Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES
Australian High Commission
Australia House, Strand 020 7379 4334,
www.uk.embassy.gov.au
;
Temple tube.
Canadian High Commission
1 Grosvenor
Square 020 7528 6600,
www.unitedkingdom.gc.ca
; Bond Street.
Irish Embassy
17
Grosvenor Place 020 7235 2171,
www.embassyofireland.co.uk
;
Hyde Park Corner.
New Zealand High Commission
New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket 020 7930 8422,
www.nzembassy.com
;
Piccadilly Circus.
South African High Commission
South
Africa House, Trafalgar Square 020 7451 7299,
www.southafricahouseuk.com
;
Charing Cross.
US Embassy
24 Grosvenor Square 020 7499 9000,
lon-
don.usembassy.gov
;
Bond Street.
FOOTBALL
Over the decades, London's most successful club by far has been
Arsenal
( 020 7619
5000,
www.arsenal.com
). However, since the arrival of Russian oil tycoon Roman
Abramovich, fellow London club
Chelsea
( 020 7835 6000,
www.chelseafc.com
)
have
had a resurgence, winning the league three times in the last ten years. Chelsea's closest
rivals (geographically) are
Fulham
( 0843 208 1222,
www.fulhamfc.com
), while Arsen-
al's are
Tottenham Hotspur
( 0844 499 5000,
www.tottenhamhotspur.com
). East Lon-
don's premier club is
West Ham
( 020 8548 2748,
www.whufc.com
). Tickets for most
Premier League games start at £40-50 and are virtually impossible to get hold of on a casu-
al basis, though you may be able to see one of the Cup fixtures. A better bet is to head to
one of London's numerous, less illustrious clubs such as
Crystal Palace
(
www.cpfc.co.uk
)
,
Millwall
(
www.millwallfc.co.uk
)
or
Charlton Athletic
(
cafc.co.uk
).
GAY AND LESBIAN TRAVELLERS
London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard ( 0300 330 0630,
www.llgs.org.uk
) has a huge
database of everything you might ever want to know, plus legal advice and counselling.
Lines are open 24hr: keep trying if you can't get through.
HEALTH
For minor complaints, pharmacists, known as
chemists
in England, can dispense a limited
range of drugs without a doctor's prescription. Most pharmacies are open standard shop
hours, though some stay open later: Zafash, 233-235 Old Brompton Rd, SW5 ( 020 7373
2798; Earl's Court), is open 24 hours; while Bliss, at 5-6 Marble Arch, W1 020 7723
6116 ( Marble Arch), is open daily 9am till midnight. Every police station keeps a list of
late-opening pharmacies.
If there's an emergency, you can turn up at the
Accident and Emergency
(A&E) depart-
ment of your local hospital, or phone for an ambulance ( 999). A&E services are free to
all. You can also go to a
Minor Injuries Clinic
such as the one at St Bartholomew's Hos-
