The funniest people in our tour group were these two French boys - one was carrying a giant bottle of Dr. Pepper and the other was holding a change of dress clothes and a box of chocolates. I think they missed the French tour group...I wasn't quite sure what possessed them to bring their strange objects into the Houses of Parliament, but after the tour they ran off, so they must have had something exciting to do. My biggest regret of the day was not asking them (in French) what they were up to...
I really enjoyed the tour. The Gothic Revival architecture (the Houses of Parliament burned down in 1834 and had to be rebuilt) was beautiful on the inside and outside.
(Rabia outside the Houses of Parliament)
(Entrance to Houses of Parliament)
(Statue of Oliver Cromwell that welcomed us to the Houses of Parliament)
(Closest we've ever been to Big Ben - inside the gates of The Houses of Parliament)
Great Britain is still a constitutional monarchy (it has been since the 17th century) with Queen Elizabeth II as the head monarch and Conservative David Cameron as Prime Minister. The Parliament is split into the House of Commons and The House of Lords (the Sovereign has a role as well of course). The House of Commons consists of democratically elected officials and has the job of making laws and checking the work of the government. Traditionally, the House of Lords consists of members of the upper class who inherit their positions in Parliament. This has been slowly changing to better reflect a democracy, but reform in the House of Lords is certainly not complete. Liz told us that positions have been reduced to positions for life versus inherited positions that stay in families for generations. Nowadays, members of the House of Lords are appointed by the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Some members are still internally elected and a small number of Church of England archbishops and bishops are Members.
Parliament and government in the UK are separate institutions that work together. The government is formed by the leader of the party that wins a majority in the general election (the Sovereign asks the leader to form this government). The party leader is appointed Prime Minister. The government's job is running the country, implementing policy, and drafting laws, while Parliament checks the government's work, makes and amends laws, and represents the people.
We started our tour in the House of Lords. The rooms were very ornate and filled with portraits and structures covered in gold leaf. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were very prominent (portraits, statues, etc.) because the rebuilding process occurred during Victoria's reign (r. 1837-1901). There were two great paintings showing war heroes in the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Waterloo (when the British finally beat Napoleon in 1815, ending his world dominance). The French boys were giggling when she talked about this, especially when she said that the French killed Horatio Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar. Awkward.
In comparison to the House of Lords, the House of Commons was very plain. We went through rooms that had statues and busts of past Prime Ministers (yes, Margaret Thatcher made an appearance) as well as MPs' message boxes. We saw David Cameron's message box!
The MPs face each other in debate (one main party on each side - smaller parties pick a side), which I thought was very proper and the way debate should be. The Speaker of the House presides over meetings and is supposed to be non-partisan - he relinquishes petty party politics upon assuming his role. I was impressed by this as well.
(Across the street from Big Ben - check out the London Eye!)
(You know what it is...;)
(A typical sight in London)
(Where the Prime Minister lives!)
(Tube before our next stop)
After our tour and lunch, we headed to Camden Town, a melting pot of styles and cultures. There was something for everyone there: tattoo and piercing salons, tourist shops, retro clothes market stalls, dessert shops, ethnic food stalls that released a mixture of pungent odors, and more. It was such a drastic difference from our morning location and rather enjoyable. There was also an over abundance of gothic people - I guess it was their ideal hangout. Khala told me that Amy Winehouse frequented Camden town...she was a little rough around the edges too.
(Some shots from Camden Town)
(Yes...deep-fried Mars candy bars - even in England...eeew)
We took the bus back to South Kensington. There is nothing like sitting at the top of a double decker bus and riding through the streets of London - at some points it feels like a roller coaster. I thought we were about to hit several poles before the bus driver made sharp turns.
I collapsed in bed after such and exciting day. I woke up for dinner with Khala, while Rabia met up with an Emory friend. We are watching TV right now and "Black and Yellow" by Wiz Khalia just came on. Pittsburgh must miss us. Stonehenge tomorrow!
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