Pictures of Big Ben and Westminster Palace/ Houses of Parliament
So this past weekend was probably the best and most jammed packed one I had thus far!! It started out by having a field trip on Friday and that brings me to this post about my past two trips I had. Last Thursday I went to the Museum of Brands, Packaging, and Advertising in Notting Hill for my Marketing class. It was pretty small, but it had over 12,ooo original items from the past; covering the Victorian era til today. The exhibits reflect how daily lives have changed over the years, the unimaginable revolution in shopping habits and the things we buy. There was stuff from the star wars era and of course the Spice girl items and Ninja Turtle products were on display too!! It was interesting to think that a guy started collecting these items twenty years ago and has created a museum with it. It makes you think that you can really collect and do anything with it! (not that I'm endorsing becoming a pack rat) After the museum visit, my friend Leandra and I decided to go shopping!!! We went to a bunch of boutiques and then to the best store in all of London.....Primark!! It is the most inexpensive good store ever. Think about combining the cheapness of Gabes, but the products of JC Penny, it was that amazing!! I managed to buy about 8 different things for about 40 lbs!! I will definitely be going back in the future!
The next field trip I had was this past Friday to the Palace of Westminster/Houses of Parliament and Big Ben for my European Government and Politics class. The Palace of Westminster is the home of the United Kingdom Parliament. It has been a royal palace for around 1000 years and home to Parliament for nearly 500. It was granted to the politicians as a permanent home in 1550. It was a special trip because they don't do tours in the winter and you have to be invited to come visit. Luckily our professor has some connections and he got the whole class in to visit. When you arrive, you have to have your picture taken and go through security. It is really intense, but my picture is my little souvenir!! After that, you are taken into Westminster Hall to meet your tour guide. The Hall was built in 1099 and it is the only building to survive the fire that burnt down the rest of the old Houses of Parliament in 1834. It was once used for feasts and entertaining but has recently been used for coronation banquets, ceremonial events, and a place for monarchs to lie in state here after their death
s. It is a beautiful place to see and the structure is very ornate with intricate beams and and angel statues. Here are some pictures:
Sadly, I could not take pictures of the rest of the Palace, but believe me, it was spectacular. You were able to see how it developed over the centuries and were given the background of every room by the tour guide. We already knew a lot about it, because we have been studying the history of it the past few weeks, so it was interesting to see it all in person. We saw the Central Lobby, St. Stephen's Hall, the House of Commons, and the House of Lords. My favorite part was the House of Lords. It was covered in gold and there is a huge throne chair where the present king/queen gives the yearly address to Parliament. It is a huge ceremony in November when the monarch comes to give the address and I hope I get to see it take place one year! After the tour was finished, we briefed on our tour and then went out to see Big Ben by ourselves! It is a very packed touristy area, which made it even more exciting!
Overall, the field trips have been amazing and I still have a lot more to look forward to! I have the Globe Theater visit, UK office of the European Union, and a few others. Stay tuned to hear about the rest of my weekend tomorrow!
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