The Hart Family: Parliment

Day 14 and 15

August 16-17

Wayne and I got up early so we could be at Parliament for a 9:15 tour. I think one of my pictures from the last post is suppose to be on this post. Oh well, it is what it is.

I really enjoyed our tour of Parliament. I learned a lot about the way Britain's government is set up. It is very different from America's government. The governing body is the House of Commons. There are over 600 members. How can that many people make decisions? The room they meet in doesn't even have that many chairs. The queen is not allowed in this room. On Opening Day of Parliament the queen reads a speech that the House of Commons writes for her. Once she is in her throne ready to address Parliament the House of Commons makes her wait. That is their way of saying we are in charge. I was not allowed to take pictures. The House of Lords side is very richly decorated. The House of Commons is nice, but not as ornate. I really enjoyed the tour.

I have always liked looking at Big Ben.

We next walked around Westminster Abby. It is a good thing we had taken a tour last year. The line was way too long. We hadn't looked at this side of the Abby. It is a great looking building.

We continued our walk down Whitehall. As we were approaching Horse Guard we were blocked off by the police. We soon found out why. Horses were coming out so they could trot down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. It was time for the changing of the guard. We didn't see the changing of the guard but we did see the horses. We walked through the Admiralty Arch and then down The Mall. This is how the Mall is decorated.

We came across these two statues of the King and Queen. They are the Queen's mom and dad.

At the end of The Mall is Buckingham Palace. I had fun taking pictures as Wayne rested.

Once we were through with Buckingham Palace we strolled through St. James Park. We came across this little cottage. I think it has been the caretaker's place.