impossible to list them all at the same time. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular - The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is England’s most widely known Royal residence, as it is home to Queen Elizabeth. Buckingham Palace is to be found at the heart of London which makes it the perfect focus for tourists. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is incredibly interesting to see and typically English.

Buckingham Palace was originally referred to as Buckingham House. It was originally a large town house, constructed in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse which forms the main core of the palace as we know it today.

During the next 3 quarters of a century Buckingham House was made larger by the building of an additional three wings creating a central courtyard. The primary architects responsible for these additions were Edward Blore and John Nash. It was also John Nash who was responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The widely known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the building of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which, in 1912, he re-designed. Webb in association with the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial still exists today.

The Queen has a selection of royal residences besides Buckingham Palace. Every year the Queen spends the Christmas season at Sandringham House in Norfolk. Sandringham House is actually privately owned by the Queen (classed as a private royal residence.

Another private residence is Balmoral Castle, found in Royal Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The Queen was in residence at Balmoral Castle when she heard of the shocking accident involving Princess Diana.

If you would like to take a vacation in the U.K. then you might be pleased to discover that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great difficulty, on the other hand you may want to stay in more luxurious surroundings and the small selection of boutique hotels in London should be more than satisfactory.