Destination: London

Imagine getting to have dinner in London’s Houses of Parliament with a member of the House of Lords. And not just any dinner or any politician — but dinner in the exclusive Peers’ Dining Room with Lord John Alderdice, who was instrumental in helping sort out the Irish “Troubles” and is deeply steeped in the Palestine/Israel challenge and other violent political conflicts. What would you talk about? The answer: lots.

My head was spinning, as portraits of literal “bigwigs” hovered over similarly weighty dinner conversations that were being capped with nice glasses of port all around. A few minutes earlier, Lord Alderdice and I had been alone in the Chamber of the House of Lords, where statues representing the nobles who forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 (ceding certain rights to nobility) look down on the proceedings. They serve as a powerful reminder of almost a thousand years of heritage, and the ongoing struggle to empower the people to create a good and representative government.

With that appetizer, and thinking about today’s political environment, I asked Lord Alderdice a few questions over dinner. My notes are a jumble, but here are a few scraps that seasoned our meal with thought-provoking new insights:

While the US Senate (the closest thing we have to the Lords) has lost much of its civility, Lord Alderdice said he still finds the House of Lords as civil as ever.

I told Lord Alderdice (who’s appointed for life) that he’s blessed not to have to raise money and go up for re-election. He explained the rationale and value of having one chamber that didn’t need to be elected (providing an advisory body that can give honest opinions, rather than sway in the direction of populist political winds). He also clarified that money for those who do need to run is not a major issue in British politics. A candidate cannot buy TV or radio ads (print and billboards are OK). And, in part because British lawmakers can see how money in politics has been so damaging to democracy in the USA, there’s no discussion about loosening up these restrictions.

I was curious about Lord Alderdice’s take on Brexit. He said it’s nothing very new to have difficulties in the relationship between Britain and continental Europe. King Henry VIII breaking away from the Pope nearly 500 years ago (the English Reformation) is not unlike Brexit’s break from the EU today.

And what about President Trump — what does his election say about the United States’ role in the world? Globally, Lord Alderdice sees a loss of confidence in the democratic process. That concerns him. Lord Alderdice, who likes to consider international relations as if they were relations between individuals, sees the USA’s relationship to the family of nations like an adolescent on steroids, while Britain is the older kid on the block — it has been around a long, long time and is heavily influenced by that history. Lord Alderdice’s take is that Trump represents something in the body politic of the USA. His election caught everyone off-guard because we’re not good at listening to each other. People on the left get into their narrow point of view and refuse to really hear the concerns of people on the right. (Like America’s liberal bubble, Britain has its equivalent, which he calls “the cosmopolitan 20 percent.”)

I asked about Germany subsidizing Europe and shoring up the euro currency. Lord Alderdice sees Germany’s generosity as a way of paying reparations —  motivated by its guilt after its role in WWII, and especially the Holocaust.

I enjoyed Lord Alderdice’s thoughts about the separation of Church and state: He said that although the Queen is the head of the Church of England, if she or the Prime Minister closed a speech by saying, “God bless Britain,” it would sound strange. Conversely, if the President of USA — who leads a country with a constitutional separation of Church and state — didn’t say, “God bless America,” it would sound strange.

I asked him about lessons from his work resolving the Troubles in Ireland, and how those might be applied to the Middle East. He explained his viewpoint that understanding relations between large groups is the big challenge for those working for peace. In Ireland, the IRA has learned they accomplish more without violence. Palestine is slowly learning this, as well. In the West, we need to keep the conversation going — and to understand that when you refuse to work with Fatah, you get Hamas, and when you refuse to work with Hamas, you get ISIS.

Some countries will forever be at odds. But if you keep the conversation going, you can maintain the peace. Then, one day (like with France and Germany), peace becomes the norm. But in the meantime…you keep talking.

Saying goodnight to Lord Alderdice and turning in our security badges, I looked up at the face on the clock atop the tower known as Big Ben. The minute hand is twice as tall as I am. It’s so big, you can see it moving.

Photo: thetravelphile.com

I’ve recorded nearly 500 hours of my weekly radio program, Travel with Rick Steves. And one of the smartest people I’ve had the honor of interviewing was Lord John Alderdice, a Northern Ireland politician who sits in the House of Lords.

Lord Alderdice, a psychiatrist, famously approached the two sectarian sides in Ireland’s “Troubles” as if they were spouses who needed counseling. This approach contributed hugely to the hard-won peace…so much so, that Lord Alderdice is now dedicating his energy to other conflicts, including Colombia and the Palestine/Israel challenge. (To hear Lord Alderdice’s wisdom, listen to our interview.) We clicked during the interview, and I had a longstanding invitation to have dinner with him at “The Lords” — the exclusive Peers’ Dining Room of the upper house of the UK Parliament.

I finally had a free evening in London, so we set a date (along with my partner, Trish — who happened to be in London preparing to guide an upcoming tour departure). Of course, packing as light as I do, I needed to buy a suit jacket, trousers, and a tie.

All dressed up, Trish and I reported to the floodlit Houses of Parliament and, after tight security, were greeted by Lord Alderdice. It was way after hours, and it felt as if he owned the place. He took us on a private tour of the Palace of Westminster. Walking quietly through these hallowed halls of Britain’s government with a real-life lord as our private guide, I gained an appreciation for the value of the House of Lords (which many naively consider just a gab session of rubber-stamp aristocrats).

The Peers’ Dining Room is a wonderful place for conversation: great service, classic dishes, fine wine and port, strictly no photos, and surrounded by hushed conversations under portraits of British luminaries who had similarly hushed conversations at these same tables two or three centuries ago. And what made the dinner tastiest of all was the company of such a wise statesman.

The more I travel, the more value I put on good governance — and the more I understand that that work is best done by caring people who understand the art of compromise, rather than by bull-headed, ham-fisted ideologues. Of course, the grassroots are also important. But countries can rise and fall on how they are blessed or cursed with their political leadership. And they are girded and protected by the strength of the institutions of their democracies.

Lord Alderdice, thank you for an unforgettable evening…and for a lifetime of high-minded service. (I’ll share highlights of our conversation in tomorrow’s post.)

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This spring I promised you 100 posts from Europe in 100 days. I’m afraid I lied. Today is Day 100, and it’s looking more like it will be 130 posts in 130 days. Please stick around for the ride as my travels take me through Germany’s Black Forest, France’s Alsace, and the great Swiss cities. Then, after a few days at home (got to wash those clothes!), I return to Europe with our TV crew to film a Mediterranean cruise. I just can’t stop traveling and I’m so glad you’re joining me here on my blog and via Facebook. Thanks — and stay tuned for lots more!

I’m in London at my favorite wine bar, Gordon’s Wine Bar. Just imagine dropping into this place — a five-minute walk from Trafalgar Square — for a candlelit evening of tasty cheese and port, sitting under 500-year-old arches.

You need good information to eat well, economically, and memorably in a city like London. My passion is to find places like Gordon’s Wine Bar and to pack them into my guidebooks. When I’m on the road, researching and updating my guidebooks, eating and drinking in places like this is part of the job…and part of the fun.

This is Day 86 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

Hello from London! I’m in South Kensington, my favorite home-base neighborhood. I just used an automated machine in the Tube station to get my Oyster card — a transit pass that gives local commuters (and travelers) access to the London Underground for about half-price. I saw how befuddled some tourists were with it, and I remembered that I, too, am hesitant to dive into a big city’s public transit system — until I actually do, and then everything goes much smoother.

In this little clip, I’ll show you how simple it is to push the buttons, slide in your money, and get a card loaded up with credit for lots of rides. Remember, with my Oyster card, I get six rides on the Tube for about the cost of one taxi ride…and I never need to wait in traffic. Plus, I’m in the fray with all the locals, and that’s more fun. (BTW, when you leave London, be sure to return your Oyster card. You’ll get a refund for your £5 deposit, and for any unused credit still on the card. It works great.)

This is Day 85 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.