[ 09.2015 | London ]

when touring big cities or metropolitan areas, I love to explore as much as possible on foot. thus I discovered parts of London’s City of Westminster and continued my way down the south bank of the river Thames, stopping to take a picture of one of England’s most iconic symbols, the Palace of Westminster, the site of the oldest parliament in the world. the oldest structure on the total ground area of the palace (> 32km²) is Westminster Hall, completed in 1099. the palace, demolished by a fire in 1834 and rebuilt thereafter, is now considered one of the finest examples of neo-gothic architecture worldwide. the north clock tower is officially known as Elizabeth Tower. ‘Big Ben’ is actually the nickname for the huge hour bell of the clock of Westminster. ‘huge’ meaning more than 13 tons huge. it was cast in 1858. the tower is > 96m high which means 334 steps to the belfry.

aiming even higher was Mary Poppins, the main character in P. L. Travers series of an English children’s book, published 1934-88. a strong east wind blows the magical nanny into a household to care for the children and to improve the family’s dynamics. together they have unique chance encounters and wonderful adventures. the ten books were adapted by Walt Disney for a musical film (1964) and forty years later for a stage musical, too. supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. until the wind changes…

sources:
restorationandrenewal.parliament.uk | whitechapelbellfoundry.co.uk | orderofbooks.com