Better known as the stadium that hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics as well as the Paralympics, the Olympic Park of Stratford is a spectacular site with its famous circular contours rising well above clusters of tall bushes and trees and shrubs. This magnificent creation that impresses one even from a distance owing to its huge proportions that can accommodate a crowd of up to 80,000, is located about 10 km away from Central London, at Marshgate Lane in the district of Stratford in what is known as Lower Lea Valley.

The development of the stadium which is now known as the third largest stadium in England began in 2007 with the land development aspect, while official construction began in 2008. The renowned architectural firm ‘Populous’ that has made a name for designing sports venues has produced the blueprint of the stadium which took up to 4 years for completion and held its first official event in 2012. The stadium has been constantly placed alongside the Beijing Olympic Stadium for comparisons and has been both praised and criticized in multiple aspects.

Best known simply as the Olympic Stadium, its most memorable events were the 2012 Summer Olympics where it held both opening and closing ceremonies together with the track and field events. It was also the venue for the Paralympics. Since then the venue which has been considered to be a superb example in environmental sustainability and has reduced its seating capacity by removing the top layer of a temporary lightweight steel and concrete made upper tier. Some of the facilities that the venue boasts of include its nine lane 400 metre Mondo athletic track, 60 metre indoor sprint track, and other facilities for lectures, conferences, etc.

In a busy and cosmopolitan city like London, a wellness retreat is a concept that appeals to many whose chaotic and stressful lifestyle can get an immense boost from such a soothing escape. COMO Shambhala is a world renowned name that has made its presence felt in the industry of hospitality in the form of luxurious retreats and urban escapes and its appearance in London was much welcomed. Metropolitan by COMO in London is an urban escape that offers luxurious spa therapies of international standards for a vast range of visitors and residents of the city. With stylish rooms together with a gym as well as facilities for yoga, this amazing venue holds a premier place among the health and wellness retreats in the city of London.

Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.

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