As money was tight there for a while I decided to do some less expensive things around London. From my phone I had a free walking tour app. I started out on the Harry Potter Walking Tour. It toured the sights around London were scenes form the movies were filmed.

For the most part it was a few buildings that were in the back ground of shots, so it was a let down. I always knew that Australia House was the building that Gringotts was based on, but the only other interesting place was Leadenhall Market. This was used for Diagon Alley. It was closed when I was there. But it did give me a chance to take some photos without too many people in them. But really it looked very little like the movie and there were very few witches or wizards strolling about. I expect because it was closed.

After Leadenhall I walked down to the Monument. I had seen it a few times from the river but never really knew what it was a monument to. As it has its own tube station I figured it must be something important in the history of London. Well it is. It was built on the site where the great fire of London started in 1666. Yes, on the corner of Pudding Lane. It was erected not long after the fire, before London was rebuilt. King Charles wanted to use the destruction to re build a great London with wide streets and planning. But after a lot of argument, and the protest from all the people without houses, he gave up and said build what ever. Thus London still has narrow street and small alley ways.

The monument has 311 stairs up to a small viewing platform. It is the same stair case up and down so climbing is a bit of a challenge as you pass all the people coming down. The monument gets smaller at the top so the stairs become narrower and the passing more tight. But it was worth every step. The view from the top is fantastic. 360 degrees across the roof tops and down the Thames. At the bottom you are given a certificate to say you climbed it. The guy handing them out looked so bored by this job. By the way I have a job which I will tell you about at the end of this blog entry.

After the monument I wandered about east London and made my way home. A few days later I went to Westminster palace for a tour. This is the building along the river that is Parliament House with Big Ben's Tower at one end. There are tours in the summer so I decided it would be worth a look through.

The tour started in Westminster Hall. This is the original hall built in 1099 and the only part of the original palace not to be burnt down in the 1800s. The vaulted oak ceiling is breath taking with huge carved angels on all the beams. Apparently the design of curving the beams allows it to support the weight of the pitched roof. There were stairs added to the western end after the fire to join the hall to the new palace. On the floor are brass plates to mark the site of particular evens in the hall. Like the viewing of Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother's caskets before burial. This is however the only place you can take photos so the rest of the tour you will have to google the images.

The guide walks the group to the western end of the building where the monarch enters to open parliament. This is under the Victoria Tower. The Queen and Prince Philip walk up the stairs to the Norman Arch and enter the Queen's private room to be dressed in the state robes and crown. From here she walks through the Princes room into the Long room where the Lords form a guard of honour. She makes her way into the Lords Chamber and sits on the throne. This is 1 inch higher than Prince Philip's throne. She reads her opening speech which is written by the House of Commons.

From here on the tour we go through the Central Hall where there are four bronze statues of famous Prime Ministers. All but one was erected after the death of the Prime Minister. the exception is Margaret Thatcher, so she broke with tradition and unveiled her own statue. The others are Winston Churchill, Lloyd George and Asquith (I think).

From here we walked through the House of Commons which was rebuilt after WWII because it received a direct hit from a German bomb. The tour finishes back in the Westminster Hall and you leave via the new Garden under Big Ben. It was really worth the walk and I see why it is a World Heritage Building.

The other tag on news is that I have a job at Giraffe restaurant in Marylebone. I am being trained up to be a manager. I am really enjoying it. My nursing registration is still being processed as the Board here lost some of the paperwork and the hospital in Australia forgot to complete some of the paper work. I will try and get my registration finished, but if I am still enjoying the restaurant I will stay with it.