In my mind I like to compare myself to Achilles. I am one strong superhuman capable of resisting the most pernicious, vicious, dangerous monster of our times: advertising. Brainwashed I may be by all the glitter and the glamour but still I stand strong in order to appease my master and second monster of our time: the credit card. At least, so I thought until Blenheim Palace sent me one email to advertise their Christmas event and I took my camera there in a flash, thinking of the pictures I would take to supplement this very post and down £23 for the annual entrance.
As ascertained by other posts on this blog, I am fond of Blenheim Palace. I have visited it in all seasons but never at this time of year, thinking I would miss the enchanting vegetation that makes the gardens so unique. I was wrong however as Blenheim Palace, home to Churchill and only non-royal property in the UK with the title of Palace, is as beautiful under the cold light as it is in the warm tones of June.
This season, the Palace showcases its home grown Christmas trees and you can buy them at the entrance for what I though was a very decent price. It was also nice to see Christmassy touches pop up everywhere in the house, from the two giant trees in the hallway to the floral arrangements on various pieces of furniture and the festive table.
I thought I wouldn’t venture in the gardens given the wet weather but again, what a joy it was to have them almost to myself at 3pm. The fading light was casting its bronze shimmer over the lake and I wished I had been a much better photographer as I failed miserably to capture it on camera. Even more impressive is the feeling of calm and serenity that arose from the lake view and almost made me understand what meditation is all about!
In the end I had to tear myself apart from this zen setting in order to return to more prosaic pursuits such as Friday evening traffic and buying some Blenheim chocolate in their large gift shop. Well, if I am Achilles, I get to have a weakness don’t I?