Parliament Square, London (Day 1)

Outskirts of London

 The transport from Treviso to London was with an intracontinental airline that caught our breath with an abrupt wing shift just before landing, but was nearly on time and we arrived in one piece to Stansted Airport at the north of London proper.

A forty minute speed train took us to our hotel which was in the midst of a complete and thorough remodel and highly unacceptable for a comfortable and quiet stay.

A friendly Bobby

Once again we were encouraged by strangers and found a better hotel more centrally located and comfortably quiet.  The taxi driver who took us there was a

chatty and friendly man who lives in the sleepy town of Canterbury one-and-a-half hours to the north. He travels to London 2-3 days a week and stays over with his mum when in town. He said he is a fisherman by trade and taxi driver by necessity. We enjoyed his stories of local fishing competitions and discussed politics briefly, his and ours.

Along Trafalgar Square

It was easy to acclimate to the Tube (also known as the Underground). For 5.50, a 24 hour day pass gives you unlimited hops on and off most everywhere in Central London. It is immaculately clean and on time, and a wonderful way to travel to all parts of London. We ate in a pub and made our way to Trafalgar Square and Big Ben.

St Michaels and the Houses of Parliament

The sun was setting as we made our way towards Big Ben, St. Michaels and the Houses of Parliament, and the buildings became uplit at twilight. It was beautiful and majestic.  

England is days from the big vote for Prime Minister and many seats in Parliament are up for grabs. The flag flies proudly at the top of the Parliament building and Big Ben is lit when Parliament is in session and we enjoyed the cool, clear evening for some beautiful shots.

Big Ben by night

We continued past St. Michaels with its incredibly ornate Gothic spires that seem to go on for miles and they do in a way, for the Parliament buildings intersect. Eventually we met up with the Victorian Gardens overlooking the River Thames. There in the gardens was a stunning reproduction of the sculpture The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin, purchased by the British Government in 1911 and positioned there in 1915.

The Burghers of Calais by Rodin

The story goes that during the Hundred Years' War Calais was under seige and Edward III overtook the French port on the English Channel and offered to spare the city from plunder if its leaders would surrender themselves, presumably to be executed. The Queen did eventually prevail upon the King to spare their lives but the sculpture captures the men with defeat deeply etched in their faces as they willingly chose to sacrifice their lives for the good of their citizens.  

Peaceful Protesters

In the center greenbelt of Parliament Square was a makeshift camp of protesters, tents and signs and megaphones shouting out their passionate dismay for the Greek economic crisis and the war in Afghanistan. 

 

It was interesting to hear British citizens exercising their freedom of speech just like their American cousins do.  We aren't so divergent after all.