Sightseeing in Britain

Introduction

Great Britain is one of the most prestigious countries in the north-western Europe. Its capital city is London, one of the greatest metropoles in the world as it is populated by eight million people and it is west Europe’s greatest city. It is the one of the most important financial, political and cultural centres of the world and very often it plays a vital role in national affairs. At the same time, it serves as one of the largest tourist destinations globally since it offers immense options for tourists to visit unique sights and various recreational theme parks.

Tourist attractions of London

London, the British capital offers a plethora of historical museums and various historical buildings. Among the most important sights of the city there is the British Museum, the collection of which numbers more than seven million items. It was founded in 1753 and opened to the public on 15 January 1759, where the current building is located. Another significant museum is Madam Tissaud’s museum which houses a big range of waxwork related to important people of both the past and the present. It was founded by Mary Tissaud and that’s the main reason why the museum was named after her. Another noteworthy museum, that was established in 1852 is located in the South Kensington. After the success of the Great Exhibition in 1851 the Victoria and Albert Museum was founded as an annex to the Kensington Museum in order to house a big range of industrial arts and various scientific collections. Among the important tourist attractions there is also another worth visiting museum that bears the name of ‘Science Museum” which is located in the South Kensington and was constructed in 1883.

Apart from the museums, London offers a rich range of other touristic attractions, such as picture galleries that attract the interest of the city’s visitors. To begin with, there is an important gallery, the National Gallery, which was founded in 1824 and houses one of the largest painting collections globally. It is located in the Trafalgar Square in London and displays more the 2,300 paintings. Furthermore, its paintings are considered to belong to the British people so its entrance is free of charge to the public. Another important gallery, is Tate Gallery. It is an art museum located in an area called Milbart and it is the 9^th most popular and recognizable museum in Britain while it is the oldest museum of the Tate museums. The Tate painting gallery is linked with the Gallery of Modern Arts which is located in the opposite bank of the river Thames.

Symbols

 Apart from the museums and galleries, there are also sights of London which function as its symbols that are closely associated with the city and British culture. One of these symbolic features, is the Big Ben, the name of which was changed into "Elisabeth Tower" in 2012. Although the tower was completed probably in 1858, the exact date of the completion of its construction is still unknown. It is also notable that loads of movies are filmed in London because of Big Ben.
 Another unique feature of London’s cultural heritage is the red tourist buses which are widely known as “double-decker” buses. Finally, among London’s most important sights is also the "London eye" where the visitors can enjoy the enchanting view of the whole city as it is 140m high.

Sights outside London
 Apart from the monuments that are located in London, Great Britain also offers a big range of touristic locations displaying the physical beauty of its natural environment. Such a location is the Seven Sisters which is a series of white Chalk Cliffs by the English Channel. Another globally recognized monument, constructed of gigantic stones, is the Stonehedge, which for centuries has inspired mystification and speculation as to what their original purpose might have been. In addition, the Cheddar Gorge is another worth mentioning location. It is a limestone gorge which is situated near the village of Cheddar and it shows caves estimated to be over 9000 years old. Another location displaying the physical beauty of nature is none other than the Wast Water which is a lake located in Waslade, a valley in the western part of the Lake District national park. The lake is almost 3 miles long and more than a third mile wide. It is the deepest lake in Britain, 79m deep, and is owned by the national Trust. Last but not least, worth-mentioning sights are both the Isle of Wight and the Jurassic Coast. The former is the largest island of England located in the English Channel while the latter is a world heritage site in the English Channel.

Conclusion
Taking all the above into consideration, the United Kingdom possesses a plethora of worth visiting touristic attractions located both inside and outside its capital city, London. Furthermore, Great Britain can be characterized as a historically significant country due to the fact that it displays many important and well preserved buildings, the majority of which are icons of historical significance. Great Britain, and especially London, is a worth visiting place because of its variety of very interesting attractions.

Sports in England

SPORTS IN ENGLAND

In the last century many sports have been developed in England. Some of them are football, tennis, rugby, basketball and many others which have been very famous all over the world.

One of our favourite sports is tennis. Tennis which, originated in England has become popular in many parts of the world. It is played by two players in a tennis court which is divided in two parts by a low net. Its history began in the eleventh century. Since then people began to throw balls over a net. In the sixteenth century people started to use wooden frames with stretched strings in their midst, a construction which was the ancestor of modern rackets. On 26^th July 1874 Walter Cutters Winfield, who was a British Army Major, got a patent in tennis. The rules of the game were established in 1877 and were applied for the first time during the prestigious Wimbledon ‘’tournament.” Each match consists of two or three ‘’sets’’ and each "set" of six “games.” Today tennis has evolved into a professional sport. Borg and Berg are two of the most famous tennis players.

Rugby Union, often referred to simply as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early nineteenth century. One of the two codes of the rugby football is that it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players, using an oval-shaped ball on a field with H-shaped goalposts on each goal line. The origin of the rugby football is reputed to be an incident during a game at a Rugby School in 1823 when William Webb-Ellis is said to have picked up the ball and ran with it. The first Rugby football international game took place on 27 March 1871, between England and Scotland. The Rugby union was included in the Olympic Games four times during the early 1900s. Each team starts the match with 15 players on the field and seven substitutes. Players are divided into eight forwards and seven backs. The most basic items of equipment for a game of rugby union are the ball itself, a rugby shirt or ‘’jersey’’ rugby shorts, socks and boots. Also, rugby union is played between two teams and the one that scores more points wins the game. Games are divided into 40-minute halves, with a break in the middle. The Rugby World Cup, first held in 1987, takes place every four years with the winner of the tournament receiving the Webb Ellis Cup. The six Nations Championship in Europe and the Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere are the major international competitions which are held annually.

The globally popular game of football, in its modern form, first appeared in 1863 in London. The aim of this initiative was to unify English public school and university football games. The world’s oldest competition, the FA Cup which was founded in 1871 and the first ever football league (1888) were founded in England. In England nearly all first accounts of features of football originated. In 1280 the first account of kicking a ball game appreared, in which a player was killed as a result of running against an opposing player’s dagger. This confirms that by the thirteenth century kicking ball games were being played in England. At the end of the fifteenth century appears the earliest description of a football game. In 1660 comes the first objective study of football, given in Francis Willughby’s Book of Sports, written in about 1660. This account is particularly noteworthy as it refers to football by its correct name and is the first to describe the following  features of football: goals and pitch (‘’a close that has a gate at either end. The gates are called goals’’), tactics (‘’ leaving some of their best players to guard the goal’’), scoring (“they that can strike the ball through their opponents goal first win’’) and the way teams were selected (“the players being equally divided according to their strength and nimbleness’’). The FA cup was the first nationally organized competition. A knockout cup, it began 1871, with the first winners being the Wanderers. England was home to the first ever international football match on 5 March 1870. The first official (i.e. currently recognized by FIFA) international match would take place between Scotland and England on 30 November 1872. This match was played under the football Association rules. In 1891 Liverpool engineer John Alexander Brodie invented the football net. In 1892 a new Division Two was added, raking in more clubs around the country; Woolwick Arsenal became the first league club in London in 1893; they were also joined by Liverpool the same year. The best league in the world was premier league which is operated as a corporation and is owned by a 20 member club. The clubs elect a chairman, chief executive and board of directors to oversee the daily operation of the league. There are totally 38 games in a normal season.

Basketball, although was invented in the United States, has a very long history in England, having been introduced there by YMCA almost immediately after it was created. Basketball was first introduced in England between March 1892 and January 1893 by the president of the Birkenhead YMCA, C.J. Proctor, who had observed the game during a business trip to Canada. The American rules had been introduced, but the teams in Birmingham found them to be too complicated so they compiled a more practical set of rules for their own use. In the World War I, a basketball demonstration game was included at the Paris Olympic Games. Great Britain was successfully represented in this Tournament by a team from the London Central YMCA who won all their games. Basketball continued to spread in England until it became popular worldwide. Prior to 1936, basketball had been included in the Far Eastern Olympic held in Japan each year. In October 1938, a composite England international basketball tournament took place at the sports palace in Berlin.

Science and Technology in the United Kingdom

Science and technology in the United Kingdom

Science and technology in the United Kingdom has a long history, celebrating important scientists and producing important developments in the field of science. Scientists from the UK continue to play a major role in the development of science and technology in major sectors. England and Scotland were leading centres of the Scientific Revolution in the seventeenth century and the UK led the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century and has continued to produce scientists and engineers credited with important advances.

            Newton’s laws of motion are three physical laws that together laid the foundation for classical mechanics. They describe the relationship between a body and the forces acting upon it and its motion in response to the said forces. They have been expressed in several different ways over three centuries. The three laws of motion were first compiled by Isaac Newton and were first published in 1687. Newton used them to explain and investigate the motion of many physical objects and systems.

            Michael Faraday was a British physicist and chemist best known of his discoveries of electromagnetic induction and the laws of electrolysis. His biggest breakthrough in the field of electricity was his invention of the electric motor. Michael Faraday built two devices which produced what we call electromagnetic rotation: that is a continuous circular motion from the circular magnetic force around a wire. Ten years later, in 1831, he began his great series of experiments in which he discovered electromagnetic induction. These experiments form the basis of modern electromagnetic technology.

            Sir William Fothergill Cooke was the co-inventor of the first commercial electric telegraph, which he developed with Sir Charles Wheatstone. In May 1837 they patented a five-needle telegraph as an alarm system and in 1839 they installed the first working commercial electric telegraph for the Great Western Railway. This device was involved in what is thought to have been the first use of telecommunications in an arrest. Following a series of disputes over credit for their inventions, Cooke founded the Electric Telegraph Company in 1848 the world’s first public telegraph company.

            George Cayley is mainly remembered for his pioneer studies and experiments with flying machines, including the working, piloted glider that he designed and constructed. The model glider, which was successfully flown by Cayley in 1804, had the layout of a modern aircraft with a kite-shaped wing towards the front and an adjustable tailplane at the back comprising horizontal stabilizers and a vertical fin. A moveable weight allowed adjustment of the model’s centre of gravity.

            Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, the United Kingdom has developed in many scientific and technological sectors. Ranging from Newton’s laws to the invention of the World Wide Web, UK has played a major role in the development of global technology and its shaping as it is known today. 

Works cited

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Cayley

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton's_laws_of_motion en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Fothergill_Cooke en.wikipedia.org/.../Science_and_technology_in_the_United_Kingdom

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Rock music

ROCK MUSIC    

  The term "rock music"  is used to describe the kinds of music which originated in “rock and roll.” It is a popular kind of music which is usually characterized by intense rhythm and melodic vocals which are easily discernable and usually accompanied by electric guitars, electric base and drums.

Rock appeared in the ‘50s in the USA and it was based on ‘’rhythm and blues’’ which was the music of the afro-american communities. The first singer who gave rock music a global shine was Elvis Presley who appeared in 1955.

 In the decade of ‘60s, white people’s folk music influenced rock music and as a result “folk rock” was created. In the middle of this decade also appeared “psychedelic rock” which referred to the political situation of that period as well as to the liberation of moral standards. The term derived from the word “psychedelia” which describes the psychological condition of an individual after the consumption of drugs.

   In the decade of ‘70s rock music was displaced because of the prevailing of “disco music” which was based on a mixture of “soul music.” In the mean time, versions of rock music such as “soft rock”, “progressive rock,” “punk rock” and “heavy metal” emerged. In the ‘80s “hard rock” became popular and “alternative rock” appeared for the first time.

Many music specialists claim that since the 90s, rock music has been recycled, because no more new kinds of rock music appeared, only combinations of already existing types.

                     MEANING

  Lyrics in rock music are often about romantic love, but they also refer to a great range of other issues which are frequently of social or political emphasis. Generally, rock music, has often been closely associated with cultural and social movements.  Having inherited the tradition of protest songs of the 60’s, rock music is related to political activism and changes in the citizen’s social behaviour.

                  EPILOGUE

   Rock music is an important kind of music, especially appealing to young people, that will always have representatives and artists who express themselves in its rhythm and lyrics. This is so because of its timeless songs and music which are closely connected with many aspects of modern civilization.

Pop music

Pop Music

Pop music is a genre of popular music which first appeared in the 1950s. It is mainly American and British singers and musicians that have dominated pop music all these years however most countries have also their own form of pop music. Pop music has grown to be a profitable industry mainly in the USA.

            Many artists belong to this genre, such as Madonna and Michael Jackson who have been emblematic figures of pop music and culture during the past three decades, but also younger artists who are very popular today. Such artists are Rihanna, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber to name but a few.

            Pop music encourages dancing and having fun, and pop songs touch upon many issues which are of interest to young people. Such issues are, among others, love, friendship, having fun, everyday life, money but also serious problems that the modern world faces or charity.

            In the following paragraphs we would like to cite some examples on how issues, like love, money or charity, have been tackled with in some of our favourite pop songs, so as to show the variety of perspectives that pop music offers in its discussion of an issue.

More specifically, in the song “Rehab” by Rihanna, the artist talks about her break up with her partner and wishes she had never have met him in the first place. However, in “Wonderful Life” by Hurts, the artist aims at encouraging a couple to love each other despite the fact that they will never be together since the man is already married to someone else. In another song, entitled “Unconditionally” by Katy Perry, the singer talks about her boyfriend with whom she is deeply in love and promises to love him forever and unconditionally. The difference between the three songs is that the first one talks about a break up, the second one refers to a very strong love story with an unfortunate ending and the last one celebrates a young girl’s profound feelings for her boyfriend, her devotion and deep love. All these are only some of the different viewpoints from which pop music approaches the same issue, that is, love and romantic relationships.

Except from the love songs there are also many pop songs that refer to world problems and how to face them. For example, the song “Getting’ Dump” by Will.I.Am ft ZNEY encourages people to have fun and not work so hard everyday and it gives hope to them by reminding them that they are not alone. Another song, entitled “Price Tag” by Jessie J ft B.O.B., talks about money, claims that money is not the most important thing in life, that people do not need money to be really happy and it makes people think about their real purpose in life. In addition, the world-known song entitled “We are the World” which was sung by many famous artists, urges people to care about others and raise money for charity. The artists who participated in this song foreground charity as really important, as the only solution to help children in need and they encourage people to donate money. So, all these songs offer different aspects of the same issue, that is, money and what our attitude towards it should be.

In conclusion, pop music is one of the most popular kinds of music today, especially appealing to young people, which offers a variety of perspectives in issues that preoccupy contemporary people in an entertaining way.

           

Education in Great Britain

 Education in Great Britain

The educational system of Great Britain is different from the Greek educational system in many respects.

To begin with, in Great Britain the general obligatory education addresses every child who lives in the country regardless his or her nationality. There are both private and public schools and attendance is compulsory for students aged between 5 and 16 years of age. Obligatory education is divided into 4 stages. The first stage lasts until the age of 7 years, the second until the age of 11 years, the third one spans between 11 and 14 years and the fourth stage addresses to teenagers between 14 and 16 years of age. In addition, it is possible for a child to be taught at home but his or her parents have to obtain the relevant permission from the State. The school year lasts from the first week of September until the third week of July. Furthermore, Great Britain is well-known as a country full of notable universities. All the universities of Britain are public and well known except from the University of Buckingham which is private. One of the interesting facts is that Greek undergraduate students in Great Britain amount to almost 25.4% of undergraduate students.

 Primary education in Britain consists in two stages: Stage 1 addresses children aged 5 to 7 and the second one is suitable for children aged 8 to 11. Primary schools work by a well-balanced and versatile curriculum of subjects which is suitable for young children and their capabilities as well as any special needs that a child may have. A well-balanced curriculum focuses mainly on writing, reading and mathematics and a school should also promote the psychological, moral and physical development of students of this age. There are also “special needs schools” which are suitable for children with special capabilities.

Secondary education addresses to 12 to 18 years old students and it is mandatory until the age of 16 years.  The successful completion of studies at this stage leads to the acquisition of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). This certificate is awarded after written exams at the end of the year and its grades range from A*, which is the highest grade, to G or U (unclassified) in cases of failure. There are many schools of secondary education, 90% of which are called Comprehensive Schools and they accept all students regardless their academic performance. There are also Grammar Schools which accept students after a selection process, special schools like music or art schools, and other types of schools either state or private.

In order to be accepted in a British University, a student should study for two years in schools which are called “Sixth Form Schools” (after the age of 16). There he can choose 2-5 subjects and take exams after the end of the two-year period in order to obtain the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education (A Level CSE). Universities and Institutes of higher education offer a wide range of courses. Every University is autonomous and decides which degrees and other titles it will offer and moreover the relevant admission prerequisites and conditions. The academic year lasts from September /October until the end of June for students who follow undergraduate courses. Normally it is divided into three terms or two semesters. Every institution of higher education applies its own policy in reference with the terms of student admission. Generally, the candidates have to achieve at least a grade of “C” into three subjects in the GSCE exams. They must also succeed into two different subjects of the General Certificate of Education. Foreign students should prove that they are competent speakers of English.
 Undergraduate courses lead to a degree, which is called Bachelor (BA), after 3 years of study. There are BA of Arts and BA of sciences.                                                                                                                                                       Master degrees (MA) can be obtained after 1 or 2 years of study and a degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) can be obtained after at least 3 years of study and after the completion of a thesis based on original research.
Students have to pay fees and there are two types of fees:

“home fees” which is paid  by inhabitants of Great Britain and the European Union                                                                                                    and

“full cost overseas fees” which is paid by foreign or overseas students who don’t live in the UK or the EU

For students who have financial problems, special scholarships as well as student’s loans are offered.                                                   

     

Customs of Great Britain

Customs of Great Britain

The customs and traditions of Great Britain are especially interesting and in this project we will focus on the celebration of Christmas, the Easter, Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night in Great Britain.

Christmas

Christmas Eve is the last day for many people to shop and prepare festive meals. The shops, especially those that sell food and gifts, are usually very busy. Some families decorate their houses with Christmas ornaments such as Christmas trees, small coloured lights, leaves and fruit as well as mistletoe.

The Christmas tree plays a major role in Christmas decoration in every home in Great Britain. However, British people also use a mixture of greenery and mistletoe plant which is called the “Yule log”, “Yule Block” or “Christmas log” and it is traditionally burnt in the hearth together with a remnant from the log that had been burnt in the previous year’s festivities. The log’s role was primarily that of bringing prosperity and protection from evil and by keeping the remnant of the log all the year long the protection was said to remain across the year. Also, pastries in the shape of “Yule log” are very popular in Britain, today.

 The “Boar’s Head Feast” is probably the longest running tradition of the Christmas season. Its roots originate in the ancient times when the wild boar was the king of the forest and a terrible threat to people. In addition, children in the UK do not mail their letters to Father Christmas but they throw them into the fireplace so that they wish will travel to the North Pole. 

Easter

The word Easter is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon godess of dawn and spring which was called Eostre. Today, Easter Sunday in Great Britain (as in so many other places all around the world) is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the dead and it is one of the biggest Christian celebrations of the year. In Great Britain, on Easter Sunday people decorate eggs and exchange presents with each other instead of putting a lamb or kid on the skewer as we do in Greece.

A lot of children believe that the Easter bunny comes to their home and hides some Easter eggs in their garden and in Easter Sunday morning they go out in the garden and search for them. Also, in the old times, Easter was a traditional day for weddings, in which people were dressed up for Easter. Women were wearing special Easter covers decorated with flowers and ribbons.

Halloween

Halloween is one of the well-known celebrations of the western world and it is celebrated on the 31^st of October. This celebration can be considered as analogous to Greek “Apokries,” although there are many striking differences between the two celebrations. They both originate in ancient years when evil spirits of darkness should be driven away with noise and fire, but Halloween is more mysterious and mystical. During this celebration, children of all age groups are being disguised in something frightening and they move from house to house gathering sweets and asking the owners of the house the question: “Trick or Treat?”

Guy Fawkes Night

“Guy Fawkes Night” or “Bonfire Night” is celebrated on the 5^th of November. Guy Fawkes was an English soldier, member of a Catholic conspirator’s team who organized the Gunpowder Plot (Gunpowder Conspiracy) on the 5^th of November 1605. Fawkes together with other five men planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne, by placing explosives and gunpowder under the House of Lords in London. However, their conspiracy was revealed before the completion of Guy Fawkes’ plan, and himself together with his co-conspirators were interrogated, tortured and in the end executed for high treason.

           

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_log#Great_Britain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%92ostre

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