Finally Feel like I'm in London

Today we had a special appointment with a member of the House of Commons. We met him in the central lobby of Parliament at 11 am. He proceeded to take the three of us to coffee/tea in the House of Lords section of Parliament (the House of Lords wing is signified by a red carpet, compared to the yellow carpet in the main section). He was incredibly kind, generous, and welcoming. After chatting for about 30-40 minutes, he gaves us a quick tour and set us up to sit in on a House of Commons session. We just barely missed the Prime Minister, but at least we go to see the Speaker and some of the debates. The customs are definitely different than that of the House and Senate, which include being allowed to yell and interupt each other. We then saw the great hall, which had walls dating 1000 a.d., a roof that was medieval, a floor that was norman and steps that were victorian.

We continued across the street to Westminster Abbey. Here, people like Elizabeth I and II, Henry VII, Edward I, Charles I, and Chaucer are buried. The oldest tomb I remember seeing was in the early 1300s. The marble carving and the intricate arches were breathtaking. We then took pictures in front of Big Ben and the London Eye.

A totally different direction was taken next- we went to Harrod's. It was beautiful, huge, and expensive. We were shocked at the price of the American brands, even Jansport! It was quite an experience. We had dinner at a cute little diner on the 4th floor.

We then walked to Park Lane and because everything closes at 8pm here, we hopped on the Tube to Picadilly Circus. We've decided that anything that stays open past 8 has accumulated in this area. There are tons of bars, clubs, and restaurants (that actually serve food past 8!) After wandering for about an hour, we wanted some dessert so we decided on Planet Hollywood- BAD idea. $15 (American) later, we split 1 brownie the size of 1.5" square and 1 small scoop of ice cream. Fortunately we were able to laugh it off, but it was a reality shock for sure.

We had a few other funny stories from the day- our first time using the tube, we figured you took the stairs, like you do in New York and D.C. Well, 136 stairs later, we see a huge sign that says "Emergency Exit Only" and realize that you take elevators (or, as they say here, lifts) up and down. We laughed the whole way down, which was fortunate since we were in nice clothes and heels.

A few more observations of ours:

1. London, for the most part, is an early-to-bed town

2. Very literal remarks and signs - i.e. in the tube "mind the gap", whereas in the U.S. its "watch your step" (there is a gap between the car and the platform); "way out" instead of "exit"