Favorite Fotos: Houses of Parliament

I'm just not sure you can find lovelier government buildings anywhere in the world. I really enjoyed my tour of their insides back in October, but the outside is available for free viewing and picture-taking 24-7, and the views from any vantage point are impressive.

A big advantage is that they're right smack dab in the middle of London's tourist sights, as you can see from the glimpse of the London Eye peaking behind the clock tower in the picture on the right. Just a warning: when you exit any of the stairs up to street level from the Westminster tube station, expect congestion! As globs of tourists gasp at their first glimpse of the Big Ben tower and, of course, stop to take pictures of it.

Of course, the famous tower is only part of the complex. Here are a couple of complete views, first from the embankment across the river upstream (thanks to Henry for this handsome shot form the recommended best viewpoint at the south end of Lambeth Bridge), and then, downstream:

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The tower on the other end of the complex from Big Ben is the Victoria Tower, where the Parliamentary archives are housed. (I was privileged to hear one of their librarians speak at a meeting in November—what a cool job!) There's also a flagpole atop the structure that tells you if Parliament is in session; if the Union Jack is flying, they're open for business. But, if the Royal Standard is on the pole, that means that the Queen is there for some state function. Note the absence of either flag in the picture above. The picture of the Tower by itself on the left was taken from a few blocks away, but, unfortunately, the flagpole is hidden.

Here's another photo of the Victoria Tower, along with the long connecting building in between the two towers, where the Parliamentary chambers of Commons and Lords are located. It's a good example of how the place looks at night; if anything, it's even prettier then (thanks, again, to Henry for this one—his more sophisticated camera is much better at low light shooting than mine is):


Another example of Henry's fine nighttime photography is on the left here, contrasted with one of my daytime photos of the Big Ben clock, to show how beautiful the details of this famous structure are, especially when you take a close look. And remember: "Big Ben isn't the clock or the tower, but the bell that strikes the hour," and a melodious and stirring sound that is.

My favorite memory of hearing the tolling of Big Ben was on Remembrance Sunday, when I was just about a block away in the middle of a large crowd of Londoners. When the clock struck 11 a.m., that was the signal for the beginning of two minutes of silence in memory of the end of World War I. And two minutes of complete silence followed (except for a little noise from some young children in the crowd) until the cannon in the park told us the time was up. A very, very moving ceremony of remembrance.

Here's a final shot of the Parliament buildings, a sort of silhouette taken from straight across the river. No matter what your opinion of the British government or government in general, you've gotta love these buildings and this view!


I haven't decided what to focus on next, but will try to get another favorite fotos post up in the next few days. However, I've got a houseful of kids home for the holidays, and so might be otherwise occupied for a while.