This part of central London counts the most iconic attractions that are unavoidable for any visitor of London. The area of Westminster is dominated by the business of government : from Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament to Trafalgar Square, I have tried to captured the mood of the area…

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament (the oldest elected government in the world) hold the most famous bell: “Big Ben”. I feel quite intimidated when this vestige from the past chimes the hours…It gives me the impression to be small whether it be on the physical level or on an historical point of view.

Trying to show a new face of Big Ben that has been put forward so many times, I chose a new angle, from behind a palm tree. England is thought to be a cold country, but I have hardly seen as many Palm Trees in a northern city! Here is the first proof …

Westminster Abbey

Still walking around in the Westminster area, I went to the opposite and imposing Gothic edifice Westminster Abbey, where all the British monarchs have been crowned since 1066. It is more than worth a visit. I enjoyed discovering the inside of the Abbey, even more than the outside because of all the history and memories contained in the edifice.

Westminster Square

The Westminster square also counts many statues from which Mandela and Gandhi, that I wanted to show with royal edifices in the background. These figures have marked my young adult life, and I am glad I took some inspiring pictures…

I clearly remember my first trip to India in 2001, reading a biography of Gandhi. This statue, with Gandhi’s humble face down, is moving. And as a background, the Parliament, as a memory of India’s past relationships with the British Empire. I like this picture of Gandhi from his back, we are very close to him and at the same time not intrusive. We have the impression Gandhi is still in his thoughts…
I was very young when I heard about Mandela’s release of prison and have always been touched by his political struggle. I have read many books about him, and this statue seems in line with Mandela’s warmth and openness. The arms open, he seems ready to hug either the first passer-by (as these 2 ladies in front of the statue)… or Big Ben!

London-Eye

From Westminster, we can also see many other well-known edifices, the first of which is  London Eye, that I shot from several points.
What an iconic picture, where London Eye is interlinked with the Westminster tube sign and one of the street lamps along the Thames embankment.

I like these homogeneous colours of this picture. This is a more common view angle, but the sky with pastel colours and the brown of the cloud matching the brown of the building create a beautiful automnal vision of London Eye that I like very much.

To conclude this post, I can recommend this video to those who want a guided visit of Westminster… but there’s nothing better than seing it for real !