Prepared by class 9 Teacher: Irina Abruka Travelling around Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. It is separated from Europe by the English Channel. The UK consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England is the largest of them. The capital of Great Britain is London.

Big Ben When tourists go sightseeing around London they see a lot of interesting things and places. One of the most attractive is Big Ben. The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower of Westminster palace, the clock and the bell. But the name was first given to the Great Bell. During 2009 Parliament celebrates the 150th anniversary of its world famous Clock Tower, Great Clock and Great Bell.

London Eye One of the key London Tours attractions for Tourists is the London Eye. Since it opened in March 2000 the London Eye has become a symbol of modern Britain. The London Eye is visited by over 3.5 million people a year. Passengers in the Eye capsules can see up to 40 kilometers in all directions. It is one of the best London Tour experiences a tourist can find!

London Parks There are a lot of parks and gardens in London. They belong to the Royal family. The visiting of parks is free of charge. Hyde Park is famous for Speakers Corner. On a Sunday morning anyone can make a speech about something he believes to be very important.

Open Air Theatre In Regents Park you can watch Shakespeares plays at the Open Air Theatre.

Stonehenge Stonehenge is one of the most important prehistoric monuments in the whole of the UK. It has attracted visitors from the earliest times. It stands as a timeless monument to the people who built it. The Stonehenge that is seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3500 years ago.

Weather The Englishmen like talking about the weather. They say there is no climate on the British Isles, but only weather. We cant speak about typical weather in England because it is very changeable. Discussing the weather is always interesting. The best advice for tourists is to take an umbrella at any weather.

Sports A lot of English people are fond of sport. England is the birthplace of such modern sports as football, tennis, basketball, boxing and badminton. They are popular all over the world. The rules were invented in England. Rowing is the most popular sport between Oxford and Cambridge. It was first rowed 140 years ago. Now it is held at the end of March or in early April on the River Thames.

Wales Wales is situated in the UK to the west of England. Its capital is Cardiff. It is a country of rugged mountains and deep valleys. Wales is an ancient country. Therere a lot of Abbeys and castles. Welsh is one of the strangest languages on earth. It has the longest words. You can see a place-name consisting of 54 letters. Wales has a long history. Welsh people keep their old traditions and customs.

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is situated in the north of Ireland. Its capital is Belfast. It is a very ancient country. It was Englands first colony 8 centuries ago. Northern Ireland has no parliament of its own. Since 1972 it has been governed from London. There are many legends connected with the name of St. Patrick. One of them is about shamrock. Shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland. The national holiday is Patricks Day. The Irish people hold many cultural festivals.

Scotland Scotland is situated to the north of England. The Scottish people are well- known to be great patriots of their country. They always keep their old customs and traditions even if they seem strange to the whole world. Scotsmen are the only nation in Europe where men had a tradition to wear skirts or kilts, not trousers. They can put them not only at festivals; but also on holiday. Scotland is famous for its beautiful countryside. The Scottish Highlands are famous for its deep valleys and mountain lakes. They are called Lochs. Loch Ness is known best of all. There is a legend about Nessy, a strange dragon which lived there.

Customs Every year on the 25 of January R. Burnss birthday is celebrated. Scots have many beautiful traditions. The Scottish New Year customs are also connected with R. Burns. When the clock strikes 12 everybody stands in a circle crossing their arms and sing the song Auld lang syne.