The people choose 650 men and women for the House of Parliament. The second „House“ is the House of Lords. The men and women in it are the dukes, earls, and lords of the great families, heads of the Church of England, head judges, and some modern „Life Peers“ and „Live Peeresses“. These two „Houses“are Parliament.
Westminstere Bridge is one bridge across the River Thames in London. Big Ben and the House of Parliament stand beside the River Thames. You can go on a boat from Westminster and see London from the river.

The Tower of London
Tower Bridge is one of the famous bridges across the Thames. It is near the Tower of London. You can see the buildings of the Tower from the river.
The Tower is old, and it has a long and cruel history. It is not only one building. The Bloody Tower is near the river. You do not see blood there today, but the Bloody Tower has a history of blood-the blood of men, women and children.
Are the ghosts in the Tower? People say, „The ghosts of famous men and women walk in the Tower of London. You often see the ghosts of Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey in the night“.
The Tower of London is not a place of blood now. It is an interesting place, with its Beefeaters and the Crown Jewels. The Imperial State Crown is one of the Crown Jewels in the Jewel House in the Tower of London. It has 3000 stones in it : diamonds, red rubies, blue sapphires and beautiful pearls. The queen wears it on state occasions. Then it goes back to the Tower. The „Breefeaters“ are soldiers. Their real name is Yeoman Warders of the Tower. Their clothes are the clothes of royal guards of the year 1500. The Beefeaters guard the Tower and the Crown Jewels, and they help visitors. Guardsmen of today, from a regiment of foot guards, are always there too.

London´s ceremonies
London has important ceremonies. Some are every day and some are every year. At the Tower of London is the Ceremony of the Keys. The keys in this ceremony lock the gates of the Tower. This ceremony is at ten o´clock every night. It is a very old ceremony-700 years old.
The Lord Mayor´s Show is an old ceremony too. The people of the City of London choose a Lord Mayor every year. And every year they see him in the Lord Mayor´s Show. The Lords Mayor´s coach takes him to the mansion House in a long procession-that is the show.

London´s churches
You can see a number of London´s famous churches from the river. St Paul´s Cathedral is not very near the river, but it stands at the top of Ludgate Hill. You can see it from the river.