Pulling in the Rains

I have been in this country for six months and finally on this, of all weeks, it decides to rain.

Going back a bit, you may recall that we had simply gorgeous weather in Oxford. Bright blue, sunny skies. Warmth in the air. Flowers. Flip flops. T-shirts.

Gone.

I do not know whether I jinxed it with my sunglasses, or whether another person's advice ("We always have one great week before a terrible, rainy summer.") merely foretold the current situation. Perhaps Jenna's parents took the nice weather back to California with them (if this is the case, maybe my dance partner will oblige by asking for a care package of sunshine) but alas, now it has been overcast, chilly, and dripping for a week. And as I said, what a week it was!

Such a week it was, that I am actually going to skip a good amount of the detail. It involves a reconnection, a pair of reconciliations, avoiding the loneliness of college out of term, and - most importantly - being available for a friend. A peculiar mixture of emotions for such a short time span, especially heading into Easter. Thankfully everything has been sorted out, just in time for Trinity term to start!

And so I, therefore, will focus on this past weekend. On Saturday, I cajoled Jenna into accompanying me to Windsor Castle, the world's longest continuously active castle. Little known fact: Jenna is a history buff, and her interest is particularly piqued by any discussion relating to the Tudors or, really, to the English monarchy in general. In spite of being my personal tour guide - since she has already been twice - she also recommended that I listen to the free audio guide. Now for one of my favorite games: pros vs. cons:

Pros. The audio guide has quite a bit of information and an appearance by the Prince of Wales himself. It gives directions on how to navigate the castle. Also, Jenna could look for hidden jeweled Easter eggs while I finished listening to the audio in each room.

Cons. The audio guide is significantly less personable and interactive than a personal history buff. Furthermore, in an unabashed commentary on the nature of technology, I was forced to "learn" what the audio guide wanted me to learn... which may or may not have been what I really wanted to learn.

Final result: Jenna 1 - Audio commentary 0. I've decided that I'll be taking English history 101 from my dance partner this term, if she's willing. ;-)

I digress. The castle was actually quite stunning: clean exterior stonework walls on the outside, with the Windsor flag flying high over a tower. On the inside of the state apartments, room after room was filled with portraits, carvings, crests, and symbols. The famous painting of Henry VIII in his gold tunic hangs silently next to that of three of his wives. Frequently, we also saw hints of the Order of the Garter, the heraldic order established by King Edward I in the 1300s. Personally, my favorite room was St. George's Hall, a grand dining hall used for hosting the Queen's honored guests. Perhaps it was 75 yards long, with a reconstructed medieval-style wooden truss roof system. The roof was simply decorated with the crests of all the members of the Order throughout history. Even the blanked-out white crests of banished members were hung like scarlet letters for all to see and consider.

While the castle's state apartments were great, St. George's Chapel was even more brilliant. Why? Because of the massive heating duct at the chapel's west end. Oh wait... no... wrong notes.. right... St. George's chapel was brilliant for both its history and appearance. A massive pipe organ fills the center of the church, with golden pipes surrounded by an elaborately carved, rich brown oaken(?) case. Behind the organ, approaching the high alter, one was surrounded by impressively carved seats of the same hue. On the back of each seat was installed upwards of a dozen metal plaques to identify the succession of knights of the Order to whom that seat had belonged. High above the head of each seat was engraved a generic bust where each current knight had his coat of arms and a piece of head gear displayed. Further up the wall over each seat, each knight's standard was proudly hung. It was truly a grand site. Jenna pointed out that as people walked along the corridor, examining the beauty around them, no one noticed Henry VIII's humble black granite tomb beneath their feet. But we noticed, and admired, and really soaked up the atmosphere.

Such was Saturday's adventure! On Easter Sunday, I decided to catch a train into London that I might attend Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral. I visited the cathedral with my parents in September, but I really must have been jet lagged at that time because the magnificent splendor of the building seemed many times more apparent during this visit. Aside from the service itself, what caught my attention were the incredible golden mosaics above the choir and the high alter. The images really sparkled in the light, and I was drawn to their masterful artistry. If you ever get the chance to attend a service at St. Paul's Cathedral, do it. If you sit under the dome as I did, you will not be let down. Happy Easter, one and all!

On that note, I am going to bring this blog to a close for today, but since Trinity Term is coming up, here's the dopplar radar:
-I'm going to Disneyland Paris!
-30 April - important research meeting at U Bristol
-5 May - Keble Ball
-12 May - Dancesport Varsity match (Oxford vs. Cambridge)
-26 May - EPIC joint birthday BBQ celebration
-Tony's wedding at home
-potentially running for 2012-2013 MCR president
-weather getting nicer??? (still waiting on that care package)

... clearly, it's going to be another busy term in Oxford. Bring it on!