The Hands of Time – London, England – For over a thousand years next to the River Thames, The Houses of Parliament & Big Ben have remained at the center of traditional English grandeur & influence

As far as old historic influential cities of the world go, London is definitely on the list. For about the last millenia, this city has had a major impact on the entire globe in some way. And if the veins of English influence have stretched throughout the globe, then they all lead back to the heart – the iconic Palace of Westminster, or more commonly known as The Houses of Parliament. This remarkable building is as intricate on the inside as it is on the outside. It has over 1,100 rooms, 100 staircases, 3 miles of corridors, and even 19 bars and restaurants for the many thousands of staff who work there everyday.

Here are a few more slightly less known facts about Parliament, the Clock Tower and the real Big Ben.

• The Clock Tower and Big Ben are not the same thing.  ‘Big Ben’ is the nickname of the giant bell inside the tower, named the after the civil engineer Benjamin Hall.
• The bell itself weighs 14.5 tons and is bonged with a 440 lb hammer – thus the big in the term ‘Big Ben’
• Even during the Nazi blitzkrieg of World War 2 the Clock never stopped working
• The oldest surviving part of the Palace of Westminster, is Westminster Hall, which was erected in 1097.
• The Tower leans slightly towards northwest, by 8.66 inches.

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December 15th, 2011 – Standard The Hands of Time - London, England (1280x1024pix) (39)  Wide – The Hands of Time - London, England (1920x1080pix) (40)

New Zealand is a fantastic place. It’s everything you would want to be completely happy. Within the shores of those two tiny islands contain just the right mixture of rural and urban, modern and old-fashioned, tranquil and adrenalized, powerful and  peaceful, grapes and hops. You’re greedy if you want anything more than that. Point being, when you’re out of balance you can’t expect to be happy. We are continually adjusting the equilibrium of our lives whether we know it or not, to balance out the events in our lives.

Traveling to new places is like forcing the pendulum to swing. Daring it almost. Plucking ourselves out of the rhythmic mundane circumstance we live in may not always be easy, and sometimes not the best idea,  but we readjust our sense of reality and take in a different perspective of what’s around us – and adapt for a better outcome. This continual readjusting keeps me close to what I see as important in my life and cutting away the distractions. Of course, you don’t have to physically travel to exotic islands far off in the Pacific to get the same effect, just make it a point take in every new change in your life, whether negative or positive, and adjust your eyes to a new perspective. Which in the end, will bring you to reevaluate what’s important to you.

So make it a point to pull up a space and rest for a while. Reflect on what balances you. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Download this weeks *wallpaper - December 8th, 2011

Standard Lake Wakatipu - Queenstown, NZ (1280x1024pix) (49)

Wide - Lake Wakatipu - Queenstown, NZ (1920x1080pix) (52)

If you would like this very view someday, go ahead and book a night at the Deco Backpackers Lodge

You can’t deny any mustached, sombrero & poncho clad skeleton a ride on your bike. He probably just crawled out of the grave and probably was a Mexican bandit in his past life,  but hey looks pretty friendly.

October 27th, 2011 – DOWNLOAD --> The Dead Will Rise - Lincoln, NE *wallpaper 10-27-11 (54)