It’s a wonderful life.
So, Friday was Cambridge! Right outside Cambridge, we stopped by the U.S. WWII Military Cemetery and Memorial. It was sobering and beautiful at the same time. 3.800 American servicemen and women are buried here. My heart cried when I read the inscription around the base of our American flag: To you from failing hands we throw the torch – be yours to hold it high. I wanted to tell them, “You didn’t fail! You gave everything! You won.”
We spent the rest of the day around Cambridge. Cambridge University is made up of 31 residential colleges each with about 300-400 students. Each college has its own faculty, classrooms, and living facilities. Running through the backs of the colleges is the River Cam where you can hire a guide to take you “punting.” Punting is kind of like taking a gondola in Venice. It’s this flat bottom boat and a strong young man pushes you down the river with a punting stick! It was sooo much fun. Our guide was so funny. He would mix historical information with tales of students’ pranks and antics and we laughed the whole way.
Yesterday we got to take a tour of Parliament! I was sooo excited. Interesting facts:
The British government is made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Monarchy, with the Commons being by far the most powerful branch.
The House of Commons has about 650 MPs (MP = Member of Parliament), but the Commons Hall only seats 400! There are no assigned seats. If you arrive in time for prayers in the morning, you can save a seat for the day. Prayers on Budget Day are very popular.
The Monarch is not allowed in the Commons Hall. No member of the royal family has entered the room for hundreds of years.
When the House of Commons is taking a vote, they ring a bell for 8 minutes. During that 8 minutes, each MP has to hurry to either the “Yes Hall” or the “Nay Hall.” At the end of 8 minutes, the doors are locked and no one else can enter. The only way to leave is by filing past the clerks who will take down your name for the yes or no vote. I find this pretty amusing. I can only picture an MP sprinting across the Palace of Westminster, barely making it into the hall in time, and then find out he’s locked in the wrong room. Lol!
Needless to say, I loved visiting Parliament. I’m going to try to get back to go sit in the Strangers’ Galleries sometime this week.
Last night for dinner, I tried something new! A friend and I walked to a little Kebabs shop and I bought a chicken kebab doner – basically a kebab on pita bread with veggies. The young man working there gave us falafel with hummus and garlic sauce “on the house.” I’m definitely going back there. Haha. Falafel is originally an Arab food. Basically a fried chickpea patty and it is soooo good! New favorite food! Yum.
Tomorrow is Les Miserables and I’m so excited! :)
