Wednesday morning I headed to the Royal Courts of Justice to wander the building and sit in on some arguments for and against assisted suicide.
Next up: The Cabinet War Rooms. Used during World War II as a command post and shelter from German bombs, the war rooms were not quite as safe as one might suspect. A concrete slam was poured over a steel structured reinforced by some navy-style wooden posts during the war to provide protection to an approximate 250 kg bomb, but it is unknown whether the slab would have supported the collapse of the building on top of it resulting from such a bomb. Nevertheless, thankfully, the building sustained surprisingly little damage during the war.
A room that presented a weakness. Solution: fill it with concrete. The tunnel was created by boring through the concrete to allow visitors to pass through.
Next up: Parliament. The huge gothic building is ornately decorated and protected by special police with big guns. One really wonders what the officer would do with the apparently semi or fully automated large rifle-looking weapon even if something bad happened… and with the number of tourists around, one would wonder if it could simply result in a risk of more casualties.
I went through security and waited in line to visit the House of Commons. After sitting in on a debate and vote relating to disabled benefits, I went to the House of Lords to hear some questions about a bill relating to police procedure and the allocation or re-allocation of officers. The rooms were beautiful, with the House of Commons featuring a glass divider between the public gallery and the politicians, but the House of Lords featuring no such divider.
Finally, to Westminster Abbey. The huge and beautiful church is the resting place of monarchs in England. It was absolutely wonderful to walk through the hall, and I can only imagine the atmosphere in it just over a year ago when Will and Kate tied the knot in the Church. A few days into my trip, at the Edinburgh Castle, I heard about a famous stone which incoming monarchs sit above during their coronation. Here I saw the chair in which the stone is placed and on which the incoming monarch sits during the coronation ceremony. It seems a fitting way to end my 50 day journey.
Of course, that isn’t quite the end. I went for one last 10 km run to the Tate Modern before calling it my last night in London, and Europe.
Thursday morning brought my flight home. And if you’re reading this, my computer made it back to Canada.