There are two places I don't like in England - London and the Isle of Wight. In London, there are many things to see that is true, but it is overcrowded.

I am a parisian, I lived in Paris for 19 years, so I know what a big town is.

But in London, that is completely awful, especially when you have to cross oxford street.
I think that London is a strange town it seems like it had no plan when it was built, there is no harmony. Buckingham Palace is not that beautiful, and people can't even see it because of the traffic.

Picadilly circus... To me there is nothing to see, except big adverts, but tourists love that. And I used to go to England for linguistic trips, and so each year we had a day trip to London to see how nice it was. And for 8 years I've seen the same old monuments.

London must be a nice town but only once you've left the crowd. For instance when you go to museums. I went to the British museum, and it was a very interesting visit, there are many things to see, and though it is not as big, it is often compared to le Louvre.
I liked this museum, but I remember I found it quite sad, because of the wallpapers ;-)
One of its great advantage if it still is the case is that it was free, which is a very rare word in England I must say.

The National Gallery too was free (-18) and that is a marvellous museum. First by its location, at Trafalgar Square, then by its works. There are many famous pictures, and some are extremely nice, such as "the execution of Lady Jane Grey", it is a relatively big picture, and the dress is so light, so soft-looking that it seems to be a piece of fabric on the painting. Lady Jane il very well painted, her hands are very precise, though not handsome. Finally, her hair is great, it is as if we were witnessing her death. To me that is the masterpiece of the museum.

Most of the other places are very expensive, and what we find particularl
y strange when we come from France is that you have to pay to visit famous churches. In France, you don't, a church is considered as a holy house, and if you want to enter, you are welcome. You don't pay to visit Notre Dame.

I don't like the tourist-London, but I think there must be a quieter town behind this, and I hope I could see it one day. But as for now, I think it is a too fashionable town, and too shallow to be really interesting.