I am Ubik...

This is the second spiral staircase on the climb up the central tower.  The first was stone, enclosed, and got narrower and shorter as the climb progressed.  The last was in the same room as the carillon, which filled that part of the tower from floor to ceiling.  Both of these segments masked the perception of height, since you either couldn’t see how high you were getting or there was something massive in the room that helped mask the room’s overall scale.

This one was in a large, open room, which in a lot of ways made it the most unnerving part of the climb.  The higher you climbed the greater the sensation you have of being really high up in a very large, open space.  And going down is even worse.  At least on the climb up you can stare at the posterior of the person in front of you (my wife Megan’s, in case you were wondering).  On the way down you are staring out over the head of the person in front of you and it is just you, your thoughts, and a really large open space.

But it is so worth it.