Shortly after we dropped our stuff off at the Premier Hotel, the hotel where we’re staying, we headed out to get ahead start in sightseeing.  Ok.  I was damned tired.  All I wanted to do first was to relax after a long flight and not having too much sleep.  I insisted my parents that we should sit down and eat.  Nope!  My mother insisted that we had to get going.

The first site that I came across was the Big Ben.  It’s just simply a beautiful tower with a clock on the top.  This tower glistens in gold.  SNAP!  I snapped photo shots of it.

Then, I headed towards the building to which the Big Ben was attached that looked like a cathedral due to its distinctive architecture. I asked my father where we were heading.  “The Parliament,” he said.

Then we headed inside the building where I was still thinking that it was a cathedral.  There were stained glass windows, and the architectural design had pointed vaults and pointed archades, distinctive designs that were commonly used in cathedrals during the Middle Ages.  I asked my father again where we were.  “The Parliament he said.”

“The Parliament?” I asked.  I seriously thought how in the world a Parliament could be in a cathedral-look design?  I guess I shouldn’t be comparing US capital buildings and the white house to other goverment buildings from other countries after all.

I learned from the guidebook that I was in the Westminister Hall, a section of the Parliament.  In fact, it’s the oldest section of the Parliament and Europe’s largest medieval halls.  It was built in 1097 AD.  In fact, this hall was once used as a law court where there were notable trials such as Sir William Wallace, the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, and King Charles I, according to UK Parliament’s official website. No wonder why I thought I was heading to a cathedral! 1097 AD was surely during the middle ages.  England sure does have a much longer history in politics United States’ history.

Nowadays, this hall is normally used for major events such as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, according to Uk Parliament’s website.

After visiting this oldest section of the parliament, we went farther inside the Parliament to have the opportunity to see the government in session.  Just before we attended the government session, we watched the Ceremony of Mace.  It’s a ceremony that gives the message the government session is starting.  As a group of men walk by, I became startled by one man who was hold a long golden tourch.  He was wearing this old fashioned-look clothes.  He was wearing stockings and pants that came up to his knees.  Are the British politics still old-fashioned???  Then, I went upstairs to a balcony to see the government in session.  The first thing I noticed that there were three government officials wearing wigs that were white with curls like we all see in books referencing to the colonial days.  Am I traveling back in time or what was the whole deal with these three government officials?  Were they just afraid of change?  It was just the most bizarre thing to see.  However, in any case, it was still fascinating to see.  The government session was interesitng. They were discussing healthcare policy.