London-Day 2: Parliament & British Museum

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I wasn’t quite sure what today was going to bring. My main emphasis for the day was going to be the British Museum but I also hoped to get into a tour at Parliament. I wasn’t sure if that was going to happen since Parliament can only be viewed by international visitors through a tour in the months of August and September and since I didn’t have a tour ticket, I wasn’t sure I was going to get in during the final days. Got over to Parliament early and did some walking around. Starting chatting with a tour guide who radioed in that they did have some slots open so rushed over to get my ticket. It was a beautiful day with what looked to be great blue skies.

Parliament Tour
Parliament is located on the Thames River and is a huge gothic styled complex of buildings and the base of the British legislative body. The tour of Parliament was about 90 minutes long. You see rooms affiliated with the House of Lords as well as the House of Commons. The British Parliament is divided into these two houses with a third being that of the British Monarch who still plays a significant role. The House of Commons is elected by the people while the House of Lords retains British history somewhat by being made up of British religious leaders and appointments due to the heredity of British titles. Our tour guide was very good and had a great sense of humor about British history, politics and royalty. We were not allowed to take photos inside Parliament except for the Westminster Hall which is all that is remaining from the original Parliament building which was devastated by the London fire. The Hall has an incredible wood roof that is the largest in northern Europe. This is also the Hall where most heads of state and royalty lie after their passing. Parliament was also hit during World War II and extensive renovations had to be conducted as a result but Westminster Hall remained somewhat untouched overall.

During the tour, we saw the rooms were the Queen prepares to open each session. She has a ceremonial role in opening sessions and no bill becomes law without her signature. However, it is purely a ceremonial role at this point of history. We also saw the small rooms where the House of Commons and the House of Lords meet. If you’ve ever watched PBS, you will know what I’m talking about. Those rooms where they are crammed in on top of each other arguing and debating. The Brits like it to be close because they feel it leads to better interaction and debate. There are also viewing platforms located above the rooms for the general public if they want to watch the debate live. Our tour was one dazzling room after another with the Lords side being a bit more royal looking with painted and guilded ceilings and the Commons side being a bit more “plain” with heavy use of wood paneling and single color ceilings. Both very pretty but in completely different ways. The House of Lords side is heavy in the color of red while the Commons side is heavy in the use of green. Both have their own meeting rooms. The Lords side meeting room has a number of paintings of former British kings and queens while the Commons side has statues of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, etc. You can see pictures (that I couldn’t take) at: http://www.parliament.uk/about/images/interior.cfm

Parliament is also home of the famous Big Ben. It also has some nice grounds which are open to the public and run along the Thames River. It was a very informative tour and I’m so glad I was able to view. After that, I walked across the street to Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey
Westminster is the famous gothic church located next to Parliament. The Abbey is a little different from the massive Catholic Cathedrals I usually tour in that the inside is more a series of chapels than one large space. Westminster is also home to several tombs including those of Queen Elizabeth and Mary, the Scottish Queen Mary, Edward the Confessor, Anne of Cleeves and others. The Abbey has a soaring ceiling and front towers. My favorite chapel was that of Henry VII where the wall colors were a buttery marble color that was in such contrast to the grayness of the main part of the Abbey. Sat down and just admired the view a bit then walked around some more looking at the various chapels and then went outside and took some more photos and headed off to the British Museum.

British Museum
I’ve always had an interest in history. From my early reading days in small town North Dakota when the bookmobile would arrive, I remember always grabbing a lot of nonfiction. At that time of my life, it was mainly biographies of famous people but over time it developed into history of countries, events, etc. Indiana Jones didn’t help. Upon seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark I was in love but even in my teenage years knew that was probably not an accurate portrayal of an archaelogist. I did consider a history/archaelogy major for college. However, no one I knew was going into that and I convinced myself it was not smart. A safer bet was to get a business degree because I was going to seriously be in need of a job upon graduation and that offered my best chance of it. So, I got a degree in international business, tried to fill my history void with a degree in political science since there was some overlap of classes and over the years have done nothing but regret the choice of a business degree vs. a major in something I loved. I’m very happy with my current career but need to satisfy my history lust through travel. I tell you all this in setting up my trip to the British Museum and why I was so freaking excited about it.

The British Museum is open into the evening on Thursdays and Fridays which fit my schedule great. It is the Best. Museum. Ever. Yes, it has its controversies, but from a pure “want to see as much as you can in one place” type of vacation I was on, it could not be beat. Should it return some of the items it acquired at the height of the British Empire to the countries they were removed from? I don’t know. There are two sides to every story but after a visit to the Museum, I can certainly see why some countries want some items back. They have been incredibly preserved and taken care of and are priceless. Another reason it’s the best museum ever? You can take photos. I do love museums where you can take photos.

Here are some of the items I saw that are on my favorite list:
Rosetta Stone: Stunning. One of the most important pieces of history ever. Discovered in 1799 it is of great importance because it broke the code of Egyptian hieroglyphics which had been lost over time. On the Rosetta Stone is the same paragraph/decree written in hieroglyphic, Egyptian script and Egyptian cursive. This allowed for the hieroglyphics to be translated again. Huge breakthrough. The Stone is broken and not complete. It's under glass and always surrounded by people so hard to get a great photo. Stunning.

Cyrus Cylinder: The so-called Cyrus Cylinder is believed to be the first document on human rights. Dates to 539 B.C. and was an order issued by Cyrus the Great that states his respect for the religious and political traditions of his conquered lands (in this case Babylonia).

Parthenon Sculptures: Date back to 5th Century B.C. HUGE room at the Museum containing a number of pieces from the Parthenon. This is also one of the controversial displays as Greece wants them back because they are an important part of their history. The Brit’s side is that if they would not have taken them, they would be destroyed like the rest of the Parthenon. Incredible pieces of history.

Halikarnassos Mausoleum: One of seven wonders of the world. So important to see since so many of the wonders have been lost. There are several remnants of the tomb of Maussollos (where the word mausoleum comes from) who ruled Halikarnassos in 4th Century B.C.

Cleopatra’s Body: You see her mummy. Apparently, the modern day analysis they can do shows she was very attractive. The Museum has a very large Egypian collection. Several other mummies also on display.

Amarna letters: Clay tablets of correspondence between Egypt and other kings and queens. They date back to 14th Century B.C.!

Crystal Skull: Saw the fake crystal skull (those who have seen the latest Indy movie will hear him talk about it). At first, the skull was thought to be an ancient artifact but over time it was found to be a hoax created with modern tools.

Classicianus’ tombstone: The British minister appointed by the Roman emperor Nero. His tombstone dates back to 1st Century A.D.

Alexander the Great: Marble portrait of Alexander the Great which dates back to around 2nd Century B.C. Good looking guy.

Sutton Hoo Ship Burial: Anglo-Saxon burial tomb pieces which date back to 7th Century A.D.

Flood Tablet: Clay tablet telling the story of the Babylonian flood. Dates to 7th Century B.C.

Ramesses the Great: Bust of Ramesses II dating back to 1270 B.C. The Ramesses line were responsible for the construction of the pyramids.

Nereid Monument: Turkish tomb dating back to 390 B.C. It is believed to have been broken up by an earthquake and is put back together at the Museum in a way they think makes sense.

Assyrian Gateway Figures: Huge figures dating back to 710 B.C. Made of marble. Very big. Assyria is now in what we call Iraq. There are 5 at the British Museum and they adorned entrances and buildings. There are also several Assyrian reliefs at the Museum dating back to 7th Century B.C.

Easter Island: One of the Easter Island statues is at the Museum. Looks just like you think it will!

I spent several hours at the Museum and want to go back again some day. I had a list of things I wanted to see and that was really the only way you can tour the Museum in any kind of limited capacity. I hope to go back again and be able to really wander and see more of the treasures this Museum holds.

Despite the Eurostar tunnel fire, it looks like I am still going to Paris tomorrow for a day trip. Going under the English Channel on the superfast train. Leave at 6:30 am and return at 10:30 pm. Going to be an early morning and long day. This was a great day of my vacation. I so enjoyed it.

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Photos

Assyrian Gateway Figure
Check out those 5 legs.

Ramesses the Great
In upper left.