And then, of course, since we're in England, we had to go see a real castle. There are many castles in England to visit, but one of the most impressive ones is Windsor Castle. Not only is it one of the best examples of medieval architecture to survive into the 21st century, but it is still a working, living, lived in castle. And not only that, but it's the Queen's home. And on top of that, it has been the home of the reigning monarch of England for 900 years. That's as old as Yoda!
The day we went it was overcast and windy. On one hand, we were a bit disappointed that we didn't get beautiful sunny pictures. But to me the weather gave it a much older feel somehow. It was much more gothic and serious with the imposing cloud cover. I couldn't help but feel as if we were at Helm's Deep in The Two Towers, waiting for Isengard's orcs to come marching up the valley.
St. George's Chapel is an awesome building. The architecture is spectacular and beautiful. One of the most interesting aspects of it to me was thinking about how they built it so long ago, without modern scaffolding and equipment. Not only is the craftsmanship superb, but they had to get the big, carved pieces of stone up to the top of the ceiling to install them.
One of the comments in the audio tour was that though the building and the architecture is impressive, we should remember that this is a place to worship God, and that is the primary purpose of the building. And while I agree that that should be the primary purpose of the building, I found it hard to see this. Mostly it seemed like a place to worship the past monarchs of England, since their names, emblems, statues, and in many cases, their bodies are enshrined here. There is a beautiful carving behind the altar, showing the risen and glorified Christ, and He is shown in the center windows of the stained glass above that, but all the other ones depict the public and private life of Prince Albert. It's a beautiful building and the achievement it represents is amazing, but I found it hard to see God glorified in it. One impressive spiritual aspect of St. George's Chapel was that since it was built, over 800 years ago, they have worshipped God there every day. That is a beautiful thing indeed.
I truly enjoyed seeing all the splendor and majesty of the State Apartments. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but it was amazing to see. Though it seems very self aggrandizing to see the paintings the monarchs had made of themselves, and the wealth and lavish displays of riches and treasures gathered from around the world, I think that they portray a very clear picture of royalty and majesty that we Americans don't conceptualize well. And after seeing this place, and seeing how past Kings and Queens ruled the empire, somehow the current system pales in comparison. I believe that democracy is a good way to govern, especially in this age, but a good and just King or Queen could do a great deal to rule a people. Of course, a selfish or tyrannical one would be the worst way to ruin a country, but selfish or shortsighted people in a democracy would do the same thing.
We six were the last people to walk through the State Apartments, and as we left each room, the caretakers would turn out the lights and close the doors behind us. It was kind of interesting–a bit like being on a ride a Disneyland when they have to stop the ride and turn on the lights to fix something. Except here, when they turned out the lights, it was still a grand and imposing room left behind you in the dark. At one point, I asked the woman who was in charge of the Grand Reception Room if we were keeping her, or going too slowly, and she politely said,"No, don't worry about it. Take your time." Somehow, I got the feeling that though she said "take your time", we shouldn't dilly dally, but get on with it.
Here are some of my favorite pictures of the castle.
This is the keep, atop the motte. It's official name is the "Round Tower".
This one shows King Edward III Tower above the moat that surrounds the motte. The moat at Windsor has always been dry, though it wasn't always a lovely garden as it is now.
On the left is St. George's Chapel. In the center, in the background, is the Round Tower. On the right is Mary Tudor Tower and the Military Knights' Lodgings. In the very bottom of the image is my lovely wife and eldest daughter.
This is a view along the north side of the castle.
Dave
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