Parliament, Globe, and end of classes

I know it has been a while since I have been on here, and I do apologize. I have been busy with several end-of-term assignments. I finished my classes a couple days ago and am getting ready to travel a little with my parents before I head back. It has been a good semester overall, and I think the classes I took were interesting. Yet at the same time I always felt like I could have gotten more out of the whole experience. Maybe that's because I'm used to living on a traditional college campus. Maybe it's because I'm used to going to football and basketball games with hundreds of screaming fans decked out in blue and white. Maybe I didn't realize that not every university contains a large area where preachers, dancers, and other interesting characters come to make their voice heard. Maybe I just have a hard time accepting the fact that for many students in the UK, college is only a small part of their life. I know it's all a matter of perspective. I'm curious what students in the UK think of our university system. I do think it was worthwhile though, I'm glad I had the opportunity to gain new skills, and interact with people from across the globe.
Recently I had the opportunity to tour Parliament and Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Both were fascinating to see, and the tour guides were very entertaining. Parliament is one of the most majestic buildings I have ever seen, and it is somewhat hard to believe that the governing body of the UK still meets there. They were in recess when I was there, so we got to see the chambers for the House of Lords and the House of Commons. In about three weeks, the place will be the full of people when her majesty the queen takes to the throne and addresses both houses for the state opening, an annual tradition. There are over 600 MPs (members of parliament) in the house of commons, more than even the US House of Representatives. When there is a vote on a bill, the members go into either a "yea" room or a "nay" room and the votes are physically counted one by one as each person exits. Pretty remarkable.
As for the Globe, I had some appreciation for the place having read a few Shakespeare plays in high school. This theater is actually a reconstruction of the original one, which burned down in 1613. This was partly due to the fact that part of the stage was thatched, making it extremely susceptible to fires. The theater only operates during the warm months, since it is open-air and does not have a roof. I only wish I was here longer so I could see a show. Next time I'll come back in July while North Carolina is having triple digit temperatures.
This will be my last post from London. It has been great! I'll be in France part of next week and then get back on Saturday. I'll do a wrap up then.