- 21 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Hey, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe.
00:04This time, we're enjoying a King's Greatest Hits tour
00:06in one of the world's leading cities.
00:09We're in London.
00:11Thanks for joining us.
00:30This royal tour of a city I've been coming back to all my life
00:48features the capital of one of the greatest empires ever known.
00:52It's no wonder it's packed with sights that put the great in Britain.
00:56With a thousand-year heritage of kings and queens and nine million citizens today,
01:01it has a fascinating story to tell.
01:05On our Greatest Hits tour, we'll cheer on royal pageantry
01:08and celebrate the People's Parliament.
01:12We'll cruise the Thames, hop a double-decker bus,
01:16and summit an inspiring dome.
01:20After remembering Britain's heroes from the first Elizabeth to the last,
01:24we'll get greedy at the Bank of England,
01:27drink a pint with the locals,
01:29then storm a medieval tower to meet a genuine beef eater.
01:35London, the capital of England and straddling the River Thames, entertains.
01:40We'll start at Buckingham Palace and Westminster
01:43with its abbey, houses of Parliament, and Big Ben.
01:47From Trafalgar Square with its great museums,
01:49we venture through the business district called the City
01:51with stops at St. Paul's Cathedral
01:53and the Tower of London.
01:56Then we hike from Tower Bridge along the South Bank
01:58back to the London Eye to complete our royal tour.
02:04We'll start with the traditional,
02:06the changing of the guard here at Buckingham Palace.
02:09It's the ultimate in royal pageantry,
02:11and a huge crowd is gathering to enjoy it.
02:13While no longer ruling a vast empire,
02:20London is still a capital of regal traditions.
02:24At the end of a long shift,
02:25fresh guards march out to relieve the exhausted ones.
02:29Three times a week,
02:30this ritual comes with marching bands
02:32and a public spectacle.
02:35This time-honored ceremony
02:37still stirs British hearts.
02:38And while you have to be very tall
02:43or very early to actually see the guards change,
02:46I get a kick out of watching
02:48what seems like every tourist in London
02:50gathered together in one place at the same time.
02:55Today, England's royal family
02:57calls Buckingham Palace home.
03:00But 1,000 years ago,
03:01they lived on the River Thames
03:02in what was called the Palace of Westminster.
03:05Over the centuries,
03:06that palace of monarchs
03:08evolved to become this building
03:10and the center of modern Britain's democracy.
03:16It started when representatives
03:18of local communities, or commons,
03:20gathered here to be near their king.
03:23Eventually, they began meeting independently
03:25as the House of Commons, or Parliament.
03:28And to this day,
03:30Britain is ruled from right here,
03:32the Houses of Parliament.
03:34Visitors are welcome to queue up
03:36for a free look at today's democratic process in action.
03:40Your visit starts with a stroll
03:41through the majestic building itself.
03:44Westminster Hall,
03:45surviving for over 600 years,
03:47was at one time
03:48the grandest hall in all of Europe.
03:52At first, it was a glorious throne room,
03:54the heart of the palace.
03:56Imagine the king,
03:57ruling as a divine monarch,
03:59presiding from the far end,
04:00dispensing justice,
04:02welcoming ambassadors,
04:04and hosting boisterous banquets.
04:07The self-supporting oak hammerbeam construction,
04:11an ingenious network of braces and arches
04:13creating a longer span with shorter pieces of wood,
04:16survives from 1397.
04:21Just down the richly ornamented hall,
04:23the public is welcome
04:25to witness the parliament in action.
04:27This is where the leading politicians of England,
04:30either in the uppity House of Lords
04:32or the rowdier House of Commons,
04:34have gathered for centuries.
04:39While Westminster Hall is original Gothic,
04:42like much of the most medieval-looking architecture in Europe,
04:45the exterior of the Houses of Parliament
04:47is actually over-the-top full-medieval.
04:49It's neo-Gothic from the 1800s,
04:53the age of Queen Victoria.
04:55With prickly spires, stained glass,
04:57and church-like pointed arches,
04:59Victorian England reaffirmed
05:01both its royal and Christian medieval roots.
05:05The famous bell tower is also neo-Gothic.
05:08People call it Big Ben,
05:10but it's actually the Queen Elizabeth Tower.
05:12Ben is the famous 13-ton bell behind the clock.
05:19Just across the street from Big Ben
05:21is Westminster Abbey.
05:24This most historic church
05:26in the English-speaking world
05:27is where kings and queens
05:29have been crowned, married, and buried since 1066.
05:34While it was first built in the 11th century,
05:36much of what we see today is 14th century.
05:39When there's a royal wedding, coronation, or funeral,
05:43the world looks on,
05:44as, amid all this splendor,
05:46Britain's glitterati gather
05:48under graceful Gothic arches.
05:50The centerpiece is the tomb of Edward the Confessor,
05:54who founded the abbey.
05:55And surrounding Edward
05:57are the tombs of 29 other kings and queens.
06:00This is the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I.
06:03Her royal orb symbolizes
06:05that she was queen of the entire globe.
06:09The abbey is filled with the remains of people
06:12who put the great in Britain.
06:14Saints, musicians, scientists, and soldiers.
06:19For lovers of English literature,
06:20strolling through Poet's Corner
06:22can be a pilgrimage in itself.
06:25The Lady Chapel,
06:27with its colorful windows and fanciful banners,
06:29has the festive air of a medieval pageant.
06:32The elaborate ceiling
06:33is a fine example of fan vaulting,
06:36a style that capped the Gothic age.
06:38At the far end,
06:40a wall of modern stained glass
06:42marks the Royal Air Force Chapel.
06:44It honors the fighter pilots of all nations
06:47who died defending Britain in 1940.
06:51With saints in stained glass,
06:53heroes in carved stone,
06:55and the remains of England's greatest citizens
06:57under the floor stones,
06:59Westminster Abbey is the national church
07:02and the religious heart of England.
07:04In the 1500s,
07:08King Henry VIII moved
07:09to an enormous new royal palace
07:11that once stood here.
07:12The biggest palace in Europe in its day?
07:14It stretched all the way from Big Bend
07:16to Trafalgar Square at the end of this street.
07:19While that palace is long gone,
07:21its name survives, Whitehall,
07:24today Britain's most important street.
07:27The British Empire,
07:28which once ruled nearly a quarter
07:30of the world's population,
07:31was managed from here.
07:33A Whitehall walk
07:35passing Britain's version of the Pentagon
07:37is filled with reminders
07:39of Britain's proud and hard-fought history.
07:43Stately reliefs,
07:44war heroes on pedestals,
07:46and stern buildings
07:47seem to celebrate
07:49the empire upon which the sun never set.
07:54As it has for centuries,
07:56the Royal Horse Guard Cavalry
07:58still keeps the royal family safe.
08:00And if you're here at the right time,
08:02you'll enjoy the ritual changing
08:04of this guard as well.
08:08Britain's prime ministers
08:09have long lived and worked on Whitehall
08:11at the famous and carefully guarded address,
08:15Number 10 Downing Street.
08:17And one of the greatest
08:18was Winston Churchill,
08:20remembered here
08:20with the iconic trench coat he wore
08:22leading his country
08:23through the dark days of World War II.
08:26Deep under the halls of government,
08:29you can visit the Churchill War Rooms.
08:32This was the secret underground nerve center
08:35of the British government's fight against the Nazis,
08:37even as German bombs rained down on London
08:40during the Blitz.
08:42Shut down after victory in 1945
08:45and ignored for decades,
08:47these war rooms are open today
08:49as a fascinating time warp for visitors to explore.
08:52Audio guides give it meaning.
08:54On the morning of the 16th of August, 1945,
08:58the day after V-J Day
08:59and the end of the war,
09:01the map officers tidied their desks,
09:04switched out the lights
09:05for the first time in six years,
09:07and went home.
09:09And that's the way the room stayed.
09:12You'll see the room
09:13where Churchill famously took his short naps.
09:16In this room,
09:17the progress of the entire war was followed
09:19as the day-by-day movement of troops and convoys
09:22was charted.
09:24And this room was the communication hub
09:27from where Churchill maneuvered Britain
09:29to ultimate victory.
09:31The adjacent museum introduces you
09:34to Churchill the man.
09:36It brings the colorful statesman to life,
09:39complete with his trademark cigar, bow tie,
09:42cognac, he loved his drink,
09:44and famous bowler hat.
09:47You'll get a taste of Winston's irascibility,
09:50wit, work ethic,
09:51even the industry of kitschy knickknacks he inspired.
10:00Back out on Whitehall,
10:02there are more monuments,
10:04this one built to remember the fallen
10:05from World War I,
10:07and this one to honor the seven million women
10:10who volunteered in World War II.
10:12Whitehall spills into Trafalgar Square
10:15with its memorial to perhaps
10:17the greatest English war hero of all time,
10:21the one-armed, one-eyed,
10:22and one-minded Admiral Horatio Nelson,
10:25looking boldly out to sea.
10:29The year was 1805.
10:32Napoleon, with his grand French army,
10:34was poised just on the other side
10:36of the English Channel,
10:37preparing to invade.
10:38Meanwhile, a thousand miles to the south,
10:40off the coast of Spain,
10:41Admiral Nelson defeated the French fleet
10:44at the Battle of Trafalgar.
10:46Napoleon was stopped,
10:47and Britannia ruled the waves.
10:51Bronze battle reliefs,
10:52made of melted-down French cannon,
10:55decorate the column.
10:56And these huggable lions are a hit with kits.
11:00Trafalgar Square is a vibrant people's home.
11:03It's where Londoners gather to enjoy concerts,
11:05cheer their national team,
11:07to kick off a political demonstration,
11:10or just enjoy the fountains and a sunny day.
11:18Trafalgar Square marks the very center of London.
11:21Big Ben, just past Admiral Nelson.
11:23Buckingham Palace, a straight shot that way.
11:25Soho, where all the nightlife is,
11:27it's about six blocks over there.
11:28The National Gallery has the greatest collection
11:30of European paintings in Britain,
11:32and St. Martin's in the Field is famous
11:34for its classical concerts and its charity work.
11:38Just around the corner,
11:40the National Portrait Gallery is the perfect place
11:42to look into the eyes of the dynamic cast of characters
11:45in Britain's compelling story
11:47as it grew from small island nation
11:49to global superpower.
11:52500 years ago,
11:54it was the formidable Henry VIII
11:56who first planted England on the world stage
11:58while navigating six waves.
12:01Henry's shrewd daughter, Queen Elizabeth I,
12:04ruled a prosperous age that fostered great minds,
12:08minds like William Shakespeare,
12:10whose timeless plays explored
12:12the full range of human experience.
12:15As their empire grew,
12:17the energetic British reshaped the world
12:19in many fields.
12:21The curious scientist, Isaac Newton,
12:23noticed a falling apple and thought,
12:25hmm, gravity.
12:28Novelist Charles Dickens
12:30opened his fellow citizens' eyes
12:32to the inequalities
12:33that came with the Industrial Revolution,
12:36while mild-mannered Charles Darwin
12:38shocked everyone
12:39with his bold theory of evolution.
12:43In the turbulent 20th century,
12:45our old friend Winston Churchill
12:47would rally the nation to victory in World War II.
12:50And Queen Elizabeth II served dutifully
12:53through 70 years of unprecedented change
12:56before passing the crown to her son,
12:58Charles, with his queen,
13:00ensuring that Britain's long legacy
13:02of glorious traditions
13:03continues proudly into the 21st century.
13:08Britain's history continues to unfold,
13:10and the gallery works hard to keep up.
13:12With creative displays
13:14and a focus on including once-marginalized people,
13:17there's an ever-changing array
13:19of the latest cultural luminaries.
13:21From monarchs to war heroes,
13:23fashion icons to pop stars,
13:26the National Portrait Gallery
13:27puts a literal face
13:29on the fascinating story of Great Britain.
13:32Big as it is,
13:39London's easy to get around in,
13:41and its iconic double-decker buses
13:43can be both efficient and fun.
13:46Just joyriding,
13:48enjoying the view from the top deck,
13:50is one of the great treats of this city.
13:53While the tube goes underground
13:55and does the long trips quicker,
13:57buses can be handy for short hops.
13:58This one, like any bus going in this direction,
14:01is heading directly into the historic core of London,
14:04that one-square-mile district locals call the city.
14:09The city was the center of London
14:11back in the days of Shakespeare and Dickens.
14:15Its historic borders are marked by griffins like this.
14:19These days, fewer than 10,000 people actually live here,
14:22but its 9-to-5 crowd numbers half a million.
14:25Today, this is Britain's Wall Street,
14:27busy with bankers and lawyers,
14:30thriving with big-time commerce,
14:32and packed with heritage.
14:35Fleet Street was famous for publishing.
14:38Home of early printing presses and newspapers,
14:41this was a state-of-the-art center
14:43of the original information age.
14:46And the city has long been a global center of finance,
14:49hosting hundreds of banks,
14:51both international and English.
14:53This district helped create the first great capitalist economy.
14:59At London's original stock exchange,
15:01stock, yeah, actual livestock,
15:04like cattle and sheep,
15:05was exchanged right here.
15:07The Bank of England serves as this country's Fort Knox,
15:11guarding a national fortune of gold bars.
15:14Its free museum is fascinating
15:16and offers an unforgettable chance
15:19to actually hold on to a 28-pound gold bar
15:22at today's exchange rates worth well over a million dollars.
15:27Wow. Yeah, a million bucks.
15:30But these days, bank headquarters have moved out,
15:33and many of the elegant original bank buildings
15:35have morphed into fancy pubs,
15:38their vaults now filled with kegs of real English ale.
15:41In a British pub, you'd order at the bar.
15:45For a cold and carbonated American-style beer,
15:47you'd go for a lager.
15:48A bitter and an ale,
15:49that would be the traditional English beer.
15:52The lagers have short tabs,
15:54and the ales and bitters have the long handles,
15:57as they need to be physically drawn
15:59from kegs in the cellar.
16:02The default is a pint, like Josh is having.
16:05Or if you're a lightweight TV host trying to stay sober,
16:09you can always order a half a pint.
16:10Cheers.
16:13Refreshed and back out on the street,
16:15more history awaits.
16:17This Tudor-style building is one of the few
16:19that survived London's great fire of 1666.
16:24Before that, back in Shakespeare's day,
16:26the entire city was made of wood, half-timbered,
16:29and looked a lot like this.
16:32This monument commemorates that devastating fire
16:35that started here and burned down nearly all of London.
16:38These reliefs show, in heroic terms,
16:41how the king and city leaders came together determined to rebuild.
16:45A young, ambitious architect named Christopher Wren
16:48was chosen to spearhead the project.
16:51The city that rose from the ashes
16:53was rebuilt of stone, much safer.
16:56And that city was decorated by the Wren-designed spires
16:59of some 50 churches,
17:00featuring Wren's signature style,
17:03soaring spires and geometrical simplicity outside,
17:07and under barrel-vaulted ceilings,
17:09practical, uncluttered interiors,
17:11seating galleries overlooking the nave,
17:14clear windows enhancing the interplay of light and dark,
17:17and artfully carved woodwork throughout.
17:20Christopher Wren spent four decades,
17:23the rest of his life, working on his grand vision.
17:26The centerpiece?
17:28This mighty cathedral, St. Paul's.
17:31It's the symbol of London's resilience,
17:33its rise from the Great Fire,
17:35and how London survived the blitz of World War II.
17:42The church is one of the world's biggest.
17:45Wren accentuated its spaciousness
17:47by the lack of decoration.
17:49Notice the simple ceiling
17:50and how the clear glass lights everything evenly.
17:54Today, only the west end of the church
17:56keeps Wren's original vision.
17:58In the 1800s, Queen Victoria called St. Paul's
18:01dim, dingy, and ungodly.
18:03So the simple beauty of the east end of the church
18:06was then slathered with Victorian bling.
18:09Beautiful Victorian bling.
18:12While the church's survival in World War II
18:15was almost miraculous,
18:17the apse of the church did take a direct hit.
18:20It was rebuilt as the American Memorial Chapel
18:23to honor our nation's contribution
18:25to the defense of Britain.
18:27We see Jesus, Mary, and George Washington.
18:30The American iconography includes stars,
18:34stripes, and eagles.
18:36And hiding behind birds and plants native to the USA,
18:40it's a U.S. rocket, circa 1958,
18:43shooting up to the stars.
18:45The British are grateful to their World War II allies.
18:49The role of honor lists the 28,000 American servicemen
18:53based in Britain who gave their lives.
18:55The heart of the church is Ren's masterpiece,
18:59a majestic, light-filled dome
19:01that visitors can't help but gaze up into
19:04with a sense of awe.
19:08Climbing the dome is like climbing a 30-story building
19:11with no elevator.
19:13And the reward?
19:14A commanding view of London.
19:16Christopher Wren spent nearly half his life
19:22working on St. Paul's.
19:24At age 75, he got to see his son
19:27crown his masterpiece with this triumphant cross.
19:37London was born on the River Thames.
19:40Located near the mouth of the Thames,
19:42the city grew rich on trade
19:44between Britain's interior and the open sea.
19:47Once the sewer of the city,
19:48congested with cargo ships and routinely flooding,
19:52today the river's cleaned up
19:53and tamed by a massive flood barrier
19:55a few miles downstream.
19:57The River Thames is busy with passenger ferries.
20:01Uber boats are for commuting and quick trips,
20:03while the various sightseeing boats
20:05are there to make memories for tourists.
20:08We're sailing from the halls of Westminster
20:10under Big Ben downstream,
20:12enjoying an informative narration
20:14with the views.
20:16On your right,
20:17the HMS Belfast
20:19saw actually the Second World War.
20:23And our boat finishes under the Tower Bridge,
20:26dropping us at London's very first royal palace.
20:29The Tower of London goes back
20:31to the Norman Conquest.
20:34The year was 1066.
20:36Over in France,
20:37William, Duke of Normandy,
20:39gathered his troops.
20:39He crossed the English Channel,
20:41invaded and occupied England.
20:44Ultimately, taking the English throne,
20:46he became William the Conqueror.
20:48To consolidate his rule,
20:50he built this,
20:51the first stone fortress in Britain.
20:53Yes,
20:54the Tower of London.
20:56Its purpose?
20:57Put 15 feet of stone
20:59between him and his new subjects.
21:01This original tower,
21:03formidable like nothing locals had ever seen,
21:05gave the castle complex its name.
21:07The style of the age was Romanesque,
21:09which the English call Norman,
21:11for the invaders who imported it.
21:13This stark yet serene Chapel of St. John,
21:17from 1080 and one of the oldest in England,
21:19provides a rare look at pure Norman architecture.
21:23Round Roman-style arches and thick walls.
21:27You'll see an intimidating collection
21:29of medieval weaponry and armor.
21:31Your entry includes a peek
21:32at the most dazzling crown jewels in Europe.
21:35Sorry,
21:36no cameras.
21:37And an entertaining tour
21:39with one of the historic tower guards,
21:41a yeoman warder,
21:43or beef eater.
21:45The Wakefield Tower just down there
21:46is named the Wakefield Tower
21:48after the Battle of Wakefield,
21:49which occurred during the Wars of the Roses.
21:51After that battle,
21:52hundreds of Yorkist prisoners were captured.
21:54They were crammed into the lower dungeon
21:56and just left there to die
21:57in appalling conditions.
21:59Some say it's the most haunted tower
22:01anywhere in the complex.
22:03In fact,
22:03people say to me all the time,
22:04Gary,
22:05have you seen any ghosts
22:06while you've lived here at the tower?
22:07What a great question.
22:09I've lived here now for 232 years,
22:11and I've never seen a ghost.
22:13The Millennium Bridge
22:19connects the City of London
22:20with the South Bank of the Thames.
22:23Built to celebrate the new millennium,
22:25it's a suspension bridge,
22:26but its pylons veer out
22:28in order not to obliterate the fine views.
22:31Nicknamed the Blade of Light
22:32for its sleek design,
22:34it connects old and new
22:36St. Paul's Cathedral
22:37with the Tate Modern Art Gallery.
22:41The Tate Modern
22:43fills an old, abandoned power station.
22:46A fine example of London's
22:47creative post-industrial regeneration,
22:49it's a high-voltage collection
22:51of modern art.
22:53Visitors enjoy an entertaining cocktail
22:55of Dali, Picasso, Stella,
22:58pop art, Dada,
22:59and the work of artists
23:00who perhaps have yet to become household names.
23:04Simply wandering through its vast
23:05and entertaining halls,
23:07you can enjoy the refreshing juxtaposition
23:09of bizarre images,
23:11surreal fantasies,
23:13and a vivid reminder
23:14that London still pulses
23:15with cultural energy.
23:20The South Bank of the Thames,
23:22yet another success story
23:23of a revitalized London,
23:25now thrives with trendy bars,
23:28condos, and cultural centers
23:30like Shakespeare's Globe Theater,
23:32all tied together
23:34by the Jubilee Walkway.
23:36This riverside promenade
23:39stretches from the Tower Bridge
23:41to just across from Big Ben.
23:44It comes with plenty of opportunities
23:47to relax along the way.
23:49It's a hit with strollers,
23:52friends enjoying a picnic dinner,
23:54hard-working bands busking,
23:56lovers,
23:57and daydreamers.
23:59Our riverside walk finishes
24:02with a classic view
24:04of a familiar sight,
24:06Big Ben and the Halls of Parliament.
24:08And for a quick and easy flight over London,
24:10we're riding the London Eye.
24:13This world's largest observation wheel
24:16is designed like a giant bicycle wheel.
24:19A pan-European undertaking,
24:22it's made with British steel,
24:24Dutch engineering,
24:25and German, French, and Italian parts.
24:27Visitors enjoy a smooth and silent
24:3030-minute once-around rotation.
24:34From the top of the 450-foot-high wheel,
24:38Big Ben looks small,
24:39and this commanding view
24:41caps our royal tour
24:42of one of the world's greatest cities.
24:49London.
24:50It's a city kings and queens call home,
24:52and I can see why.
24:54Thanks for joining us.
24:55I'm Rick Steves.
24:56Until next time,
24:57keep on traveling.
24:59Cheerio.
25:01...gathered here
25:01to be near their cave.
25:03Boom.
25:05Boom.
25:06It's the one-square-mile district
25:08locals call the tube.
25:10The tube.
25:12And if you'd rather have
25:13a more traditional beer in Britain,
25:16bah.
25:17And Gary,
25:17why are you called a beef eater?
25:18Nobody knows.
25:19But it's the Roman wall.
25:22Ancient Londinium.
25:24No?
25:25No.
25:26No.
25:26No.
25:26It's the one-square-mile.
25:27It's the one-square-mile.
25:27It's the one-square-mile.
25:28It's the one-square-mile.
25:29It's the one-square-mile.
25:29It's the one-square-mile.
25:30It's the one-square-mile.
25:30It's the one-square-mile.
25:31It's the one-square-mile.
25:31It's the one-square-mile.
25:32It's the one-square-mile.
25:32It's the one-square-mile.
25:33It's the one-square-mile.
25:33It's the one-square-mile.
25:34It's the one-square-mile.
25:35It's the one-square-mile.
25:35It's the one-square-mile.
25:36It's the one-square-mile.
Be the first to comment