Saturday, May 18, 2013

Saturday: Houses of Parliament and a bit of shopping!

Today, we were given a tour of Houses of Parliament, it was a really beautiful building with a lot history!
Oliver Cromwell statue outside Houses of Parliament
 A view from the line going into Houses of Parliament
 
Inside the oldest section of Houses of Parliament
 
We couldn't take pictures any further than the one above, but we went through the Queen's dressing room. It was very extravagant room, decorated from top to bottom. There were important portraits of past Queens and Kings, with crests and shields of families all around.  Portraits of royalty was everywhere and paintings of important events and battles were on the walls, there was so much to take in. When we arrived in the House of Lords the first thing you see is the Queens thrown which is breathtaking, it is gold encrusted and very beautiful. You almost feel the power and royalty. Our tour guide was very fun and had a great sense of humor, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The room was full of red as well, which he explained was the more expensive color during the building. The House of Commons was green in color, which he explained was the cheapest but this section of the building is relatively new because of a fire that burnt this part to the ground. He explained the separation of the two and how the Queen doesn't have a lot of power and the House of Commons can doesn't necessarily have to listen to the Queen. The Black Rod man is a man who travels between the two houses and must knock after the door is shut on him to be let in, all the while the Queens watches. He said the Queen has never stepped in the House of Commons nor will she ever. This tour was really interesting and full of history, the building itself was beautiful and I could have spent a long time just staring at the décor.
 
After we finished the tour we decided to go to a place in London called Camden Town. This was very interesting place and reminded me a bit of a swap meet, with a lot of products being sold on the street and then people hassling you into buying or offering you deals. It made for some good shopping for souvenirs  and just about anything really. We ate at a Japanese restaurant which was pretty good as well, a little different from the China House and Beijing Gardens. One of the best parts is watching all the strange people that inhabit this area, very, very, interesting individuals are out there. Tomorrow we have a full day in Bath, so I will probably be behind on the blogging!

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