Out of everything that came out of our London trip, Eltham Palace was the best. When I think of the United Kingdom, and what I thought this trip would be, I’d hope that it would be like Eltham Palace. The perfect mix of medieval, art deco, and nature in one space. The Courtauld family took over the palace in the 1930’s to save it from decline, and to live in it during and a bit after World War 2. The morning that we visited the palace, it was the most perfect timing on the weather’s part. The days before, it was cloudy and raining, the day we went to the palace, the sun came out and shined upon our faces of amazement at the beauty of the gardens and the art of the palace. When walking throughout the inside of the palace, every room I entered brought me to the brink of tears. I know that sounds crazy, but I’ve never seen a more beautiful place in my life, pretty much nothing could match it. Except maybe for the woman who made a lot of it happen. Virgina (Ginie) Courtauld was described as lively and unconventional, something that I strive to be. I mean, Ginie had a pet Lemar! A RING TAILED LEMAR, AS A PET. Now that is both a product of being rich and being one bold, bad ass bitch. In one of the bedrooms, there was a sign that went into more detail about who Virgina was as a person. She was born in Romania and her father was an Italian. Her mother, Hungarian. What struck me the most was the rumors that she had gotten a tattoo of a snake on her ankle on a dare. So. Freaking. Cool. I was already planning to get a tattoo later in the week to commemorate my trip to London. I didn’t want anything too cheesy or obvious. I didn’t want a big sign on my body that says, I WENT TO LONDON LOOK AT ME (Like Big Ben or the London skyline). I wanted it to be mine, and I wanted a story to tell. I was originally going to get a bowler hat and a wooden cane, but after that day, I knew I had to get the snake. Eltham Palace was inspiring. I love art deco and modern, but still old and with character. To have something that looks so new and modern but still has a history behind it, a truth to it, and a story to tell. We as humans are something new, and we all have our own stories and truths to tell I was joking to the people around me that I wanted to put an offer down on the palace. The truth is, I absolutely would If I could, what a dream it would be to live there! The absolute happiness it brought me just to be there, I can only hope that my future home will bring me that much joy.
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AuthorSamantha Salvemini, 19, Film and Moving Image major with a Producing and Writing Minor at Stevenson University Archives
May 2019
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