Home to over 8 million people, the capital of the UK has been an important financial, educational, and cultural center for hundreds of years.

有八百萬的居民住在這裡做為英國的首都，倫敦數百年來都是重要的經濟、 教育和文化之都

Of the many gifts England has given to the world, none has been greater than her language and literature.

對世界也有著舉足輕重的地位在語言和文化方面，沒有其他城市足以和它媲美

And if ever there's a city that reads like an epic saga, it's London.

如果有哪個城市可以讀起來像是一首史詩，那就是倫敦

The story of London began in the Bronze Age,

倫敦的歷史起源於青銅器時代

but it didn't really get going until the Romans withdrew in the 5th century.

但是一直沒有正式開始，直到羅馬人在西元第五世紀撤退後

Growing into one of the great medieval trading cities,

並且在中世紀崛起成為最偉大的貿易城市之一

she truly came of age in the 11th century,

真正臻於成熟則是在十一世紀

when William the Conqueror built the Tower of London,

征服者威廉 蓋了倫敦塔橋

which was to become one of England's grimmest prisons.

塔橋後來還一度變成英國最恐怖的監獄

London is very easy to navigate around,

倫敦非常地好逛

and is compact enough to explore on foot.

因為它夠小巧，所以光是徒步就行了

This world city is filled with iconic symbols,

這個世界之都充斥了象徵性的圖騰

and one of the most easily recognizable is Tower Bridge,

其中最容易辨識的就是倫敦塔橋

an impressive reminder of London's rapid expansion during the industrial revolution.

是一個令人印象鮮明的印記，代表著倫敦在工業革命時期的快速擴充

Just upriver, at the Houses of Parliament,

沿著泰晤士河的上游走，在國會大廈

Big Ben's reassuring chimes peal across the city every hour, on the hour.

大笨鐘固定整點報時的鳴鐘聲會響徹這個城市

Buckingham Palace, perhaps the most famous palace in the world,

白金漢宮也許是世上最有名的宮殿，

is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth.

它是伊麗莎白女皇的官方住所

It's a popular London attraction, offering tours of staterooms and gardens.

是倫敦一個很受歡迎的觀光景點，謁見廳和御花園都可以參觀

Nearby, Kensington Palace is open to the public year-round.

這幾年，肯辛頓宮也開放讓民眾進去了

The palace and gardens will be remembered

這個宮殿和花園最值得一提的就是

as the home of Princess Di and Prince Charles,

它曾是黛安娜王妃和查理王子的居所

and have recently undergone a multimillion-pound refurbishment.

而且最近花費了超過百萬英鎊的整修費用

Another legacy of England's monarchy are the Royal Parks of London.

另外一個君主政治所留下的禮物則是倫敦的皇家公園

They were once reserved as private hunting grounds for the royal family,

這些景點過去僅作為貴族私人的狩獵場使用

but nowadays they're open for everyone to enjoy.

但是今天也開放給一般民眾使用了

There are eight Royal Parks, and many of them are in central London,

倫敦有八個皇家公園，而且絕大多數都位於市中心

and close to royal palaces and other historic monuments.

鄰近皇宮和其他的富含歷史價值的紀念碑

Green Park and St. James's Park are right next to

綠的公園和詹姆斯爵士公園就在

Buckingham Palace, Admiralty Arch and The Mall.

白金漢宮旁邊，海軍拱門和林蔭路旁邊

Hyde Park is perhaps the most famous with its man-made lake, The Serpentine,

海德公園最出名的可能是它的人造湖。而 蛇型藝廊

and on the other side, Kensington Gardens is a beautiful open expanse

以及另一端免費開放的美麗景點 肯辛頓花園則是

that stretches east towards Kensington Palace.

面東朝向肯辛頓宮

The Albert Memorial is at the southern end of Kensington Gardens,

亞伯特紀念碑在肯辛頓花園南邊的末端

and the striking bronze statue looks towards the Royal Albert Hall

這個青銅塑像朝向亞伯特紀念館

just across the road.

只要穿越馬路就可以到了

The hall is yet another reminder of Queen Victoria's

這個紀念館紀念的是 維多利亞女王

great love for her husband, Prince Albert.

最摯愛的丈夫，亞伯特親王

Many of London's greatest stories have begun in her houses of worship,

許多倫敦的豐功偉業都是開創於維多利亞女王的任內

and none is so impressive and important as Westminster Abbey.

其中最重要並且廣為人知的就是西敏寺

This is where kings and queens have been crowned, married and even buried.

歷任的國王、女王都是在這裡接受加冕和舉辦婚禮，甚至死後也是長眠於此

London was rebuilt after The Great Fire in 1666,

倫敦在1666年的大火後重建

and St. Paul's Cathedral is the most enduring monument to the city's transformation.

對倫敦的城市風貌來說，聖保羅大教堂可以說是最歷久不衰的了

It's a great testament to British strength and resilience.

這對英國人的生命力和恢復力來說是一個很好的證明

The West End in central London is a story in itself.

位於倫敦市中心的西區有它自己的風格

Here the streets are lined with ancient buildings,

這裡的街道兩旁林立了歷史悠久的建築物

but the throngs of people are out to have fun.

不過很多人還是都外出尋樂去了

By day, the charming boutiques and cafés hum with shoppers,

白天的時候，迷人的精品店和咖啡廳擠滿了人潮

and by night the bars along Carnaby Street are packed

到了晚上，沿著卡納比街的酒吧裡則是充斥著

with patrons enjoying pre-show drinks.

打算在音樂劇開演前來喝一杯的客人

This is one of the largest theater districts in the world.

倫敦西區可以說是世界上最大的音樂劇場區之一

And at times it can feel like you're on a Monopoly board,

而且有時候你會覺得自己就像是站在「大富翁」的遊戲版圖上

with Coventry Street, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus all close by.

柯芬特里街、特拉法加廣場和皮卡迪里圓環都在隔壁的格子裡，一步就到了

Moving away from the historic center,

離開倫敦市中心這個歷史悠久的區域

London's trendy suburbs offer a different kind of story.

移動到倫敦時尚的郊區也別有一番風味

The Portobello Road Markets in Notting Hill attract thousands of visitors,

在諾丁丘的波多貝羅市集吸引了成千上萬的觀光客

especially to the antiques markets that's held on Saturdays,

尤其是每周六的骨董市集

while the edgier Camden Town features six popular markets

而比較靠近倫敦邊緣的肯頓鎮則是有六個頗受歡迎的市集

that are open every day of the week,

是每天都有開放的

and operate along her streets, the canal, and in her historic stables.

市集沿著街道、運河，以及在歷史悠久的馬廄裡擺攤

London is a city that honors not only her own story,

倫敦的榮耀不僅是在於城市本身歷經了歷史的洗禮

but also the story of humankind.

也是由於它記錄了人類發展的脈絡軌跡

The British Museum is one of the finest in the world,

大英博物館是世上最棒的博物館之一

and her treasures cover thousands of years of history and number in the millions.

它所展示的寶物涵蓋了好幾千，甚至好幾萬年前的歷史

The museum is open every day, and best of all, it's free.

大英博物館不但每天都開放，而且最棒的是，入場是免費的 (採 自由捐贈制)

From the ancient to the modern,

從古至今

The London Eye offers a complete change of pace and perspective.

倫敦眼則是提供遊客一種截然不同的步調和視角

The massive wheel is over 400 feet high,

這個摩天輪有400英呎高

and takes 30 minutes to complete one rotation.

必須花上30分鐘才能繞完一圈

From here you can see the London of old,

從這裡你可以瞭望到古倫敦的遺跡

as well as some of the city's newest additions, all in air-conditioned comfort.

正如同這個城市部分最新的設施，摩天輪上全部都有舒適的空調設備

London will always be a city that looks towards

倫敦總是一個

the past and the future in equal measure.

回顧過去，同時展望未來的城市

From 'Rule Britannia' to 'Cool Britannia',

從「有紀律的不顛塔尼」(英國的海軍軍歌，象徵大航海時代的輝煌)，轉型到「不顛塔尼，酷啦」(國家品牌形象運動，用文創的手法行銷英國)

the fabric and the skyline of this city is forever turning over a new page.

倫敦的建築和城市天際線總是不斷地推層出新

Which is, after all, what every great story should do.

畢竟嘛，偉大的城市就該如此