Just another day in paradise

On Saturday we were scheduled for a tour of parliament. Parliament is considered to be the palace of Westminster and was an amazing sight. The building was originally the home of kings and queens and has been the home of parliament for nearly 500 years. If any of you are wondering what parliament does, it is considered to be the law making authority in the UK and is also known as the legislature. When on our tour we entered a room that was the queen’s dressing room which was amazing for simply a place where she only goes to put on her crown and make her way into the next room. In the House of Lords the queen has a thrown and it looks like it is made of solid gold (although it’s not, we asked) but It was an amazing sight and it was interesting to see how her chair is raised slightly higher than her husband’s seat as to show that she is above all. Just a little side note we were informed that if the queen really wanted to she could execute people for no reason and get away with it “legally” because she is above the law. Not that she would ever do that but just an interesting thought.

 

Another interesting thing that was mentioned on this tour was the fact that Obama was one of the speakers at parliament and he is one of only three people who have been given the privilege to speak in Westminster Hall and that is considered to be a great honor here. We were also informed that a poll was given in London after his re election in the U.S to see what his approval rate was and he had a 95% approval rate in the UK which I was informed is very close to the same approval rating that the queen has, Crazy right? Unfortunately we were unable to take any pictures of parliament after we exited Westminster Hall but hopefully this gives you a little insight to the beauty that building holds

 

 

After touring Parliament Laura, Chelsea, Jonathan and I took off for Camden Town. Camden Town seemed like a whole different world from the areas we had been in. It was a very punk rock kind of area with tons and tons of shops and food venders and really really cheap trinkets and tourist shops. It’s safe to say I bought friends and family some things. Also this area reminded me a lot of when I went to Mexico because everyone was willing to deal for the price. I found a hoodie I really liked but they wanted almost 40 pounds and by the time that I walked out the door he was offering me the hoodie for 10 pounds. It was a rather fun time.