Day 5: Field Trip!!!!

     Salvete, omnes! Today we spent the whole morning in Richmond on a field trip to the State Capitol! First, we had breakfast, which included pancakes and hashbrowns (more potatoes!), and apples (which I, Jackson, am a big fan of!). Then, we had a delightful lecture from Magister Burgess about classical architecture and its influences on the Founding Fathers, and specifically Thomas Jeffersons' architectural plans. Shortly afterwards, we took a bus to the State Capitol in Richmond, where we got a wonderful tour from our tour guide, who was able to show us all the inner-workings and Classical influences of the building. We would like to give a huge shoutout to Mark, who did a magnificent job leading the tour and informing us. 

     After the tour, we had lunch, which was not dining hall food, but our choice of sandwich or salad, which was a nice mix-up. It came with a large cookie, which was very tasty! Then, we went to Maymont to see the beautiful gardens. Even in the hot weather, all of us did a great job of applying sunscreen, and we were well-equipped with water bottles, which came in handy. We speed ran the Italian and Japanese gardens to avoid getting too sweaty. Finally, we went to get gelato (from a store run by a former GLA student!!), which was absolutely amazing! 

    Then, we had two whole hours of Otium (free time), which we all thoroughly enjoyed!  In the downstairs hall, most gathered in a small study room to play a board game or have a few rounds of card games. In the upstairs hall, most people stayed in their rooms, but some played instruments in the hall. I (Emily) spent my time reading Flying To The Moon by Michael Collins and just relaxing. I (Jackson) took a nap, but could still hear laughter pealing down the halls from where people were playing games. 

    Finally, to the end the day, we watched another movie, Black Orpheus (1959), which was a reinterpretation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth set in Carnival in Brazil. We all really enjoyed the movie, and we had a good discussion afterwards. I (Jackson) really enjoyed the Dionysian aspects of the carnival, and the pseudo-reincarnation of Orpheus and Eurydice implied in the story. I (Emily), started tearing up at the end when Orpheus carries Eurydice's body up a mountain. 

Valete,
Emily and Jackson