Sunday proved to be an interesting day. Chatsworth was great, but more importantly, the flatmates figured out a lot about eachother and I can honestly say, now, that I think that we are all the better for it. Either way, Chatsworth (one of the homes of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire) was a good experience. The house was entirely too elaborate for my taste, but it was interesting to see all of the artifacts and artwork that was contained in the house. The wanderings in the park/forest before lunch was also nice, a bit muddy, but nice. The entire forest and landscape surrounding the house had been designed by Capability Brown (a landscape architecht in the 1700's). The artificial lakes and aqueduct were all quite pleasing to the eye, but my favorite part was finally seeing some fall color. England doesn't quite do fall colour like the midwest. This is the most color I have seen yet, and apparently, the most I will see.
After a delicious lunch at a charming tea house in the village, we walked back to the house. Along the way, we saw the beginning of a hunt. (It would have been a fox hunt, but that isn't exactly legal now) The Duchess of Devonshire was there to send off the riders and we exhibited our best impersonation of tourists by taking tons of pictures. Here are a few:
The man in the red jacket blew the hunting horn and they were off. We followed at a much slower pace and made our way to the house for the tour. By the time we were ready to explore the gardens, it had started pouring. What's new? We went out in the rain and got wet. It was worth it. There is a special display of dozens of famous modern sculptures throughout the extensive gardens. We had a fun time sloshing through the puddles, taking pictures of the priceless works of art while trying to shield our precious cameras from the raindrops and noting places that were in the new version of "Pride and Prejudice". My favorite sculpture was by Salvidor Dali. I think it can explain itself.
OK, well, I can't get it to upload, but I will eventually post it on my Picasa page.
After a trek back to the cars, we tried to dry off on the long ride home. Once we were wrapped up in sweatshirts and thick socks, we settled in for another relaxing night. Suddenly, it is Tuesday night and the dinner bell just rang. Again. Where did the last two days go? Classes have been good and running has been great, but it is insane how fast the time flies. Ok, Mark and Carol are calling us, time to go to dinner/class.
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