Mother of Parliaments

 

By Sawda Karim:

 

London weather- grey, gloomy clouds dappled in the morose sky. This is how it was when we set off, yet the weather didn’t bring our excitement down one bit. My sister, cousins and I rushed out the door like there was a magical land beyond our house walls as the taxi driver politely greeted us. The journey from where we lived to the Houses of Parliament was around an hour, although with the company of my family the journey flew by. After what seemed like a quick journey, we arrived in the centre of London, stunned by the spinning London eye, fanning the city, the gold, ornate clock ofBig Ben, ringing every hour, and most of all the extent of how large the Houses of Parliament was. People can say it is big but you don’t realise until you, yourself stand in front of it and realise why google said it has 1100 rooms and 100 staircases.

We walked around the bustling streets for a while hearing new languages as each tourist walked by and the overzealous tour guide handed us a leaflet of their services. The rich and salty smell of the river Thames wafted through our noses as every now and then our grandad stopped us to take a picture. This experience and journey of a lifetime really emphasised to me the importance of spending true time with family away from screens. Time with our grandad was special and one that myself, sister and cousins will cherish forever.

 After looking around and taking a rest we waited by the gate for Baroness Uddin. When we met her, her motherly embrace and heart- warming smile made us feel a sense of ease and it made me feel very grateful to be able to have a personal tour with a baroness. Our tour began in the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate- Westminster Hall. This was one of the very few places in Parliament where photos were allowed so we undoubtedly  took many photos with Baroness Uddin, under the hammer-beam roof of the hall. We were then shown some of the 4 million physical items and 10,000 items of intricate artworks each with a different message and story. We were also taken to the Lord’s chamber filled with soft benches, which were a beautiful crimson shade.

Time for lunch!Where the sun had finally found its spot, in the now, glistening blue sky. The lunch was wonderfully scrumptious, much to my surprisement, as we ate scampi which none of us had eaten before.

Out tour was coming to an end as we visited a few more historic rooms. A key part of the tour, was the 200-year-old library, every shelve full of an array of books. This experience was one of lifetime and it was amazing to see the Houses of Parliament from a perspective many people don’t see.

It was especially kind that Baroness Uddin took the time off to give us an in-depth tour with my family and gave us all gifts. It was such an incredible day with my sister, cousins and grandad and was valuable quality time spent together.  Mother of parliaments- a  place of memories for my family, an experience that will stay in our hearts forever.

By Sawda Karim, 12 years old