It has been a busy week; I've covered a lot of ground, tourist-wise. Here are many 'quick hits.'

    The tour of Parliament was fascinating. We had a knowledgeable guide (who spoke really, really fast) who took us all around, including both the House of Lords and House of Common rooms where all the Lords and MPs debate and argue. He remarked that the Speaker of the House of Commons makes sure everyone remains civil and I thought ha! that's not how it looks on TV.  We weren't allowed to take photos in most areas but here is the main hall with brass plaques in the floor commemorating famous moments.

   

    After this tour, I wandered to a nearby "real" pub where I had a pleasant meal, sharing a table with a local guy who ate a hefty plate of bangers and mash, and barely looked up from his phone the entire time I sat there.
 

 On Saturday, I walked along Oxford Street ("shopping street") and dipped into the famous Selfridges store where a pair of jeans will run you £270 - £330

 Selfridges' entrance

    That night, friend Ann and I attended the Shakespeare Globe Theater to see Much Ado about Nothing.  The theater is a re-creation of the original with hard (!) wooden benches and an open-air gallery surrounding the nearby stage. I was a little fearful of boredom, but the production was fast-paced, modernized, and very imaginative.  We both had a great time.  No photos allowed during the performance, but here are a few before it started.

I was happy to have a seat on the hard-wood bench vs. standing near the stage.  

Looking along the seating gallery

     I decided to get out of town on London, so took a train to see Oxford. I found walking tour given daily by university students and so did that -- it was quite informative. Maybe a little too informative -- our eager guide wanted to impart everything he knows about Oxford which turned out to be a lot. It happened to be 'moving in' day so there were parents and students everywhere rolling suitcases to the various colleges.  

The main photo for this post above is of Oxford, and here is a famous door to the divinity hall which features in Harry Potter movies. 

Here are just a few more random photos from my wanderings.

This is #3 Savile Row where the Beatles played their last concert on the rooftop. I believe they're going to open that up to the public in a few months but for now, I could just look at the building, the plaque, and the many inscriptions fans have left around the doorway. 

 

The Marble Arch on the edge of Hyde Park.  No bling, no snipers. 

I've become adept at getting around on the tube. Here, some teachers are taking a flock of young students on some kind of outing. Brave teachers!

And a dog who is clearly blasé about his/her tube ride.