Things to Do in Windsor & Eton

Hagia Sophia (or Aya Sofya) is one of the world’s most beautiful buildings, built to be the world’s largest place of worship by Emperor Justinian in 532 AD. 

The church became a Mosque under the Ottomans, and its mosaics and decoration were plastered over. They have been successively revealed since the 1930s, when the building was declared a museum by Turkey’s legendary ruler, Atatürk.

The Hagia Sophia’s golden mosaics are rivaled only by Ravenna’s, and its design was the inspiration for the basilica of San Marco in Venice.

The huge complex is a riot of domes and minarets, focusing on the huge central dome which for centuries was unrivaled as an architectural masterpiece.

Inside, the lofty interior is a soaring sequence of domed and arched spaces, centering on the shell-like apse and the massive dome, which seems to float unsupported and gives the church its amazing sense of space.

Spanning more than 310 miles (500 km) at about 0.62 miles (1 km) wide, the Han River (Hangang) is one of the most important rivers in South Korea. A full-on tourism destination, a warm or even brisk day affords you the chance to explore the well-groomed pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths. Take the kids around as visitors and locals alike enjoy the soothing ambiance of the river beside while jogging, fishing or just hanging out in one of its many cafes. If you are so inclined you can even jet ski.

The Hangang Park also has playgrounds if you just want to sit and relax while the kids use up some energy. Unfortunately there are no real restaurants, but it is still a great place to picnic with the family or a loved one. One of the more popular things to do here is to take a boat cruise for a relaxing ride around, or for special occasions, boats can be booked a night soiree. 

There are several subway lines that will cross the river depending on where you are and where along the river you want to go. For a lovely nighttime stroll, get out at the Yeouinaru Subway and go directly to the Cascade shown on the directional map at the entrance of the park. Otherwise, if you are looking for a little exercise, you can rent bikes for the day for about $5 at a few easily accessible locations that also offer drop-off points.

Often losing out to the grandeur of London’s Royal Parks, Hampstead Heath remains the underdog of the city’s tourist attractions, but Londoners flock to enjoy the park’s unkempt charms.  

The park encompasses 791 acres of natural countryside, stretching from Hampstead to Highgate in North London and provides a change to the manicured gardens and pristine flowerbeds of the inner city. Here, kite flyers add a splash of color to the vast grasslands, dog walkers weave among shaded woodlands and the windswept meadows have provided the backdrop to films like Notting Hill, as well as inspiring C.S.Lewis’ famous novel ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’. The most famous spot on the heath is the iconic Parliament Hill, where the incredible panoramic view from the summit is renowned as one of the capital’s best lookouts. The view takes in the entire London skyline, with the Thames River, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard and Buckingham Palace all visible.

A number of walks run through the Heath and one of the most popular is the walk between Parliament Fields Hill and North London’s other famed peak, Primrose Hill. Make sure you stop along the way at the grand Kenwood House with its beautiful 18th-century gardens and the renowned Highgate Cemetery, where Karl Marx is famously buried. The park’s public swimming pools also draw in the masses, with the three ponds crammed with sun-seekers in the summer months and hosting freezing-cold swim-a-thons in the winter months.

Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Hanging Church, which is still in use, is called the Hanging or Suspended Church as it is built on top of the Water Gate of Roman Babylon. Steep stairs lead from the forecourt to a 19th -century façade topped by twin bell towers. Beyond is a small inner courtyard, usually filled with sellers of taped liturgies and videos of the Coptic pope, Shenouda III.

The interior of this 9th-century (some say 7th-century) church, renovated many times throughout the centuries, has three barrel-vaulted, wooden-roofed aisles. Ivory-inlaid screens hide the three haikal s (altar areas), but in front of them, raised on 13 slender pillars that represent Christ and his disciples, is a fine pulpit used only on Palm Sunday. One of the pillars, darker than the rest, is said to symbolize Judas. In the baptistry, off to the right, a panel has been cut out of the floor revealing the Water Gate below. From here there is a good view of one of the gate's twin towers.