Trinity College, Chapel Cafes, and the Sonnet du Jour

Hooray! My camera decided to work again! I shot a whole lot of film on a trip to town today with Karena and Lexie. (We decided to make it a girls day out, so Charlie stayed with Arthur and fed him a bottle. =) ) Much to Karena's and my surprise, Lexie fell asleep in her stroller soon after we set out, so we were able to walk in relative peace at a goodish pace.

Anyway, I love Trinity College! We went in through a huge gate with statues of Henry VIII and some of his wives (I think) over it. Inside there is a beautiful grassy courtyard. Remember the race in Chariots of Fire? It actually happened there, as Lisa reminded me, although it was filmed at Eton. What's his name surely was pretty speedy to make it around that courtyard in forty-five seconds!

Trinity has a lovely chapel. In the vestibule there are plaques and statues in memory of some of its greatest scholars, including Tennyson, Newton, and Macaulay. the whole place is full of stained glass and chandaliers and was a truly awesome sight.

Karena treated me to lunch again! =) We went to MichealHouse, which strangely enough is a chapel with a cafe for a vestibule! Kinda weird. I'm guessing that it was going to be torn down, so somebody bought it and turned it into a restaurant. the chapel itself is still intact and is used for "a contemporary worship service Wednesdays and Thursdays." (!) Talk about a truly beautiful place to eat, though! (No, we didn't actually eat in the chapel) And the food wasn't so bad...brie cheese and cranberry wraps, mmmm.

Now for the sonnet as promised. I was going to give you a Browning, but another Wordsworth seems more appropriate, seeing I'm in England. Hmm..maybe I'll give you both. And if you actually read them, read them at least twice, and you should really read them more than that. And to those of you who wonder why I'm writing sonnets here and think it's dreadfully boring, IT'S MY BLOG!!! =)

It is not to be thought of that the Flood
Of British freedom, which, to the open sea
Of the world's praise, from dark antiquity
Hath flowed, "with pomp of waters unwithstood,"
Roused though it be full often to a mood
Which spurns the check of salutary bands,
That this most famous Stream in bogs and sands
Should perish; and to evil and to good
Be lost forever. IN OUR HALLS IS HUNG
ARMORY OF THE INVINCIBLE KNIGHTS OF OLD:
WE MUST BE FREE OR DIE, WHO SPEAK THE TONGUE
THAT SHAKESPEAR SPAKE; THE FAITH AND MORALS HOLD
WHICH MILTON HELD--In everything we are sprung
Of Earth's first blood, have titles manifold.

Wordsworth wrote this when they thought Napoleon was going to invade. Yeah for Shakespeare and Milton!

Sorry folks, but poor Elizabeth's sonnet would take too much space for now. Hate to break your hearts! Until tomorrow!