The more I take in all these sights around me, the more I am constantly amazed at the spectrum of wealth there is in the world. There are children starving in Africa, there are people like you and me living a middle class or upper middle class life, and then there is the Queen – born into privilege, living in a freaking palace that is so grand that just walking through the state rooms is a major tourist attraction. Isn’t that just unbelievable. One woman has all of that, and she was born into it! It just amazes me. And yet in brought something else to the surface.
Being here, working with the casting agency, and being around all this history, I am beginning to see that at the end of the day, we are all just people. Celebrity, royalty, fame and fortune…. I am not going to deny it certainly makes things easier, but at the heart of it all, the Queen may be THE QUEEN, but she is also just a woman. And let me tell you, I took a good look and she doesn’t hold a candle to the beauty of my grandmas J. (see what I mean? :)
These thoughts all came flooding to me during my busy day. This morning I woke, showered and got ready for class. We had history at 1:30pm, but our professor didn’t show up until 2pm. That is so annoying! We were seriously just two names away from completing an attendance list and then walking out when the smelly thing hustled through the door to the immense disappointment of every restless student in the room. He then went on for an hour talking more about World War I. He spoke in great detail of the horrible living conditions in the trenches and what a man-made hell the war became. Come the end of class, I was actually glad the man showed up. While the lecture was actually really disturbing, it restored my appreciation for the life I live. I realize it sounds so sappy, but I could never have that kind of bravery. Hell, I complain that we don’t have a dishwasher here, that I can feel the springs in my bed, and that the tube can be so miserably hot. I know it is all relative, but after hearing all of that, I realize how lucky I am to not only be having this experience, but to just have a safe and healthy family and friends and a roof over my head.
So it was a humbling morning.
And then I went to the palace… Buckingham Palace.
Laura, Brett, Kelsey and I got out of class at 3pm, BUT they stop selling tickets for the Buckingham tour at 3:30pm so we knew we were going to have to book it. Little did we know, it is quite the commute from school and we literally ended up running through Hyde Park to make it in time. We probably looked like criminals who had just mugged a poor lady or something the way we were sprinting, but, our efforts were worth it - we made it just in time! It was another one of those movie moments – like when the guy is chasing after the girl to get to her just before she leaves forever – except in our case it was three girls and a guy chasing after a palace – okay, so not the same thing, but go with it. Anyways, we were probably stupid for planning to squeeze it in, but with Wales this weekend, and the tours closing on the 29th, we wanted to make sure we saw it. And I am so glad we did.
The palace was unreal. There are no words to describe the sheer awe I felt just to see how immaculate every distinct room was. And the amazing part is, we only saw like 1/8 of the palace. It reminded me a lot of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, which of course made me miss home, but more than that, I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up and actually live a daily life in such a grand setting. The ballroom was set up just like it is when the Queen holds the biyearly State dinners. Every piece of silverware and gold-rimmed china is MEASURED (like by hand, with a ruler) to make sure the table is set perfectly. It was all just so unbelievable. We listened to the guided tour, which had classical music and a lively British host, which really set the mood and gave us insight into what we were seeing.
Did you know that Queen Elizabeth is queen of more than just the UK - yes she is queen of Canada and Australia, Jamaica and a bunch of other common wealth countries. Not to mention, during the German blitzes on WWII she insisted on staying in the palace in London to be close to her people, even though that put her in the heart of danger. Another fun fact, she also supports the occasional useof marijuana seeing as her doctor prescribed it to her for her arthritis – no, no, that was not a part of the guided tour, our professor told us that. But still, imagine the Queen rolling a doobie….is that even what it is called? That gave us quite a laugh. Seriously, picture that…. It will make you smile.
Anyways, seeing the palace was a lot of fun, and well worth the race to get there. After, we stopped and got some soft serve ice cream on our way to the tube, and then went to Embankment to go back to Giraffe, that great burger restaurant on the pier. It has an awesome dinner deal on Monday – Friday from 5 -7pm, and so it was a filling way to end the day.
We all came home, Laura and I ran to the Tesco for an after dinner treat, watched Friends, and packed for our weekend trip to Wales. We leave tomorrow at 8:30 am, and here is the itinerary: We arrive in Cardiff, Wales at 11:30, where we will check in to our hostel, tour a castle and then have some time to walk around the city and explore. On Saturday we have a guide and coach for a full day (9-6pm) of exploring the Gower (beautiful coastal paths and Bays, Swansea bay, Weobley castle, the Dylan Thomas centre and Neolithic burial chamber). Then we are back to Cardiff by 6 pm and enjoy the nearby pubs and restaurants in town. On Sunday we have coach and guide for a half day, leaving Cardiff at 9am for Tintern Abbey and having lunch at the Abbey Mill Craft Centre before the trip to Raglan castle. We will get to Newport station for 2:38 train back to London arriving in Paddington at 4:00. So it will be busy, but should be very exciting, so long as these bus drivers know how to drive – please no nausea this trip!
But this also means I have some bad news (violins begin to play). For the next two days – there will be no blogging. I know, I know, you are really upset. I am too. But listen, we are just going to have to get through this…. together. And just think, on Sunday or Monday there will be a fun filled blog full of all my adventures in Wales J.
Before I go, I have to admit something. As I was taking in all the grand details and the fantastic features of the Buckingham Palace this afternoon I couldn’t help but wonder if all of these riches made her a life as incomparable to mine as it seemed, or if maybe, at the end of the day, her happiness is not determined by the jewels, crowns, grand staircases or elaborate state dinners, but by something else entirely, something even I have.
No, I may not live in a palace or a castle, but in the end, I don’t think that matters. What matters is that in two weeks I will get to give my mom a hug, and in two months I will get to see all of you. It is that love that is the real gold, and I think the Queen would agree.
Love and hugs,
Jenny
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