Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Trip to Windsor


It was now Wednesday and our third full day in London. I had decided that it would be nice to spend at least one day outside of the city and so we decided to take a trip to Windsor to view the castle there. We hopped the tube to Waterloo station and then bought train tickets to Windsor which took about an hour. Mike and I both kind of wondered what we would find and how we would get to the castle since none of our travel books had directions. Fortunately that wasn't a problem, because as we walked out of the Riverside train station we could see the castle looming on the horizon! It completely dominated the sky and it was obvious which way to walk, so we followed the narrow street up the hill and around the castle to the front entrance. We spent several hours inside the castle. Talked to one guard there who told us that the Queen still visits almost every weekend and she always goes horseback riding when she is there. He had worked there for many years and considered himself to be fortunate to have been inside her personal quarters because he used to hang pictures on the walls. Each Christmas she would host a party for the staff and the entire royal family would visit and talk personally to the staff and give them their holiday gift. Last year it was a cut glass bowl engraved with a message from the Queen. It was interesting to hear his personal account of working there. We stopped briefly at St. George's church and saw where the Queen's parents, grandparents and sister were buried. That was quite enough church for me, so we then made our way back down the hill and stopped at a tavern for a fish and chips dinner before a quick visit to a cybercafe and then jumping back on the train to London! Windsor Castle is an amazing place to visit and truly was a highlight of the trip. We were glad we took the time to get out to it because it gave us a glimpse of the country side and of the royal history. The rooms are incredibly ornate, huge and yet warm. Even on a cold day they were quite pleasant. We also enjoyed seeing the dolls given to Queen Elizabeth and her sister Margaret in the 1930's by France along with the doll house and clothing. Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside the palace. We did stop at the gift shop and brought home a few remembrances. The fish and chips dinner was delicious but just as expensive and anything else we ate in London. For a piece of fried cod, French fries and mashed peas along with one diet coke and a beer for Mike we paid about $35.

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