Welcome to London

Trafalgar Square

There are always a lot of people and pigeons on the square.

Every winter there is a big Christmas tree which is a gift from Norway in the middle of the square.

On New Year’s Eve people gather around the tree. In the middle of the square there is Admiral Nelson’s Column.

Tower Bridge

The most famous bridge in London is a Tower bridge.

Tower Bridge is a bascule-bridge.

The bascules will open to let ships pass through.

Double-deckers

There are big red buses called double-deckers in London. People sit upstairs and downstairs on these buses. Tourists like them very much.

River Thames

Thames flows through London. The River Thames is 338 km long. It is 245 m wide here.

Even big seaships can visit London.

Buckingham Palace

This is the Queen’s home. It was built in 1703. There is a great collection of paintings.

The Queen of Great Britain

The Queen of Great Britain is Elizabeth II. Her husband is Duke of Edinburgh.

They have got 4 grown-up children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Westminster Cathedral

It was built between 1895 and 1903.

This is the seat of the Cardinal Archbishop and the leading Roman Catholic Church in England.

Its bell tower is 84 metres high.

The Houses of Parliament

This big palace is the most famous building in the world – the British Parliament.

The building is 280 metres long.

There are more than 1000 rooms.

Big Ben

Big Ben, the big clock tower, is the symbol of London. It strikes hours.

Tower

The Tower of London has been a fortress, a palace, an arsenal, a mint, a prison, an observatory, a zoo, the home of the Crown Jewels and a tourist attraction.

Imperial State Crown

The Tower’s greatest treasure is the Imperial State Crown.

There are 2 800 diamonds on it.

Ancient Greek Olympic Games

   The ancient Olympic Games, part of a major religious festival honoring Zeus, the chief Greek god, were the biggest event in their world. They were the scene of political quarrels between people from different parts of the Greek world.

Where did the Olympic games come from?

One myth says that the guardians of the infant god Zeus held the first footrace, or that Zeus himself started the Games to celebrate his victory over his father Cronus for control of the world.

The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. 

   The games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites every time.  This is a model of what the site may have looked like. Olympia was one of the oldest religious centers in the ancient Greek world.

Olympia is convenient geographically to reach by ship, which was a major concern for the Greeks. Athletes and spectators traveled from Greek colonies as far away as modern-day Spain, the Black Sea, or Egypt.

The Rules

An international truce among the Greeks was declared for the month before the Olympics to allow the athletes to reach Olympia safely. The judges had the authority to fine whole cities and ban their athletes from competition for breaking the truce. 

The first Olympic event, and the only event for the first 13 Olympiads, was the foot-race.

Olympic Events

Other types of sports followed the single foot race event quickly: Wrestling, boxing, and chariot racing. At one time or another, there were 23 Olympic sports events, although they were never all held at the same festival.

Olympic Prizes

A branch of wild olive was the only official prize for an Olympic winner, but there were also usually some unofficial prizes awarded by his city-state. For example, Athens allowed an Olympic champion to live free of charge in the Pyrtaneum, a special hall set aside for distinguished citizens. Other city-states exempted winners from taxes for an Olympiad, and in some cases citizens contributed to a cash award.

   Anyone who violated the rules was fined by the judges.  The money was used to set up statues of Zeus, the patron god of the Games at Olympia. 

Women and the Olympics

Women were not allowed to watch the games, but that had nothing to do with the nudity of the male athletes. Rather, it was because Olympia was dedicated to Zeus and was therefore a sacred area for men. The chariot races, which were held outside the sacred precinct, were open to women spectators.