Across the Pond: What You Never Knew About London

London is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, and for good reason. If English is your primary language, London is the most comfortable option…at least you won’t need to pick up enough phrases in another language to ask about the facilities or where the nearest tube station is. Just because English is the UK’s national language, however, doesn’t mean that you’re going to feel right at home.

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If you were to pick up a utility trailer for sale (Ontario has some good options, if you’re in the area) and head off on a road trip across North America, you’d encounter several different cultures and climates along the way. If you want to visit London, you’ll have to leave the trailers, campus, and Wild American West behind…London is a city rich with history and culture unlike anything in the United States. The oldest buildings in America only date back to the 1500s—London’s oldest buildings predate the 12th century. It is a city that balances the historical with the modern in ways that even cities like Boston, MA or Philadelphia, PA cannot emulate.

Here is a sample of what you might not know about England’s most famous city.
Transportation

What You Never Knew: London has one of the largest public transportation systems in the world.

If you’re from the East Coast, you’re probably familiar with the subway system, taxis, and other forms of public transportation. But you’ve never seen anything like London’s transportation system. It’s an intricate network of cabs, busses, trams, river transportation, and of course, the London Underground (“the Tube”). If you’re heading to London for a vacation, don’t bother shipping a car across with you, or even renting one while you’re there. It’s easiest and most efficient to just pick up an Oyster Card—a plastic smartcard that replaces paper tickets and can be used for most forms of public transportation.
Population

What You Never Knew: About 12% of the UK’s population lives in the Greater London area.

There are actually several ways to define the city, and each definition encompasses a larger tract of land than the one before: City of London, Inner London, Greater London, and London Metropolitan Area. In most cases, “London” refers to the Greater London area, which is composed of the City of London and 32 boroughs. It is home to 8.3 million people, is growing twice as fast as the rest of the country, and has one of the youngest populations in the UK. London was the most densely populated city in the world until it was eclipsed by Tokyo in 1925.
The Bridges

What You Never Knew: London Bridge is not what you think.

It’s true…the famous bridge in all the pictures is not, in fact, London Bridge (of the “falling down” fame), but Tower Bridge. London Bridge is located between the City of London and Southwark, and actually isn’t much to look at. It has been rebuilt several times—the original wood structure was built in 1209; the latest re-build was completed in 1973 and is made of steel.

Tower Bridge, on the other hand, is possibly the most famous bridge in the world (though it is rarely called by its true name). Its famous dual towers don’t actually serve any purpose except for decoration. It was completed in 1894, and is the only bridge on the Thames River that can be raised for large vessels.
Culture

What You Never Knew: English might be London’s primary language, but over 250 languages are spoken in the city.

It’s still true that you don’t need to be bilingual to visit England’s capital, but brushing up on a few of the most commonly spoken secondary languages might not be a bad idea. Some of the most prevalent are Bengali, Panjabi, Hindi, and Turkish. Others, as you might expect, include French, Spanish, and Italian. London’s languages make it the most linguistically diverse city in the world.

It’s not uncommon to walk down the streets in London and hear several languages being spoken around you. It’s probably much like some areas of the United States—most people can get by in English (seeing as it’s the national language), but English won’t be the only language you hear.

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Don’t head off for a European vacation thinking that you’ve got a handle on London without doing your research first. It might be one of the most familiar destinations in your travel plans, but don’t assume you know everything!