Windsor Castle, Runnymede, and Magna Carta at the British Library

Today, our penultimate here in London, I find myself tired. It's chilly and rainy, gray and "English." We've been so lucky with the weather while here- mostly sun and blue skies or rain just when we'd arrived somewhere. We have packed an incredible amount of things into each day, so really, it's no wonder I feel pooped. We all are, but boy have we maxed out this trip!

Windsor Castle

After Stonehenge on Sunday, we went on to Windsor Castle where we toured the State Apartments, saw the famed Queen Mary's dollhouse and climbed the Round Tower (which is actually shaped like a D). The Queen often spends at the Castle but is in Balmoral, Scotland, now and so the tower is available for visiting. The view from it are gorgeous.

view from the Round Tower of the Long Walk, a 2.65 mile pedestrian road leading out from Windsor Castle. Only royal carriages can drive on it.

We didn't have quite as much time at Windsor as I'd have liked and many parts of it are off-limits, but it's a beautiful place, and I'm glad we went. It's amazing how old things are here; really gives you a sense of awe and humility. And the craftsmanship of these things put many modern constructions to shame!

Magna Carta

On the way back to London, we drove through Runnymede where, in 1215, King John met with the rebel barons to negotiate the Magna Carta. After signing it, John promptly reneged on most, but after his death in 1216, the Magna Carta (or Great Charter) was renegotiated several times. Finally, in 1225, King Henry III (John's son) signed, with his Great Seal, the definitive copy.

This year marks the 800th anniversary of the first charter. Of its original 63 clauses, three remain enshrined in British law. The one of primary import decrees that all 'free men' have the right to a fair and just trial which in essence diminished the space between king and subjects and made the monarchy subject to laws of the land. 

I've always been fascinated by the Magna Carta which has greatly influenced many documents since, not least the American Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights as well as the Universal Declaration on Human Rights following World War II. 

This morning, we spent a marvelous couple hours at the British Library's special Magna Carta exhibit. It was one of the best collections and presentations of incredible artifacts I've ever seen. The BL has two of the original 1215 Magna Carta's plus at least four of the later versions. They're in various stages of decline but for being so freaking old, I found their degree of preservation awe-inspiring. Several still had the King's Great Seals attached. And on the Papal Bull that nullified John's first Magna Carta, you can still see the Pope's seal. Amazing. 

If you click the link I provided, you can see pictures of everything!

Stonehenge

Visiting Stonehenge has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. It's hard for me to articulate the why behind that desire, really, but a few days ago, on a chilly, rainy Sunday, I crossed this one off my list.

As you may know, Stonehenge is a grouping of enormous stones quarried and erected more than 2,500 years ago (around the time the Egyptian pyramids were constructed). In the spot on which it stands, first came what's known as "earth henge," a circular ditch and bank structure (see below pictures) constructed roughly 5,000 years ago that is still quite visible and serves as the outer perimeter of the Stonehenge landmark.

Inside the inner bank then came the Aubrey Holes, a ring of 56 pits. It is believed that in each once stood a tall stone, and in some have been found cremated remains of humans. No human remains have been discovered further into the sacred space. Some think timber once stood in the Aubrey Holes -wood henge- while others wonder if the now-interior bluestones were first in the Aubrey spots and then moved.

Quarried and rafted upriver 150 miles from Wales, the bluestones were treated so specially because they are considered to have healing powers. Can you even imagine doing all this prior to the iron age, wheels and industrialization of any form? 

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see the shorter, thinner bluestones between the two sarsen rings?

The larger, outer ring of trilithons -two vertical stones capped by a horizontal lintel; the three are fixed together rather like a Lego- was once contiguous. But as many of the sarsens and lintels have toppled, we now experience what remains. 

There are also a number of directional stones: the slaughter, heel and station stones and their related markers. It's believed these helped orient the builders such that Stonehenge is not only a very accurate circle design but also perfectly frames the winter and summer solstice suns as they rise. The slaughter stone was not the site of any sacrifices of which we know; rather it contains iron deposits that tinge red any water that sits in the stone's divots for long. Red water -> bloody -> the "slaughter stone" moniker.

look closely and you can definitely see the reddish hue of the pooled water

I decided that were we going to drive nearly two hours from London to see this magical stone sculpture, we might as well do it really right. If you can, I highly suggest purchasing the Stone Circle Access Tickets which are very limited in number but totally worth the effort and extra cost (roughly double a normal ticket). 

With these tickets, you not only enter the site before the official opening time (we had 7:30am tickets; regular opening is 9am) but also get to ignore the guard rails and go mingle with the stones. No touching but you can otherwise get as close as you like. 

You can see the lichen varieties growing across the stones. You can see up close the holes carved into the lintels and the mounds left behind in the sarsens so that they fit together securely. You can see where the blackbirds like to land and where they have built nests. You can look into the "bloody" pools of water atop the slaughter stone. You can stand underneath thousands-years' old stones and feel small and humbled. You can wander and never want to leave and also think, god, this is such a remote, odd spot. 

sarsen fitting into a lintel; note the lichen

the birds love their perch

I loved it and feel so lucky to have gone. As we left, the storm that had been rolling in opened and let loose. The wind whipped our hair and bodies, dirt crumbs caked our legs. And it felt just right. 

Hamlet, at the Barbican with Benedict, part 2

I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed the first part of my review of Hamlet. Thanks for letting me know!

Part 2

Now, recognizing that Ophelia is not written as the most appealing character, I found myself hoping that Siân Brooke would, in some way, redeem her. Would make me sympathetic to Ophelia's withering, whiny anxiety which ultimately does her in.

Brooke did not do this. In fact, I found her Ophelia so irritating that I kept wishing she'd drown herself sooner rather than later. One must wait until sometime post-intermission for her to throw in the towel on life. 

Brooke's voice is both trembling and somewhat nasal, and her body language and gait seem affected rather than remotely true. At times she's dressed like some sort of Victorian and at others, in a cardigan and capris, you wonder if she's just jumped from a J.Crew catalog. Her role is fairly limited in this production, and for that I was grateful.

The wonderful Ciarán Hinds played Claudius, often well but inconsistently. His primary soliloquies in the first half were excellent, but his energy in the role seemed to wax and wane. I wasn't sure if that was his doing or a directorial misstep, but in either case felt he needed to maintain and emote a greater sense of murderous treachery as the end of the play neared.

The men playing Polonius, Laertes and Horatio did a fine job as did Anastasia Hille who gave us a wonderful Gertrude. 

the Hamlet stage in the second half

One of the most under-reported, impressive and exciting elements of this Hamlet is the stage. The set designer is utterly brilliant, and each alteration and the myriad uses of the main decor -walls, the staircase and balcony, the main hallway, the piano- added tremendously to the overall experience of the performance.

My sister subtly swiped this picture as we were leaving the theatre. In it you can see the enormous mounds and slides of rocks and pebbles that depict the utter destruction the second half marches toward. Ophelia marches barefoot down the dark hall, as if called to the light at the end. She turns there, and we know that the river awaits.

Hamlet and Laertes duel in the middle of the stage, Gertrude dies on front stage left and Cladius at the bottom of the grand staircase.

The whole stage is used all the time, and the lighting, colors and decor are all exceptionally well considered and executed. 

Turner's Hamlet isn't perfect. Though we were rapt for the entire first half -which is really quite something given that it runs for nearly two hours- both my sister and I felt the momentum the actors had gained dissipated during intermission and never fully returned. It made us wish we'd all powered straight through. And I do so wish Claudius had seemed more menacing and Ophelia more likeable.

All that said, it was a theatrical experience of a lifetime, and I remain thrilled that I was here. 

At the gift shop after the curtain closed, the cashier said she'd heard Benedict would be signing autographs outside the Silk Street stage door. My sister and I literally paid and ran, hoofing it to fan line in our shirts and heels. We saw Ciarán Hinds not two feet from us and Anastasia Hille just further than that.

And then the grand master emerged, and I was not six feet from him and I saw his hair and immediately said, "It's Benedict. Just look at that marvelous hair." 

That's all I got but it'll do me.

benedict's hair is just in there