First Thing ... London

First Thing is a little series I do from time to time wherein I ask my fellow twitter followers to speak their mind when I ask them about the first thing that comes to their mind as I mention a specific city.
With the Olympic fever at its pinnacle it was only apt that I asked everyone about London. I must say some of the answers surprised me, while others glorified the iconic nature of the city.
Here is what some of the Twitteratti had to say...
@RozD - "Janita (my best friend who lives there) :-)"
@Minkaro - "Big Ben"
@LGrima - "Bloody tourists"
@PensPaperToo - "Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine and the Science Museum. Fun, fun, fun"
@sudhagee - "English Literature come alive, museums, culture, art, parks... freedom"
@nuts4r2 - "Rainy streets"
@momsfilms - "Buckingham Palace"
@meetneo - "The ferris wheel. I think it's called London Eye?"
@a_henna - "The first thing that comes to mind is Primark Oxford St. as I was there every week! I didn't shop as much as I would have loved to but the next time I visit London, my first stop is going to be Primark :D"
@love-cinema - "Strangely, lots of things come to mind at once. Tower, Parliament, double-deckers. Probably, because I've been taught lots of cultural and political stuff about the country and London"
@askimrach - "Shopping"
@ParedesPhoto - "London has been gripped by Olympic fever so it's an exciting time to be here with so much happening" @travelsofadam - "Sexy accents and classy men in trendy clothes, a la Clive Owen"
@connvoyage - "rain"
As for me, London is definitely about the iconic monuments like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Bridge, but it is also one of the shopping capitals of the world. The city is famous for those three words... "Mind The Gap" and traveling in the subway during rush hour is an adventurous experience of its own kind.
The following weeks will see London infused with individuals from all walks of life as it hosts the biggest sports tournament of the world. As much as it is a test for the city, it is also a great time for the locals to showcase everything special that makes London one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the world.   Note: All the photos are courtesy of London based Family and Events Photographer Peter Parades. They are available for sale from his website www.ParedesPhotography.com and if you are on Facebook you can see his photographs appear in your news feed by becoming a "fan" here