Windsor

Having fun masquerading as someone important in Windsor Castle. I'm visiting my friend who's organ scholar here. Very touristy during the day, but quite pleasant in the evening. I'm surprised how sociable the environment is; everyone lives more or less in community, and there seems to be a very strong sense of doing things together (though I spoilt the party by refusing to eat curry last night — there's no point even pretending I could eat it), so my friend and I went to the local PizzaExpress and bitched about Leicester.

The organ is cacophonically LOUD, with a separate division just for pedal reeds. I had a brief twiddle but would rather witness someone talented playing it! It's another world; I can't imagine living, or even working, here. The expense of the choral and castle setup being so sociable is that it becomes cliquey and insular. And unfortunately, like with most cathedrals, tourism is more or less the only redemption from this isolation. Even the Queen goes in the back door.