Normally when I write a post about the last day of a trip, I’m lamenting how quickly the time passed and how it seems like I just arrived and I’m already getting ready to leave. But when I’m writing said post months after the trip ended, that’s not a concern. I guess that’s one positive side of putting this off for so long, eh? 🙂

On our final day of this trip (well, it was actually only MY last day as Felicity stayed a day longer than me), we just had one thing planned – a tour of Parliament! It’s funny that in all my trips to London and in all the times I’ve walked by the building (“Hey, look kids – there’s Big Ben! And there’s Parliament!”), I’ve never taken the time to actually go INSIDE the building for a tour. I’ve thought about it before, but I guess neither me nor the various people I’ve been in London with over the years ever really pushed for it. I mean, it’s such an iconic building from the outside that it’s easy to forget it’s the seat of UK government and that lots of important decisions are made there (along with plenty of arguing, I’m sure). Regardless of the reason, this was the trip where that would finally change for me, maybe mostly because Felicity bought the tickets!

Officially, the building is called the Palace of Westminster and if you haven’t walked by it on a London trip, I’d be surprised! Like many notable buildings in and around London, it’s quite old (originally constructed in the 11th century) and has been damaged and rebuilt multiple times, so there’s plenty of history to be experienced as you walk through it. Tours take about 90 minutes and cover the House of Lords, House of Commons, and Westminster Hall – plenty informative and full of history and certainly worth a visit. Sadly, this is one of those tours where you aren’t allowed to take any pictures (except in Westminster Hall), but on the plus side, you’ll be able to be that much more focused on the content! Separate from the tours, you can come back to watch debates (for free!), though I’m certain you can’t take pictures then either. I think it would be a neat experience though, so I’ve definitely filed that away for potential future use. If you are going to come for a tour, I can tell you that late-morning on a Tuesday in September is a good time to go as there was no line for security nor was it crowded inside.

It will likely come as no surprise to learn that I walked from our hotel to Parliament, while Felicity took the tube. It was another lovely, somewhat sunny day, so I was happy to get some steps, taking photos along the way.

A couple of shots of Buckingham Palace, looking very photogenic in the sun.

See how the light on this Oliver Cromwell statue is so much better?? I got a couple of shots of it as we walked through security (there was literally no wait, so I wasn’t holding anyone up by stopping for photos).

This art piece is called New Dawn and was installed in 2016 and celebrates the journey of women’s suffrage. It’s cool to watch it change colors!

I wish I had photos from the actual tour to show you, but alas, I don’t. As I said above though, the tour was interesting – in-depth enough to keep my attention and provide details, but not SO detailed (or long) that it started to get boring. Although I don’t feel the need to do a return tour in the future, I was happy to learn that members of the public (including overseas visitors) are welcome to watch debates for free from the public viewing galleries, so I’ll consider that on a future trip. You should, too!

With nothing else planned for the rest of the day, we did some wandering and decided to have a pub (late) lunch, so we were on a quest to find a good pub. We stopped by one, but they had just given their last available table to the small group that walked in ahead of us, so we walked a bit further on until we found The Clarence, which looked fine and, more importantly, had available seating. 🙂 I had some pie and mash, along with a fruity cider, all of which were very tasty!

It’s a bit of a tradition for me to just have a wander around London at some point on the day before I fly home, soaking up my favorite views and landmarks, so I went off to do that after we ate, while Felicity caught a bus back to the hotel (isn’t functional public transport grand??). Since we were so close to Trafalgar Square, I had an easy time walking around to see my faves and doing some window shopping.

I know just wandering around a city I’ve been to many times may seem like an odd way to end a trip, but as I often say, I like to soak up all those London vibes so I can store them up until my next visit. I was able to do just that and then get back to my hotel in plenty of time to get packed and enjoy a little time in the hotel bar with Felicity. Although she stayed a day longer than me, she has her own tradition of transferring to a hotel at Heathrow for her final night (then she’s already there for her flight!), so she had to get packed up as well. I didn’t have to wake up too early in the morning and my tube journey to the airport was fairly straightforward and painless. Love an easy airport transit!

A journey through three tube stations may sound like a lot, but I just had to walk down the street to get to Edgware Road and then make a quick transfer at Earl’s Court before settling in to reach Heathrow. Easy-peasy!

I had an easy two hours at Heathrow, which gave me plenty of time to get some steps in while I waited for my gate to be revealed. I had planned to chill in the American Express Centurion lounge for a bit, but their policy doesn’t allow you to come into the lounge if you don’t have a seat assigned and since I was flying standby, I didn’t have a seat assigned when I got to the airport. Surprisingly, I did get one about an hour before takeoff, before I’d even gone to the gate, so I thought “Oh good, I’ve still got time to go to the lounge for a bit!” But of course, when I got there, it was full. Oh well!

My flight was perfectly cromulent and I made it back home safe and sound. This was another excellent London trip, made all the better by traveling with Felicity and Bill (and getting to see other friends while there, too). Bingo, Parliament, Doctor Who, Hidden London, and more – what a lot of fun in a week! And it may come as no surprise to learn that it’s another London trip that pushed me to finish up these last two posts. Yes, I’m going back again, this time for a slightly shorter trip. Stay tuned for what I get up to!