I am not sure who I originally heard say this, but I will echo their wisdom. I wish I were studying abroad without the study! Next Wednesday, I have three papers and a portfolio due. I have never dived this deeply into academics in the United States and it is so inconvenient when I would rather do nothing but continue exploring London. I have managed to turn in one paper so far, another and the portfolio are almost done, but I have yet to start the last paper. I am feeling the pressure of this encroaching deadline with an additional to-do list in preparation for spring break. I keep reminding myself that while I have all these assignments do it four days, in six days I will be rewarded with three weeks of travelling in Europe!
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| Windsor Castle |
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| Windsor Castle |
Despite all of my homework, today I broke away to Windsor Castle and Eton College, both about twenty miles outside of London. Windsor Castle is supposedly Queen Elizabeth’s favorite of her five residences around the United Kingdom, and I can see why. I imagine it would be like living in a luxurious vortex of history. It has a highly impressive exterior of centuries worth of continual stone and construction. The interior state rooms we were allowed to tour are immaculate. Rich tapestries hang from the walls, antique furniture and chandeliers illustrate the opulence of the queenly décor, paintings of past monarchs hang as a sort of royal family photo album in every room and I would expect no less of even the carpet in a royal residence. Windsor Castle also has a private church known as St. George’s Chapel, this too was beautiful. My HIGHLIGHT inside the chapel was the tomb of King Henry VIII where he lays with his favorite and third wife (of six), Jane Seymour.
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| If you look closely at this desk you can see the carvings I describe below. |
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| This is some of the stained glass at Eton College. |
We walked a few minutes away to visit Eton College. It was the first public school in Britain. However, by public, they mean extremely private with annual tuition fees of £30,000! We went on a walking tour of the grounds and interior buildings. The church there has gorgeous stained glass windows and a patterned vaulted ceiling. We saw the dining room where the school’s original students ate and what I would classify as a vintage classroom. One of the very cool things are these carvings into the wood paneling all over the buildings of the names of former (and maybe current) students. They are literally everywhere and some quite intricate. They only unimpressive aspect of the school is the central court yard. It is this ugly expanse of space with stone paths but no grass or greenery anywhere, although I did make it out with some the rocks from this courtyard. I kept trying to imagine my boss and one of my colleagues (both graduates of Eton College) wandering around as their childish selves. I came up with humorous images of who I concocted them to be.
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| This is the stone courtyard at Eton College. |
Like Curtis said to Maureen."Does Aunt Linda think her rocks are pretty?" Yes I did and do. You gave them to me from anywhere and everywhere! And they are pretty especially when they are wet.
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