Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London
On a sunny day, one of the finest picnic spots in London is on the green near the Houses of Parliament. This is a sort of ‘grassy island’ with traffic on all sides - and traffic fumes as well (!) - where you can chomp on your sandwiches and watch sometimes dramatic political events unfold. Invariably, at times of national or international crisis, you will come across dozens of television crews from all over the world interviewing politicians only feet away from you. (The politicians themselves have a rather less polluted place to eat their sarnies i.e. on the terrace of Parliament overlooking the River Thames . . .) The majesty of the area is captured vividly in Philip Bright and Sarah Ramos’ JIMMY RAT, published by Picnic in October 2009.
