Westminster Abbey and Parliament

The plan for Tuesday was to arrive at the hotel, leave our bags, go sightseeing, and come back in the afternoon to check in. When we got to the hotel they said our room was ready since it was empty the night before. Pretty dangerous, since we were both very tired and I was afraid I might give in to the temptation to nap. But that would go against my father's mandate that the only way to get over jet lag is to stay up until a "normal" bedtime in that time zone. So Chris and I decided on 8pm. I am not sure when the last time I went to sleep at 8pm was, but I it is a normal bedtime for some, and it was going to be tough enough to make it to that time (and I'll spoil things a bit for you - we did not make it).

So after we left the room, we went to find breakfast. On top of being tired, we were both very hungry, and we had to last for 11 hours before we could sleep. I am glad we didn't have to interact much with other people, because neither of us were that much fun to be around - especially a few hours later after 4+ miles of walking. We each ate a hearty breakfast which definitely made me feel better, at least for a while. Then we walked to Buckingham Palace, which is a little less than a mile from our hotel. From Buckingham Palace we walked down the Mall and through St. James's Park to Whitehall and to see 10 Downing Street.

While at Buckingham Palace, Chris pointed out that their is not as much security as you'd think there would be to guard the Queen. I can see his point, even though I said that there is probably a lot of security that you can't see, too. He said that at the White House, or in the U.S. in general, the security is much more "in your face." I definitely agree on that point.

10 Downing, and actually all of Downing Street, is much more guarded than Buckingham Palace - I guess the Prime Minister has more enemies than the Queen! (I'd like to think that it isn't because he is more important).

Downing Street, completely locked down, with tourists peering in from Whitehall.

After Downing Street, we walked down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster (Parliament). Parliament was not yet open to the public for the day (we couldn't believe it was only 10am!). We were told that they open at 1:30pm, but we'd probably be standing in line for an hour. That did not sound appealing to me at all. Luckily, Chris agreed. They told us that Parliament would be in session until 10pm that night, so if we wanted to come back in the evening, at around 8, it probably wouldn't be crowded and we could go right in. This is when the nap concept really came to the forefront. We knew we would need sleep if we wanted to visit Parliament at 8pm. So we discussed sightseeing for a few more hours and then maybe going back and napping and going back out at 8pm to see Parliament. Then reality set in, we knew that if we went to sleep we wouldn't want to get back up to venture out again. I said that I would, but Chris said he didn't think I would.

Westminster Abbey

We then walked across the street to Westminster Abbey and paid the 12 pounds to visit. Free audio tours are available. My reaction was "oh, that is nice, free!" and then realized I just paid about $18 to get in. The narrator of the audio guide was Jeremy Irons, and in general I thought it was a good thing to have while wandering about (the audio guide, not Jeremy Irons' voice).

I don't remember visiting Westminster Abbey before, at least not in my more recent trips to London. The audio guide was useful - I like to learn about the place I am visiting but am not a big fan of guided tours because I like to go at my own pace.

I kept noticing these tacky flower arrangements all over the Abbey, and was trying to figure out why they'd have decorations like that everywhere. Occasionally I saw an arrangement that wasn't so bad, but most of the time I didn't think very highly of the decorations. Eventually, I started to see people actually arranging flowers in some restricted areas of the Abbey, which seemed odd. Turns out, there is a flower arranging competition and the different competitors were setting up their areas. I wondered how they could afford to have all these fresh flowers brought in on a regular basis.

Once an hour Westminster Abbey holds a moment of prayer. After the moment of prayer (which is done via loudspeaker) it was announced that a few visitors could enter the Shrine of Edward the Confessor, which is closed to the public, but they have a once daily service in the shrine. Chris and I happened to be standing right next to the stairs leading the the Shrine, so we got to be one of perhaps eight or 10 visitors to the Abbey that got to enter the Shrine that day. We were told that it is one of the most sacred parts of the Abbey, and is the reason the Abbey as it exists today was built. We got to kneel in the original niches where pilgrims who were ill used to come through the centuries to pray for a cure.

After the Shrine, we continued on through the Abbey and saw the graves of Elizabeth I and her half-sister Mary (they are buried together, even though only a likeness of Elizabeth is present). There is also the spot where Oliver Cromwell was buried (he was dug up and "posthumously executed" when the monarchy was restored in England). Many others of importance are buried in the Abbey. While in Poet's Corner I was walking around looking at all the monuments and busts and engravings for those who are buried or memorialized there, and looked down and realized I was standing on the grave of Robert Adam, the Scottish architect I wrote a 20 page term paper on in my "18th Century Britain" history class my senior year at Penn.

We did a lot of walking/wandering through the Abbey and finally made it to the College Garden, which is only open three days a week. It was a very peaceful spot to sit and relax. It was also one of the few places in the Abbey where you could take photos.

In the College Gardens (do I look tired??)

After the Abbey and some food, we decided to head back to the hotel and nap since we were both pretty exhausted. The nap turned into a bit of a marathon nap (or maybe, just sleep - I think anything over a few hours might not be considered a nap anymore). I woke up at 7:30pm and decided to be stubborn and go to Parliament. Chris declined, and kept sleeping. Basically, my stubbornness won out over my tiredness. It was a great time for photos, too, so I got some good shots of the Palace of Westminster and the surrounding area.

The London Eye and County Hall, from the Westminster Bridge.

There was no line to get into Parliament, and I was able to see both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. I even got to see a vote in the House of Commons! The outside of the Palace is breathtaking, as is the main hall, but the House of Commons itself was nothing spectacular, and pretty small, too. The House of Lords was much more ornate but still small. It was more interesting to see the Parliament in session than the building itself, anyway. I asked one of the House of Commons Doorkeepers to tell me about the voting system, since it wasn't in any of the information I got while there. He told me that the MPs go stand in a lobby designated for whichever side they are voting and are manually counted. First they do a "voice vote" though, and I guess the speaker decides if it is close and then they have the "division" vote (what I described above). I heard several voice votes - one in which there were no "nays," therefore a division was not necessary. It was interesting to hear the voice votes, because they shout there "ayes" or "nays" which I assume stems from the fact that the presiding officer announces the result of the voice vote, and only then, if the voice vote is unclear or if there is a challenge, then a division follows. So I assume the shouting comes from trying to make it sound like either side of the vote is louder so they can win the vote without a division. I assume though, that anytime it is close they do a division, but I don't know that for certain (it seems like it would make sense, though!)

For additional photos of our trip to London so far, click here.