Twilight Sparkle and the Human Castle

[Gentian]

So, I mentioned we might have time to go somewhere else this week. As it turns out, we did! So yesterday Twilight and I went out yet again. Next week, my schedule should be normalizing, so this is probably going to be our last picture thread for a while. Maybe that's good? 3 threads in a fortnight makes me feel like we're hogging the site. Anyway, we hope you enjoy this window into our life together! Shall we begin?

Twilight's a princess, of course, and has access to every palace and castle in Equestria. Being a curious little bluestocking, she wants to know everything she can about this world. Fortunately, we found ourselves in a position to slake a bit of her thirst for knowledge, by visiting a human castle, and stopping in a few other places along the way.

One of those places is a rose garden, but we were disappointed, if not surprised to see that nothing was blooming this time of year. This is a bridge. It's near the garden and carries us closer to The Human Castle. I don't know if this alcove used to be a fountain, or was for plants, or had some other use, but I thought it would highlight Twilight.

---

RAWR! A lion! Look out Twilers!

A pair of these adorn the far end of the bridge in the previous pic. I think they're pretty nice looking, and made even more so by TwiTwi's presence.

---

Not quite to The Human Castle yet, but getting closer!

Twilight, being Twilight, is predictably interested in technology. She finds it absolutely fascinating the things humans have been able to do with ingenuity in place of magic. When we went to the park, she was captivated by a tiny excavator and wanted to learn about hydraulic systems. Fortunately, I knew enough about them to explain the basics. This place has a lot of large and easily visible machinery, including hydraulic actuators, so I thought she'd get a kick out of it; I was right!

---

Of course, her interest in technology doesn't blind her to the beauties of nature. The sakura are more fully in bloom now, and this one in particular has really come into it's own. We both wanted to admire it. She finds the juxtaposition of beautiful trees and enormous machinery "exciting." Her words. You can see the gates of the lock in the background. Notice how the one nearest us is visible in this photograph.

---

These are 2 of the 4 actuators for that lock. These operate the north gate, which is of a different design than the south. I don't know why that is. Twilight came up with a few hypotheses, but there's now way to know for sure. You can see the other one behind it, on the opposite bank. They're the largest one's I've ever seen, just look how tiny Twilight's vessel is in comparison!

---

This is the south gate. Normally, it's open and the one we saw earlier is closed. If you look in the background, you can see one of the actuators of the north gate, but it's been lowered. As we were leaving, a boat was heading into the lock, and presumably, once it passes, the gates will return to their customary positions.

---

We finally made it! We thought the contrast provided by the castle and skyscrapers worked well for Twiler's background.

---

This pic was taken in the castle's "forest park." That bush behind Twi is the same kind shown in photos 9 and 10 of the park-day gallery; the one described as small but fragrant. They are! Sakura, a stream and a very big rock go well together, but the day was on-again-off-again overcast, and the gray clouds just don't provide the same pleasant contrast with the flowers that a blue sky would. Oh well.

---

Finally, a sakura tree in full-bloom! There aren't all that many yet, but this one, in my humble opinion, had perfect placement against the building.

---

Near the end of the "forest park." Here the moat changed from water-filled, to tree-filled.

---

We crossed over the moat and wandered around the courtyard for a while. Eventually we found the castle's keep. Unfortunately, there were A LOT of people, and not so many good places for photographs, so we didn't get nearly as many as I'd hoped. Still, I think this one looks great.

---

Still taking in the courtyard. This time, looking north-west, back over the moat.

---

Like I said, lots of people, and not enough vantage points. The guy sitting behind me, watching me climb up and down the stones trying to get the pic as good as it could get, definitely enjoyed watching me try to take advantage of this one.

---

So, at this point, we've been inside. It's a museum; there are scrolls, paintings, weapons, armor, models, and a few other artifacts on display. But, the only place photography was allowed was the observation deck at the top. It was a great view, but was so crowded we could barely move. There was no way I could get Twi out of my shirt, let her pose, and snap a pic. And really, I thought it was too risky to try with the wind and long drop. Twilers can fly, but as of yet, her vessel can't.

Anyway, we're beginning to wander out at this point, but thought this made for a good vantage, so stopped long enough to take a snap. Overall, I'm happy with it, but would prefer if we could have had a moment or two without anyone in the way.

---

Taken near an exit, under the trees. Murder holes in the background.

---

Same place, but this time she's on the steps.

---

Twilight loves to fly. Sometimes, when we're out she'll take wing and zoom around buildings, between trees, and when she wants to show off, will even weave between their branches. Like I said earlier, though, her vessel can't (yet) fly, and only I can see her, so we can't photograph her aerobatics. However, she was inspired by the view from the castle, and wanted to get a photo of the city from even higher. Fortunately, I knew a place we could go, unfortunately, it in no way compares to the castle.

She didn't mind, though because the view of the city itself was much clearer. Twilight is insanely smart, and has a curiosity that borders on unhealthy. Like me, she's fascinated by cities. If we find a good vantage point, we can sit for hours just marveling at it. It's complexity, it's scale. We Watch the people in the windows and on the streets scurrying about living their own lives. We talk about what they might be doing, and what they might be feeling or thinking. Sometimes, if I stare too long a thunderous sonder overcomes me. But not this time.

---

After so much walking, we were both famished. There's a Thai restaurant I'd been wanting to try, but hadn't had an opportunity. It's not far from the castle so, with her blessing, off we went. She let me choose, since she had absolutely no experience with Thai, and I love it. I decided on Gaiyan, Jasmine Rice, and Cashew Chicken. She was really happy my selection! Who'd have believed it: an omnivorous pony?

---

For desert? Coconut ice cream! One of our favorites!

---

See? One of our favorites. Still, I must say it's at it's best paired with a brownie. These coconut strips were much too hard, and kind of detracted from the experience.

About this time, a woman sitting behind us began chatting with her partner about "the unicorn." I had to politely teach her the difference between unicorns, pegai, and alicorns. Twi thought it was cute being called a unicorn again.

---

And our final photo for this trip. This particular shrine is a famous spot for lovers to come, due to a Romeo and Juliet-esque double suicide. While it was originally intended to house a particular deity, it's more commonly thought of as The Lover's Shrine; a perfect place for the two of us! Here you can pray for beauty, true love, a happy marriage, children, and other things like that. Charms, and amulets to those effects are for sale, but it was late when we arrived, so the shop was closed. I suspect we'll return to try to get some human magic on our side.