Big Walls and Fancy Rooms

       Today we were back on the bus to seek out more adventure! The day began at Alnwick Castle, the home of the Duke of Northumberland and the Percy family since the 13th century. It was also the location of the scene where Neville loses control of his broom and breaks his wrist in the first Harry Potter :O Outside in the courtyard they were having broomstick lessons which made the ancient stone fortress echo with the shrieks of laughing children. It was highly appropriate and positively adorable.

       The castle has an incredibly opulent set of state rooms which includes 74 Old Master paintings, a Velazquez and a Turner. I enjoyed seeing a Claude Lorrain (Sunset) as well as two Titians, one called Ecce Homo (there is a third, disputed Titian but I am very doubtful it is authentic). The family lives there full time in the winter when it is not open to the public, but for now we got to creep through all the luxurious rooms with their rich wallpapers, crowded art and something to see in every corner. The ceilings were beautifully elaborate and the library was filled with stuffed dogs... I really enjoyed seeing the family photos of the modern Percys placed here and there, which really gave the whole thing a human element. 

 The Library 

The Dining Room 

        There was also a slightly disturbing yet cool attraction called Knight Quest which was a scary dark maze with skeletons, mirrors and a giant animatronic ogre. You never know what you're gonna find in the homes of the old families. 

        After several hours at Alnwick, we moved on to Edlingham, a tiny town that was apparently slightly larger in the Middle Ages. They had a church where the whole town would flee in case of Scottish raids, as the community was only 12 miles away from the Scottish border. They would all run into the church and crowd into the little tower before shutting the door and pulling the ladder up. I kind of enjoyed imagining the little English people making faces at the Scots who couldn't reach them up there. 

         Only a short way from the church is Edlingham Castle, which was owned by the feudal lord of the town, a minor land-owning gentry. His castle is just a ruin now, but the tower is still very cool and we climbed all around on it :) A narrow staircase remains that leads up to the top of the ruin but it was roped off and very steep--if you'd tried to go up them and fallen, you would die. So none of us did, though I'm sure it would have been quite an adventure.

      So today was our last excursion/class while in Durham! Tomorrow is a free day, and then on to Oxford on Sunday!  It's so strange that it has only been one week today. I feel as if i've already seen enough to fill a month!