Webbready

Nearly eight years ago I went to London, and the experience filled me with memories that I stored in a journal. The following entry is the fifth in my journal. Despite the title of this series, this entry is provided in tact and in full.

January 15, 2000

This morning we went to Chiswick House by coach. It was a refreshing departure from our usual long walks, even though the day began quite mildly. Along the way, we learned various facts about the Chiswick House, especially the house’s function. The house was a place for the Burlington (a.k.a. Chiswick) guests to stay for the large parties that were held at Burlington’s house. Easily large enough to be a main house in its own right, the place was surrounded by a very large garden. We could not go into the actual house, to our disappointment, but the surrounding area gave us plenty of area to explore.

At first, all of us when to the left side of the garden, which was marked by a stream (or pond) that ran across it. In between dodging dogs and avoiding the everpresent pigeons, I caught a glimpse of some of the prettiest ducks I have ever seen. While I am not an animal lover, just watching how they move on the water is fascinating. Of course, whenever people would approach, the ducks would come on land, expecting food.

I only noticed a few particular details worth noting. First of all, like most other buildings imitating a Roman style, there were six columns in front of the building. Also, as Dr. Adam pointed out, none of the individual sets of stairs lead anywhere. Instead, they are put together in a group in which the eventual location is reached by going up each flight. Lastly, a fellow student made the observation that one of the statue had a smiling face as an expression. Nearly all statues have no expression on the facial area, and there must have some reason why the artist chose to make that one stand out.

Our next intended stop was Hogarth’s House, but like Chiswick House, it too proved unavailable for entry. We then headed to Hampton Court Palace, along the way learning of its history. It began as Cardinal Woolsley’s palace, but Henry VIII took it from him and expanded the castle to include kitchens, tennis courts, and other things. The monacrhs who followed also spent time at the palace, but William and Mary in particular changed the palace most significantly. After this, though, Hampton Court Palace was abandoned in favor of another castle: Buckingham Palace.

After our long ride, we entered the palace and began to explore. Upom another’s sage advice, I tried my hand at the maze, which proved to be more difficult than I expected. I was also trying to make a map of the maze, but after a few minutes, I abandoned that plan. I wonder how the workers and/or groundskeepers are able to maintain the maze without ruining the wonderful structure or getting lost themselves. Then again, I had a harder time getting out than getting in, so perhaps a few groundskeepers got caught in the maze, never to exit, and their souls still haunt the accursed maze…

Upon exiting the Maze, I took a short stroll, passing some trees with tags on them. I have no idea what “Prunus Kanzan” and “Prunus Unimeko” mean, and I don’t believe I can find out at this time. After this, I walked a short distance on what I think was the Royal Tennis Court. Then I made my way upstairs to the Queen’s Apartments.

One of the first details that caught my attention was the abundance of panels near the windows with rings them. Only when I saw a guard use one did I realize that it was the place where the blinds were hooked up. In the Queen’s Apartments, the paintings that were hung continued to allow me to be awed by their beautiful, captivating manner. The work of Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife was based on a story out of Genesis. Joseph was approached by the wide of an important Egyptian. She wanted to have an affair with Joseph, but he refused, and after they had parted she lied so that he could get arrested and sent to jail. What I found most interesting about this particular painting was the way the characters were dressed. Instead of wearing Egyptian clothes, their garb was closer to the time the painting was made.

The Georgian Apartments were my next stop and while the rooms were smaller than those in the Queen’s Apartments, they appeared to be much more comfortable. Once again, my eyes were drawn to the fabulous paintings, many of which were based on the story of Cupid and Psyche. The scenes that were on display focused mainly on Psyche, such as the men who worshipped her for beauty, or her sisters urging her to find out what her mysterious husband looks like. In these paintings, Cupid is often seen looking on from the sky, no longer the young child — obviously — but an almost angelic appearance. Also, another painting which caught my attention was that of the goddess Diana. She was portrayed in such a manner to include all of her aspects. She is fully clothed in robes (indicating her divinity), wears a tiara with a crescent moon in the middle (indicating that she is the moon goddess), and is accompanied by her two dogs and a bow and arrow (indicating that she is a huntress).

After this, I went on a tour of the Tudor Kitchens. Although only a few of the rooms were open to the public, the mere size of the kitchen area we were able to see was amazing. Such a space would be necessary to feed over six hundred people. At least the fire, the source of the smell of burning wood, was ample enough. The pestles used to grind the spices were large as well and they help me remember that for all of this grandeur, there are an endless number of people who helped this castle earn the reputation that it has today. These people will never be given the honor they are due, those who actually put the castle together brick by brick, or those who prepared the meals for the 600 people who dined at the castle.

Going to the kitchens made me hungry, and so I went to go grab a quick bit to eat. After this, though, I only had about an hour left, so I “raced” through two more indoor exhibits — the King’s Apartments and the Renaissance gallery. While the King’s Apartments were nice, they did not seem to have the quality of the Queen’s Apartments. Then again, nothing can beat the sight of the East Front Gardens from the Queen’s Drawing Room.

I nearly forgot one stop I made in between the King’s Apartments and the Renaissance — The Chapel Royal. Simply put, it was magnificent to see the patterened floor which reminded me of the Star of David, to the cherubs above. Upon going upstairs I was surprised to learn that Mary had her own balcony from which she could listen to the service. It also surprised me how easily she could arise from her bed and simply walk to her seat.

I left this place, though, and seeing I had little time left, I sped through the Renaissance gallery. The paintings are a blur; all I remember was that the rooms were kept exceptionally warm and damp. Was this to protect the paintings? There was also a very good geneological chart which helped me understand how all of the Royal Family was connected. If only I could take a picture, but, alas, there was no photography allowed in that portion.

Or perhaps I cam confusing another portion of the castle with the Renaissance Gallery. At last, I climbed down the circular staircase and made my way to where the others were standing, only to find myself the last one there, As a group, we left Hampton Court Palace a little heavier from shoping and boarded the bus to the hotel. We even got a chance to catch naps on the bus as we made our return journey.

In short, today’s journey was a step up from yesterday, walking at our own paces and not having to be outside in the cold weather. This is not to say there wasn’t a very distinct chill in the air this afternoon, but at least we didn’t have to walk in it, for long.