Travel Tuesday – Westminster Abbey and Parliament Area

Yet more photos from England for you, this time of the area around Westminster Abbey and Parliament (aka the Palace of Westminster)!

We had a great time strolling around this historic area. The only bummer was that you couldn’t take photos inside Westminster Abbey. There was so much to see there and that I wanted to share with you. But the good news is that Westminster Abbey has some great information and photos. You can click here to see some of the sights and get an idea for yourself of the immensity of this cathedral which was built in 960 and holds hundreds of tombs and monuments.

My favorite was the Poet’s Corner where many famous writers are honored, starting with Chaucer. Dickens, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling are buried in the Abbey and there are monuments to Jane Austen, William Shakespeare and T.S. Eliot just to name a few you might know! We also took a moment to check out where Charles Darwin was buried beside a number of other famous scientists because the geek in me just couldn’t resist.

Big Ben (apparently the name of the big hour bell and not the clock!) is nearby as are the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately Parliament was closed due to the “bank holiday”, so we missed seeing the House of Commons and House of Lords, but the outside is quite impressive and we had the treat of getting a glimpse at English politics at work when the Prime Minister asked the Queen to disband Parliament and set a date for new elections.

In Britain they only have a month to campaign. What a grand idea! Too bad we can’t do that here!

Almost directly across the way from the Westminster area is the London Eye — a giant ferris wheel of sorts. I wanted to go for a ride, but the lines were very long and my family – knowing my fear of heights – feared I’d freak out since it takes at least 45 minutes to make a complete loop on the Eye.

I hope you enjoy the sites of this part of London! If you can’t see the slide show below, you can also visit my Facebook Page to see the photos of Westminster and Parliament!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058803&id=1130005412&l=a5a6721ca7