Despite a late night at a pub in Brighton (The Queen’s Head--nice atmosphere, but I still prefer Pav Tav), I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to go on the International Office’s trip to Windsor. It was just under two hours away by bus, and I would have enjoyed the scenic drive through the countryside, if the windows hadn’t kept fogging up in spite of my best efforts not to breathe.
We arrived in the car park (parking lot) and walked up a hill to the castle. After going through security (I already feel safe in my new home!), we ran into a warden in full uniform who was happy to show our large group around. The castle is humongous. From the outside it looks very much like a larger version of a stereotypical castle, with the stone, the towers and the moat, which was drained long ago. We must have been walking around outside for at least an hour, but I didn’t so much mind the cold both since the sun decided to make a rare appearance and because the warden’s information was so interesting. Not that I remember even a tenth of it now, but at the time, I really enjoyed the tour!
Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside of the castle, but by the time we finished touring the outside, I was only too happy to put my camera away if it meant I could warm up inside. Our first stop was Queen Mary’s Dollhouse. The only word to describe it is: wow. I adore miniatures as much as the next person, but some people have too much time and money on their hands. The dollhouse is built on a 1/12 scale, and everything inside of it is “real.” The books in the library are actually printed in, the faucets in the mini bathrooms turn, and if it was hooked up to water, a doll could actually take a bath. The detail in every room was exquisite; I think even the maid’s room is a step up from my current accommodations. It was never meant to be played with, which is a shame, because I know that if I had gotten my hands on it when I was six, I could have come up with all sorts of stories…
My next stop was an exhibit celebrating the 500th anniversary of the coronation of my dear old friend Henry VIII. I picked a good year to study in England. It was really cool to see all sorts of books, paintings and jewels from the Tudor period, and I’ll admit, I enjoyed feeling a little bit smug since I already knew the information posted on the signs scattered throughout the room. It was only when I passed by the gift shop and saw the Henry VIII and wives ornaments, which I received for Christmas a few years ago, that I remembered what a nerd I am, and I quickly moved onto the next part of the castle.
For the rest of the visit, I wandered through the state rooms open to the public, some of which are only open during the winter. It was these rooms that made me fall in love with the castle. They’re all so beautifully decorated, and there’s so much history in each, subtly conveyed in part through the portraits of long-dead royals that are guaranteed to hang in every room. Those of you that knew me throughout my obsession with the Tudors and royalty can imagine my delight. Even the rooms that were damaged by a fire in 1992 have been restored so masterfully that you’d never know anything was modern. I couldn’t pick a favorite room if I tried, but I do know that I need to tour some more castles while I’m here.
I ran into some other girls from Sussex, and we explored St. George’s Chapel together. Try as I might, I couldn’t find Henry VIII’s tomb, but a funny story about that: our guide said that after King Charles I was executed during the English Civil War, his supporters needed to bury him quickly and without fanfare. After sewing his head back on to his decapitated body, they decided to quietly toss him in the grave Henry VIII shared with his third wife, Jane Seymour (the one who was lucky enough to have a son and unlucky enough to die a few days later). Unfortunately, none of Henry’s children or descendents had gotten around to marking his grave in any way, shape or form, and consequently, he was just lying somewhere under the huge chapel. I can feel the family love, even all these centuries later…So, the supporters had to crawl on the floor in the middle of the night, tapping on the ground until they found a hollow area which they correctly assumed was Henry’s grave. They chucked Charles in there, and that is where the three of them rest today, although now there’s some sort of marker, to help the next person who has to hastily bury a deceased monarch.
We were all starving after such a full morning, so we walked through the town of Windsor in search of a café. It’s a charming place, and what I imagine the British equivalent of Galena would look like. All of the houses and stores look ancient and adorable, and I could definitely get used to walking on cobblestone streets. We eventually found a promising restaurant, and after deciding the prices were reasonable (our sense of reasonable only slightly distorted by hunger), we went in. Big mistake. We had hoped to eat quickly and get on our way, but the service was incredibly slow. None of us ordered anything complicated (really, even I could make a bacon and cheese sandwich in under thirty minutes), but we waited an hour for our food. We were on the brink of walking out but reluctantly decided the quickest way to get food was to stay put. It wasn’t a bad sandwich but definitely not worth the wait.
Our next stop was Eton College, about a fifteen minute walk from Windsor. Most of it was closed to the public, but I took a few pictures and can now say I visited Eton. Yay? We meandered back to Windsor, popped into a few shops and drank hot chocolate before returning to the bus. It was a busy day, and a really fun trip. I definitely need to plan to visit another castle soon.
The rest of the week has been pretty ordinary. Last night, after catching the first hour of a funny Bollywood movie, I went to a Turkish/Persian/Lebanese/generally Eastern restaurant for a dinner organized by the International Society. The restaurant is apparently well-known in Brighton, and I liked my chicken kebab with yoghurt sauce (it tastes better than it sounds). It was nice to chat with some new people. I have no plans thus far for the weekend, but after traveling to London and then Windsor, I’m honestly looking forward to a break from the tourism and a more relaxed weekend here in Brighton!
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