Parliament Buildings

Honestly, I think that one of the coolest things we saw was the Parliament Building in London. First of all, we finally got to see the famous Big Ben and Victoria Tower. We always see pictures of this building, but I think it was very cool to finally see the inside, with its ornate architecture and rich history. I thought it was very interesting to see just how similar the structure of the legislative branches of England and the United States are -we both have a two house system with a lower and upper house. Also, each house is split into different sections: one for the government and one for the opposition, much like the Congressional houses are split for democrats and republicans. The many different rituals and traditions that take place during Parliamentary sessions is fascinating, like how the Queen is not allowed to enter the House of Commons and how MPs must always "toe the line" during debates. I also found the fact that each house is represented by a different color: the House of Commons is decked out in green even though no one seems to know why, where as the House of Lords is decked out in red, which represents the royal nature of the House of Lords. I also liked how they tried to preserve some aspects of their history in the building, such as the archway that was built out of the rubble from the destruction caused by the German Blitzkrieg during World War II. All in all, I think that this was one of the major highlights of our trip; one that we will never forget.

Cheers,
Dave Gravel