Windsor and Eton

On Saturday the UCL students on home stays in Surrey got to go on a day trip to Windsor Castle. This was the first castle I have been to since coming here. And it kind of got me thinking. 

Also, if you'd prefer to not read some mildy critical ideas about riches and splendor, I would skip to the next post. 

First, like many things in England, this castle is older than my entire country. People have been coming and going since way before Columbus came and brought disease and death to the people that lived in the United States before we did. This, I thought, was kind of cool. 

Some of the things in the castle itself I thought to be rather ridiculous. What is the point of all the grandeur? As if vaulted gothic ceilings weren't enough, must you trim them in gold? I saw a whole hallway full of royal china, glorified cups, bowls, and plates arranged asthetically in cabinet after cabinet. I mean, what does it all mean? Why did fashion houses like Rochas and Lanvin create dresses and hats for toy dolls as gifts to princesses from the children of France? Did the children of France get such lavish gifts from the princesses? I mean, yes it's history. These sorts of displays document the past.  But, really, when it comes down to it, who cares about hundreds of years worth of china? And what is so great about vaulted ceilings painted with gold leaf trim? They're ultimately just ceilings. Fancy ceilings, yes. But they're just ceilings. And china. And clothing for dolls. 

Despite my grumpy rantings about the aforementioned, the paintings hanging in the different rooms of the castle were magnificent. I finally got to see this painting of Elizabeth I that I remember seeing in a history text book at some point during high school. (That woman wrote some awesome speeches and great poetry!) I didn't know it was there beforehand, or anything, but when I saw it I had a huge goofy grin on my face.

 

After we were through touring Windsor Castle, we went over to Eton to check out Eton College, the royal academy where Prince William and Henry went to school. It looked really interesting from the outside, but we weren't allowed in. Luckily, someone had left a small door open, so I was sneaky and snapped a picture of what looks like the main courtyard. I'm going to try to get more photos on here as soon as I figure out how to do it. 

The sky was blue. It was a lovely day.