London from Afar

This afternoon I made my way up to Parliament Hill, which is situated at the southern end of Hampstead Heath. Itself a park in the north of London, Hampstead Heath is comparable in acreage to New York City's Central Park. Parliament Hill is renowned for its expansive views of the London skyline, particularly the view afforded of St. Paul's Cathedral. That specific view is so revered, in fact, that it is legally protected. That is, urban planning guidelines for Greater London are written so as to maintain the view of St. Paul's from Parliament Hill.

St. Paul's Cathedral, located some four miles to the south, is centered in this photo

Looking up at the top of Parliament Hill and some anonymous guy

 

Entrance to the Hill

Now is perhaps a good time to address something made quite clear by the first picture in this post - London is huge. London proper covers approximately 660 square miles, twice the land of New York City (not just Manhattan but all five boroughs), and is home to 7.6 million people. The greater metropolitan area, roughly defined as the area within the M25 circular road, boasts a population of 13 million - more than one-fifth the population of the entire United Kingdom.

One thing I've always liked about London is that it never feels quite as big as the numbers suggest. The city is organized into a seemingly limitless number of neighborhoods, each with its own architectural and cultural personality. Each neighborhood has its own local high street full of shops and pubs and restaurants frequented by local residents. I'll have more on my own neighbrhood, Pimlico, in the future.