Monday 23rd July 2007

Houses of Parliament

British Museum

Covent Garden

On the coach into London for a tour around both Houses of Parliament this morning.  We have been lucky enough to have a look around this centre of politics and we are ushered in at the Sovereign's Entrance and then proceed through airport style security to begin our tour.  Spilt into four groups we are allocated a guide who in our case was a great guy called Alex Macqueen who also happens to be in a satirical political show on the BBC called 'The Thick of It'.  Just shows that actors can appear anywhere - even showing a bunch of US kids around Parliament!  We had a superb tour around and plenty of questions were asked.  The House of Lords looked magnificent with its red leather seats and set amidst Augustus Pugin's lavish gothic design.  We went into the House of Commons and stood where Gordon Brown leads the government and learnt about the history behind one of the most famous buildings in the world.

Out of Parliament and lunch and then a short coach ride to The British Museum in Bloomsbury.  The museum houses a fantastic collection of historical artefacts from the earliest times.  The collection was begun by Sir Hans Sloane in 1753 and the collection grows each year. In just a short time you cannot hope to see all the museum has to offer so you have to be specific and the best bet is to head for the Ancient Greek, Roman or Egyptian sections.  Perhaps one of the most famous exhibits are The Elgin Marbles taken from the Parthenon in Athens in the 18th century and kept in the British Museum ever since.  These are the stone friezes that surrounded the temple, depicting the battle between the Satyrs and the Lapiths.  It is an amazing sight.  There are many highlights and one can lose oneself in the magnificence of the place.  The Great Court is a wonder in itself as it is covered by a huge glass and steel roof designed by Sir Norman Foster.  It is the largest covered courtyard in Europe.

After the museum we walked to the centre of street entertainment and shops and theatre - Covent Garden.  A little time was had to spend some pounds and we boarded the coach at the end of the day with lots to remember from a great day.