This past Friday I had the privilege of experiencing one of Britain's finest events: Ascot. This event is a popular horse race, which ends up being more like a garden party than a spectator event. And I absolutely love it. To begin, everyone in attendance dresses up very nicely and sometimes quite posh. There is no specific dress code, but culture mandates semi-formal attire. Everyone shows up long before the first race begins. It's a chance to socialize over brunch and a drink before placing your bets on a horse. Finally, after a couple hours of drinking and socializing, the first race draws near. The grandstands fill with spectators, and everyone lines up long the perimeter fence to get really up close to the race. And you do get close. There's nothing but a fence separating the spectating area and the race track. It is exhilarating. The commentator is bantering away, and you wait along the fence, watching the screen to see when the horses will fly by. And when they do, it's a rush of speed as the crowd cheers, hoots, and hollers their horse to victory. It only lasts for just over a minute. Hours of working up to this moment, and it's gone in the blink of an eye. Well, guess it's time to go back to drinking. And that's exactly what everyone does. It goes: Drink, drink. Race. Drink. Race. Drink. Race. Drink. Go home. It was a wonderful time, genuinely. The race track was stunningly beautiful, the excitement was palpable, and sitting down on a beautiful lawn looking spiffy having a couple drinks is exactly my kind shindig. So, was it all pomp and no circumstance? Yes. And it couldn't be bette any other way.
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