Westminster Abbey

So, we're almost up to speed on this blog now that we've gotten through the Portugal trip. However, there is one other kind of interesting thing that occurred in the fall which I (Derek) want to mention before we start posting things on this Winter and Spring. I have a professor here who actually lives in Westminster Abbey. He's basically sharing a place with one of the priests who resides there. It's pretty incredible. Anyway, we had one of our classes there and then later we established a Gramsci reading group and we met there once again (Gramsci was an Italian Marxist in the early 1900s who got thrown in prison by Mussolini for his ideas and opposition to Fascism. While in prison he wrote what have come to be known as the Prison Notebooks. He died in prison and never really got the chance to finish them. Plus, he had to write in such a way as to escape the censorship of the prison guards. So, it often makes for rather cryptic reading, but it's also quite interesting and very important work for almost anyone involved in social science, and, especially, issues of international relations, I think). In any case, It was a remarkable opportunity and so I snapped a few photos while I was there and I thought I would share them. I'm also including some picture of the Abbey during the day so you can get a better idea of what the outside looks like. Sharad (my professor) lives in one of the buildings near little cloister, which is a little walk from the main cathedral, so it's not as if he lives right in the most ornate part of the Abbey, but it's still pretty cool. You have to make your way through all these old passageways to get there and under the cobblestones are the graves of various important people of the church from ages past. It's pretty wild. Enjoy the photos!

The Abbey from afar.

The Abbey from the front.

Our class hanging out in the Abbey. Clearly class was pretty lax that night considering the amount of wine you see on the table.

The main living room in Graham (the priest) and Sharad's place. The cabinet in the background is quite beautiful. On the left hand side there are various priestly robes and the like, and on the right hand side there are a bunch of whiskey glasses and various bottles of that alcohol. He's a pretty cool priest.

A picture of the flying buttresses that I snapped on our way out of the Abbey at about midnight.

And finally, the group (sans me as I took the picture) leaving through some of the passageways to the residencies. Overall, a really great night.