westminster parliament tour
i got to take chase back to my old stomping grounds …
the british parliament in london! i interned here my
last summer of college while also being very long-distance
in love with my college boyfriend chase.. :) so it’s no wonder
that i get nostalgic about that time in my life, and no wonder
i was so excited to take chase back to the place i worked and
missed him from for an entire summer! we set up a tour with
the intern who is now there from my college, so it was perfect!
i met chase outside of work, and we grabbed him a kebab..
^^ his favorite thing, can you tell? ;)
then we made the walk down to
westminster on a pretty london night! ^^
back to one of my favorite places on earth ^^
…with my favorite guy on earth!
stepping inside westminster hall is always awe-inspiring
to me. dating from 1097, (!!!) it is the oldest existing part of
parliament which wasn’t destroyed by fire in 1834 when the
rest of the palace was destroyed and rebuilt. the palace of
westminster is where both houses of parliament meet, and
is best known for its iconic clock tower big ben.
westminster is HUGE. i explored endlessly while i was there
and still never saw it all! there are over 1,000 rooms inside.
the most important rooms that i took chase to see are the
chambers of the house of lords and house of commons,
(where i worked!). there are also committee rooms, fancy
libraries, lobbies, dining rooms, bars, gyms, etc. it is a bit
like the US capitol where there are facilities for most needs!
i became such a nerd being back there and telling chase
so many stories and facts and history and memories from
my time working within those walls. haha, he was patient!
so much has happened within these walls – famous speeches,
laying in state of famous brits, and more. there are plaques
all over the floor in westminster hall to mark different events.
i had to send the nelson mandela picture to my parents in south africa! ^^
thanks to our friend russell for showing us around.
you can see more about visiting parliament here!
a lot of visitors see it from the outside, but miss the
chance to actually see it. highly highly recommend it.
after our tour the night was young, so we took
the chance to walk around and soak in the foggy night.
london was showing off for us.
how gorgeous can you be, londy?
the night was getting chilly as the sun set, so
on the way back to our covent garden flat
we ducked into the yummiest place for some..
RAMEN! perfect for a chilly night.
salmon onigiri = best part!!
kanada ya is one of the best ramen bars in the city,
and the line proves it…so if you go, be prepared for a wait!
just look at that deliciousness!
i got the original and chase did the moyashi.
with its simple menu, line to get in, and crowded tables,
it’s a fun place to pop into on a rainy london night.
^^ saying goodnight to big ben!
thanks for letting me show you around, chase t.!
i’m glad this time in parliament you were by my side :)
xo