Parliament – David Kotz

Thames Path – Chelsea to Westminster

34th consecutive weekend hike

Although the weather has been beautiful this weekend, I had little time for hiking. So, today I chose to walk a portion of the Thames Path. This long-distance path begins at the source of the Thames, in the Cotswolds, and follows the river downstream for 185 miles to Woolwich, London. (Regular readers may recall my brief visit to that downstream endpoint, at the famous Thames River Barrier, two months ago.) Today I began my walk in Chelsea, walked along the embankment until I reached the Parliament building, then turned back inland toward home.

Phoenix benches along the River Thames, London.

Parliament – Westminster Palace

A tour inside the halls of Parliament, including the House of Lords, House of Commons, and Westminster Hall.

We live a short walk from Westminster Palace, the home of Parliament, so it we took advantage of the opportunity for a guided tour of these historic buildings. It is right across the street from Westminster Abbey, which we toured two weeks ago, and the Jewel Tower, which I explored a week ago. The palace, which now houses the government of the United Kingdom – including the House of Lords and the House of Commons – dates back more than 900 years and is one of the most significant buildings in London.

Statue of King Richard I (Richard the Lion-hearted) – Westminster Palace, London.

The Jewel Tower

A historic 1360 King’s tower.

The thing about London is, well, one can be walking down the street and come across a 14th-century tower tucked in between modern buildings. I’d noted this historic building before, during one of my random perambulations in Westminster. Today, it was open for visitors, so I popped in. From behind, it had a lovely view across the street to Westminster palace, where the Victoria Tower appeared brilliant on this pretty spring day.