The Union Jack

Before we get started let's quickly refresh our memories: the words 'flag' and  'jack' are synonymous.
As national flags go the Union Flag, or Union Jack as it's commonly known today, is surely one of the most instantly recognizable; it's highly distinctive and quite unique. But as the name Union Jack hints, it's not in fact just one flag but actually three, with it's component parts representing the countries that comprise the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The Union Jack in the form we know it today was formally adopted in 1801, but it's origins can be traced back to 1603. In that year James VI of Scotland (later James I)  inherited the English and Irish thrones thus uniting the crowns of England, Ireland and Scotland. (This was a personal/royal triumph for James, but did not result in the formation of a national union between those countries). In 1606, to commemorate the regal union between England and Scotland, it was decreed that a new flag be created, and this simply combined England's national flag with the flag of Scotland to form the first Union Jack.

                                             England's Flag - the Cross of Saint George

                                            Scotland's Flag - the Cross of Saint Andrew

In 1801, following the Union of Great Britain and Ireland, royal proclamation decreed that the flag of Saint Patrick representing Ireland be incorporated as well, and hence the Union Jack that we know today.

                                         The Cross of Saint Patrick representing Ireland

It's now simple to see that superimposing the Cross of Saint Patrick with the Cross of Saint Andrew and the Cross of Saint George results in the beloved Union Jack. But, I hear some of you say, isn't there something missing? What about Wales? That's a very fair question - the answer is that the Cross of Saint George also represents Wales, and therefore our Welsh friends haven't been left out. So there you have it!

Footnote:
There are several commonly used terms that describe parts of, and all of, the Union. Here's a quick breakdown:
- England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (individual countries in their own right).
- Britain (or Great Britain): this refers to the island that consists of England, Scotland and Wales.
- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (U.K.): The official name of the union that consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Jermyn Street - home of the world's finest hand-made shirts

Jermyn Street, in the area known as St. James just off Piccadilly, is considered by many to be the world's premier street for fine shirt makers & retailers. In short, gentlemen, if you're looking to buy a dress shirt of the highest quality this is the place to go. Jerymn Street delivers a tremendous shopping experience - it's like travelling back in time to a London we perhaps image of 150 years ago. Although it's dominated by purveyors of shirts it's also home to several high-end shoe shops and other fascinating establishments including England's oldest cheese shop that dates back to 1797! One quick practical note before we go any further - 'Jermyn' is actually pronounced 'german'.
The majority of Jermyn Street retailers offer their customers three shirt options: bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear. To clarify, a bespoke shirt (or suit for that matter) is designed totally to the customer's own specifications (style, material, measurements), whereas a made-to-measure shirt is made to fit the customer's measurement specifications but is created from a pre-existing pattern. As you might imagine all of these shops have an extensive selection of ready-to-wear shirts. The overall variety of materials, colors, patterns and styles is mind boggling.
It seems to me that if one has a highly specific size or style requirement then bespoke or made-to-measure offer the perfect solutions, if not then ready-to-wear is the way to go.
One clearly does not visit Jermyn Street to do discount shopping. That said prices do vary, and for those looking for both quality and value Charles Tyrwhitt is a good call.
As if to underscore the fact that Jermyn Street is at the epicenter of London style, there's a life size statue of Beau Brummell on the street opposite Piccadilly Arcade. For those not familiar with Brummell he was an iconic figure in Regency England who was considered the arbiter of men's style - he rejected the overtly ornate fashions of the day for understated, perfectly fit and tailored clothing. He was educated at Eton and Oxford, acquired a commission in the 10th Royal Hussars and was a close friend of the Prince of Wales - the future King George IV. Today's common descriptive terms beau and dandy trace their origins back to Brummell.
When one's enjoyed Jermyn Street, maybe continue the day's style-adventure by strolling up Piccadilly Arcade (perpendicular to Jermym by the statue of Beau Brummell). This covered arcade is home to many more high-end retailers - clothiers and others. At the far end is the street Piccadilly. Cross over and directly you'll encounter Burlington Arcade - more great stuff. Upon exiting the far end of Burlington turn right onto Vigo Street and about 100 yards ahead is Savile Row! Savile Row is of course synonymous with the finest tailoring. If you, and more importantly your credit card, are still up for it, shop-on just a little while longer.
By the end of the day you'll hopefully be the proud owner of one or more new items of quality, stylish clothing that over the years to come will be fond reminders of your visit to London.
The closest tube stations to Jermyn Street are Green Park (to the west) or Piccadilly (to the east). The following link provides, amongst many other things, a detailed street map of the area. http://www.jermynstreet.net/

Abbey Road

In 1969 The Beatles released one of their most famous albums, 'Abbey Road'. Why the name? Because it was recorded at the studios of the same name, that just happen to be located at 3 Abbey Road in the St. John's Wood area of London! The cover art for the album is, of course, the classic photo of the band walking single file on the zebra crossing (pedestrian walkway) across Abbey Road.
For true Beatles fans it's a must-do thing to visit Abbey Road and literally walk in the footsteps John, Ringo, Paul and George on that very same zebra crossing.
Abbey Road Studios, which opened in 1931, has had an illustrious history. The part of the building that fronts onto the road is in fact a Georgian townhouse built in the 1830's - it's an English Heritage Grade 2 listed building - and doesn't exactly conform to one's minds-eye-picture of a major music recording studio.  Numerous world-renown artists have recorded at Abbey Road including Michael Jackson, Hank Williams, Placido Domingo, Burt Bacharach, Alicia Keys, Green Day and Adele. The movie scores for 'The Empire Strikes Back', 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince', 'Iron Man 2' and 'Prometheus' were also recorded there. The studio is still in full operation today.
I have only visited Abbey Road once. It was a weekday in May and I arrived at about 11.00am in the morning. It was quite a scene when I got there, with Beatles fans of all ages from around the world 'staging' by zebra crossing, waiting for an appropriate break in the traffic to walk out onto the road, turn for the mandatory photo-op and proceed to the other side. I noticed a group of  Japanese tourists crossed bare-footed - I later learned that that is what the true aficionados do! I suspect that whatever time of day, month or year one visits Abbey Road the scene would always be the same - a good number of folk hanging around paying homage to the fab four.
Whether one's a die-hard Beatles fan or not it's an enjoyable thing to visit this famed London Street. It's quick and easy to get to. The closest underground station is St. John's Wood on the Jubilee line - it's just a few stops north from central London. Upon exiting the tube station stroll along Grove End Road for about 5 minutes and then you'll be there. Also, St. John's Wood happens to be a very pleasant, affluent, leafy residential neighborhood - it's a nice place to check-out.
For my money, excepting The Beatles album, the  most famous LP to be produced at Abbey Road Studios is Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Any arguments? - no, I didn't think so.

A Little Off the Beaten Path

If you like the idea of eating in a river-side restaurant owned by a world-renowned chef, walking three miles or so along a less traveled path besides the Thames and taking in some fascinating history en-route then this may be of interest to you.
England is a small island nation with a big history of maritime trading, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. As far as London is concerned the docklands that served this industry were located to the east of the City of London (let's say to the immediate east of Tower Bridge by the Tower of London). These docklands - that largely fell into disuse in the first part of the 20th century - were located in places such as Wapping, Limehouse and Canning Town in East London. I think it's fair to say that it would not have been advisable for visitors to wander into these rundown, blighted neighborhoods until, perhaps, 25 years ago.
One of the biggest forces that turned this decay around was the truly massive office & residential development known as Canary Wharf. Canary Wharf is located about four miles to the east of Tower Bridge on the north bank of the Thames. From afar it looks like a city within a city. The developers built there because of the acute lack of office space for the financial services industry within the traditional City of London and the availability of extremely large tracts of cheap industrial wasteland close to the hub. With the advent of Canary Wharf large numbers of affluent office workers became a feature of these former dockland areas, and soon the penny dropped that the vast number of abandoned wharehouses that line the river up to the City should undergo 'adaptive re-use' and be renovated as residential lofts.
Lovable chef Gordon Ramsay opened 'The Narrow', a river-side pub located  in Limehouse, several years ago. It's a really fun place check out - the bar is great and the restaurant features typical, high-quality pub grub. Having eaten there I can say that I believe it shares the three characteristic hallmarks of a Ramsay restaurant: the ingredients are first class, the food is cooked to perfection and the price is not too unreasonable (The Narrow is undoubtedly Ramsay's least expensive restaurant and the prices are just a bit above those of a descent London pub). http://www.gordonramsay.com/thenarrow/
Assuming the weather is co-operating, a good way to walk off the carbs after a lunch or dinner is to head back to Tower Bridge on foot. Pick up the signposted 'Thames Path' right outside the pub, head west (away from Canary Wharf) and you can't go wrong. Some of the Path is directly above the riverbank, other parts jog in one block and follow the street behind the wharehouses that front on the river (then quickly it jogs back to the water). The street part is just as interesting as the river as it's sided by former brick-built industrial buildings that are now high-end residential lofts. Their facades, however, haven't changed and the ambiance, particularly at night, is super cool.
About half way back when in Wapping Wall you'll come across another pub, The Prospect of Whitby. I'd say this is a must-visit pub and perfect for a night cap. The Prospect of Whitby is the oldest riverside pub in London and dates back to 1520. It has had many illustrious patrons including Charles Dickens, Samuel Pepys (the famous diarist), and Hanging Judge Jeffreys - there's still a noose hanging out over the Thames. Again the ambiance of the pub does not disappoint. http://www.taylor-walker.co.uk/pub/prospect-of-whitby-wapping/c8166/
Okay, let's talk about the logistics of this excursion. The closest tube station to The Narrow is Limehouse which is on the Docklands Light Rail line (DLR) - this can be accessed from Tower Bridge tube station which is on the District and Circle lines. The pub is about a five minute walk south from the station. I should mention that the area is not particularly gentrified right outside the station but that all changes when one gets about two to three blocks from the river. (If this happens to be a concern to you then perhaps take a taxi from the Tower of London or Tower Bridge). If you keep walking west along the Thames Path after leaving  The Narrow and The Prospect of Whitby you'll end up at Tower Bridge, and therefore Tower Bridge tube station.

Barclays Premier League - a.k.a. the EPL

Some would say the two most important dates in English history are 1066 and 1966. In 1066 the French Duke of Normandy,William the Conqueror, invaded the British Isles landing on the south coast at Hastings; this was the last time Britain was successfully invaded by an overseas force. Exactly nine hundred years later - a coincidence? - England's national football team won the World Cup at Wembley Stadium beating West Germany 4-2 in overtime. This was the first (and last) time England had been world champions in the sport it invented.
The game of football is truly a worldwide phenomena being played in some form in almost every country on the planet. Most professional matches are played by club teams in various leagues such Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga and Argentina's Primera División.
It's probably fair to say, however, that the world's best club soccer is played in England's Barclays Premier League (the EPL), a league that features such legendary teams as Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea (the current reigning European club champions). Due to the international nature of the game the clubs comprise not just home-grown talent but also some of the best players from around the globe.
If you're a football fan and you happen to be visiting in London at any time from August through to May then you're in luck. Twenty clubs around England play in the Premier League, and six of them are located in the greater London area: Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham and West Ham.
Chelsea's stadium (Stamford Bridge on the Fulham Road) is the most centrally located and can be quickly reached by taking the District Line to Fulham Broadway. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium is also easily accessed and is just a few minutes on the Tube north of central London (Arsenal station on the Piccadilly Line). If your hotel is closer to the Tower of London then perhaps a short trip to the east of central London to West Ham (Upton Park Station on the District Line) would be fun. (Factoids: West Ham football ground is about a mile or so away from London's Olympic Stadium, and discussions are currently afoot to possibly permanently relocate the club's home to the former Olympic Stadium. There's also a massive new Westfield Mall right there a Strafford Station!).
Each Premier League team plays 38 games. As with almost everything in London ticket prices are not cheap; obviously they vary but perhaps an average price is around $100. It's worth noting that many of these clubs don't just play Premier League games but also FA Cup matches and European club games as well - it seems as though tickets to some of these other events are somewhat less expensive. If you do decide to take-in a football game while in England it is, of course, strongly recommended that you purchase your tickets well in advance of game day. And a final note for Man U and Liverpool fans: as England is such a compact country it's absolutely do-able to leave London early in the morning and take National Rail to see either of these northern England clubs play a home game and still be back in London that same night. This blogger has done it!
GOOOOOAAAAL....

(1966 World Cup Final - England's captain Bobby Moore celebtrating the victory with teammates)