Today was a bustling and beautiful day in London. Security was on extra-high alert when I got to 1 Parliament Street. There were UK Police in their bright reflective jackets all around Westminster. President Obama addressed both houses of Parliament today on his state visit. He stressed the shared values of the US and the UK; the rule of law and the rights of the individual, regardless of their race. He added that leadership had to “change with the times”. The days were gone where the American president and UK prime minister could simply sit in a room and solve the world’s problems over a glass of brandy. The central trust of the speech to Parliament was showing that the US still remains committed to the transatlantic relationship. (By the way, today I would like to change NATO to NABO; North Atlantic Bromance Operation.)
As I was watching the President’s address, I could not help but sit there in amazement. Here I am as an American, interning for an MP in London, sitting in his office, watching my chief of state address Parliament. It was an incredible thought.
I believe it serves as a testament to what the President highlighted on regarding the relationship between our two governments and also our universities. He stated that both nations “educate our citizens and train our workers in the best colleges and universities on Earth”, adding that in order to maintain this advantage, “we will have to renew our national commitments to educating our workforces.” There is truly no denying that we now live in the global economy. The quote that stood out to me the most was “And even as more nations take on the responsibilities of global leadership, our alliance will remain indispensable to the goal of a century that is more peaceful, more prosperous and more just.”
If you read some reports on his time in Westminster Hall this afternoon, there may be mentioning that it took him almost about 10 minutes to leave the hall. He stopped to shake hands with many politicians and other important figures that had lined the building to hear his speech. I can tell you first hand that it took that longer amount of time. We turned our heads back and forth to watch the BBC live news feed of him leaving and to watch the front door to the hall. I mean it when I say David has an astonishing view of the Parliamentary Square. I took another picture of Westminster Palace as we were standing on the balcony. Do you believe me even more now that he has one of the best views?
That was surely not the end of an already exciting day! Justine and I met at 5 (or 17:00) after interning and jumped on the Central line to Embankment. Walked down one of the streets where there was a lot of dining options and decided on a Mexican restaurant called Lupita. It was satisfactory, saying that mainly because I don’t know when “I’ll just have a glass of water” became being charged 1.85 for still water on my bill. I might ring them tomorrow in fact to complain since we were rather mothered by it. It was still a nice dinner out in a different part of London before we continued our night. Next we hopped on the tube and got off at Temple.
Our excursion tonight was participating in one of the famous London Walks. As I was doing research the week before I left, London Walks popped up in my findings. Reading about all the different ones offered, I knew it was worth checking out. Also so many places around London itself have pamphlets for the walks. Sign that we should participate, isn’t it? Yes. And how about that it offers a student discount? Make that a double yes.
Death Hallows was the journey that we chose; a Harry Potter themed walk since so much of London has history that was used in conjunction with J.K. Rowling’s brilliant imagination. Richard, our walking guide, was such a great one! We learned a lot of London history and interesting facts. Both relevant and not entirely relevant to Harry Potter. It was totally fine by us! The guided walk made strolling through these parts of London more interesting because we were learning things about them. Walking along these parts is so much more significant with the history behind them (and definitely their connection to modern day) being made know.
Here are a few pictures of the places we ventured to today and a little bit of background:
The Temple Church. It is located between Fleet Street and the River Thames. Built by the Knights Templer, it was constructed in order to serve as their English headquarters. It is famous for its round shape and its effigy tombs. Two Inns of the Court, Inner Temple and Middle Temple, use the church today.
A Courtyard of the Inns. In England and Wales there are two divisions of what the US would call attorneys. There are solicitors and barristers. In order to become a barrister, one must be a member of one of the Inns of Court. These educate and regulate barristers. The Honorable Society of Gray’s Inn, The Honorable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, The Honorable Society of the Middle Temple and The Honorable Society of the Inner Temple are the four Inns of Court. When these barristers first moved into these courts, they were often viewed as wizards, persuading people, changing their lives, and writing in their large books.
The Royal Courts of Justice. The building houses the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. J.K. Rowling is scheduled to appear in the Royal Courts in London in February 2012. Ridiculous case because there is no case in my opinion. The construction is utterly remarkable. When we were walking through the alleyway and under the archway, after being in the Inner Temple’s courtyard, I wasn’t expecting to see this magnificent grey stone edifice on the other side. The man who designed it, George Edmund Street, was a solicitor turned architect.
The Somerset House. Not relevant to HP but Richard felt that walking past this magnificent arena on the way to the next location would be stupid. Agreed. Just east of the Waterloo Bridge, it overlooks the River Thames. Today it’s East Wing forms part of King’s College of London.
The Lyceum Theatre. Almost certain this is where we came to see The Lion King when my family visited London nine years ago.
Now it is time for bed; I am absolutely beat. Really chuffed that I toured a different part of London today. I am loving this exploration after work thing we've got going on. Tomorrow may be a little more of a lay low evening after interning, especially since its supposed to rain tomorrow. Best news is tomorrow is Thursday; another step closer to the weekend!
Cheerio!
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