Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
crown as one of the world's major powers and destinations, while looking over her
sovereign past.
The Shard, by architect
Renzo Piano,
is the pinnacle, literally, of the postmodern
architecture that has swept Britain. Other examples in London include the
Lloyd's
building
by
Richard Rogers,
30 St. Mary Axe, dubbed the
“Gherkin”
by Sir Nor-
man Foster, and
Canary Wharf Tower (One Canada Square)
, by
César Pelli.
It's not the only way that England and Wales have
changed dramatically in recent years. Once they were
known for drab hotels and even drabber food, but the
invention and imagination—always evident in art, music,
and design—have now spread into where we stay and
what we eat. A hotel will be opening high in The Shard,
and it will look down over Borough Market, London's
trendiest spot dealing in posh, organic, locally sourced
food. The hotel will also have views over the City, the
country's financial heart, which has caused more than
a few heartaches for its role in the global financial
crash.
The economic downturn has seriously affected
employment, lifestyle, and attitudes. The govern-
ment, a coalition between the right-wing Conserva-
tives and the marginally less-so Liberal Democrats,
is cutting services, from health to road-mending,
while increasing taxes. The vibrant cultural life
enjoyed is being pressurised as, for example, the
arts, humanities, and education struggle for fund-
ing. The English and Welsh are practical people—
empiricists; however, as the cuts bite, their
frustration at how this affects their daily life,
infrastructure, and creative freedom is beginning
to manifest itself. The riots in England of August
2011 have been the cause of much national soul-
searching. Meanwhile, the previous political
governing party is happy to lie low, given that
Prime Minister David Cameron is never going to
be popular and could lead his party out of power
as soon as the next election (likely in 2014). The
implications of News International's phone-
hacking scandal—forcing the closure of the
News of the World
after 168 years—could yet
prove far reaching, and change the political
and media landscape.
Abnormal weather in parts of the world on
which Britain depends for staples, such as
flour and grain, has pushed shop prices
higher. And the cost of gas (petrol), already
at record levels because of huge levels of
taxation (more than $7 for a U.S. gallon), is
soaring due to unrest in the Middle East.
2
The Shard
