Chapter 8: Windsor and Henry V

I have fallen behind on my blog entries. As you can imagine, it is like midterm week right now. I am frantically trying to both work and sightsee.

Yesterday, I took the train to Windsor. It is a quick train ride. There I toured Windsor Castle. I was in awe of its unparalleled grandeur. The castle is everything a castle should be, with its tall imposing walls, sleeping beauty windows, and perpendicular gothic architecture.

On the grounds is St. George's Church. Besides the breathtaking beauty of the church, here lies the Queen's parents and grandparents.

The next attraction is the doll house. The doll house is a large square. The facade lifts up to reveal the rooms. The rooms are lit with electric lights and the house has a working plumbing system. Artists painstakingly replicated furniture, paintings, and more to create this intricate miniature mansion. The attention to detail is remarkable, even the plates on the dining room table are made out of silver. This house was not made for children, but for Queen Mary who loved minatures.

The art gallery was also impressive. It housed several sketches by daVinci inlcuding one entitled the Deluge. It is a personal sketch that masterfully depicts the chaos of a storm. The gallery also includes works by Hans Holbein the Younger and the great wax seal of King Henry VIII.

Next I entered the state rooms, via the grand staircase. There were over twenty rooms all lavishly decorated. Most have been restored to a close resemblance of what they would have looked like under the reign of Charles II. A thick catalog of the gold, furniture, and armor housed in these rooms would not do it justice. To name a few, there is the armor of King Henry VIII, a painting of Elizabeth I that mimics the judgement of Paris, and the blue throne room. One of my favorite rooms was St. George's Hall. This long, bright hall with its tall draped windows was straight out of Disney's Cinderella.

After touring the staterooms, I caught the train back to Oxford. A quick dinner and I walked to Trinity College to watch an outdoor play, Henry V. It was excellent. The actors consistantly stayed in character, allowing the illusion of reality to let the set and audience fade away. I was quite impressed and enjoyed the play to its very last word.