Days 21 & 22—Houses of Parliament and Last Day of Class
Day 21—Class Presentation and Houses of Parliament
This morning, I had my final presentation about the English Anarchy. I volunteered to go first, and aside from the fact that my presentation went 5 minutes over the time limit, I would say it went well! My professors and peers were complimentary and my professor was of the opinion that it was very professional. Seeing the other presentations were a lot of fun! One of my friends did a medical study presentation called "What Was Wrong With Henry VIII?" and her conclusion, as well as mine, is, "it's complicated." Another classmate did her presentation on Six: The Musical, about the six wives of Henry VIII. (He and the Tudors in general were a very popular presentation topic.)
After the presentation, I agreed to do a promotional interview for the University of Westminster, then I headed over to tour the Houses of Parliament with a few of my friends. Seeing the inside of Parliament was so cool! It inspired many, many setting ideas for my book. Sadly, no photography was allowed, so I wasn't able to take many pictures after the initial entrance hall.
This is a statue of Oliver Cromwell outside the Houses of Parliament. Before he deposed King Charles I, Charles had disbanded Parliament for more than 10 years.
This is the entrance to Westminster Hall, part of Westminster Palace, which has since been turned into Houses of Parliament.
This is Westminster Hall, completed in 1099 by William Rufus, William the Conqueror’s second son. At the time, it was the largest hall in England and possibly all of Europe. It was the site of the first meeting of Parliament in 1265, and has since hosted many state dinners. The oak roof was commissioned by Richard II when he remodeled it, and it is the largest unsupported roof from the thirteenth century in all of Europe. This hall is where monarchs have their lying in state. King Charles I’s trial was here.
This is the Chapel of Saint Stephen, where the House of Commons originally met before they outgrew the room. If you zoom in on the painting over the door, you'll see King Stephen (who usurped the throne from Empress Matilda), Saint Stephen in the middle, and King Edward the Confessor on the right.
This is the ornate ceiling in the Chapel of Saint Stephen. This is as far as photography was permitted; beyond this, phones had to stay in bags.
This is the site where King Charles I was tried and convicted of treason. He was later executed, which led to the first and only period of history where England was governed by a republic (under Oliver Cromwell) rather than a democracy.
I'll be going to Westminster Abbey next week, but I had to stop and take a picture with it!
Can you really say you've been to London if you don't take one of the iconic telephone box pictures?
In the background is the clock tower nicknamed Big Ben, which is actually called Elizabeth Tower!
Behind me is the London Eye.
Across the River Thames is Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and the sprawling complex of Westminster Palace that is now home to the Houses of Parliament.
There's an underground tunnel called the Wonder Pass that you can take from the tube stop to the other side of the street, so you don't have to wait for the very long traffic light. It has all sorts of cool facts about Westminster, so it's worth a quick look!
Day 22—Last Day of Class
And before I knew it, it was over.
Our final presentations were yesterday, so class today was pretty easygoing. We did our standard review quiz, and I won another old coin. Then we discussed the British monarchy from Edward VIII to the current queen, Queen Elizabeth. After class, we headed over to the farewell lunch, where we got certificates of achievement commemorating our time at Westminster.
I truly loved the class and this whole experience! My professors were so kind, supportive, and knowledgeable. I loved our class discussions about monarchs and all the extra context I gained on dynasties I was largely unfamiliar with. All the staff at Westminster genuinely wanted us to succeed and encouraged us to study topics we were passionate about. I can't say it enough—I HIGHLY recommend this course, these professors, this program, and this opportunity.
I just wanted to give another huge thank you to Rotary for sending me on this trip and giving me the opportunity to have all these amazing experiences! I'm so thankful that I had the chance to take this class and explore so much of the UK!