The Panorama Series – Big Ben and Parliament, London, England

One of my favorite walks in the entire world is along the South Bank of the Thames River. Every time I pass by this side of Big Ben and Parliament I am overwhelmed with awe at this grand structure. The site never ceases to amaze me, and is at the very top of my to-do list whenever I am in London. I love to walk the South Bank during two times of the day. The first is early in the morning when there aren’t very many people about and the building is reflected in the Thames river. The second is late in the afternoon as the last rays of daylight wane and Big Ben and Parliament begin to light up and then on into the night as the sky gets darker but the building shines out into the night.

While taking this panorama early one morning a man walking his dog passed by me. We made eye contact and he asked, “Do you speak English?”.

I responded “Of course!”. He then basically summed up how I feel about this building.

“That’s one helluva piece of Norman architecture! They sure knew how to impress, didn’t they?!”

Yes, indeed. I’m not sure if it is Norman architecture, but wow does it impress.