We start our day a little later today - because we must move to the airport hotel today for our early, early morning flight on the 19th. And since Windsor Castle is close to the airport, we decide to take our bags to the hotel first, then head to the Castle. It's about an hour to the hotel, but we're able to check in early and stow our bags in the room. Then we head to Windsor.
Roger had mentioned that parking would be an issue - and sure enough - it's tough. I had no idea the castle was right in the middle of the town - we drove by the back entrance…
….and the gardens on this end gave me the impression that it was situated similarly to Blenheim Palace. Not so. We need to park in town, and it is crazy jam packed. Plus the Royal Horse Show is going on, so it is doubly busy. We end up finding parking in an ancillary lot, that is actually quite close to the city center. We have a little bit of an issue paying for parking, because none of us have a lot of coins. But there is a number to call to pay by phone, which Roger uses and hopefully that will keep us safe from a parking fine and/or boot.
We navigate the cobblestones and parking area to the main road, where we navigate the crowds, past a cool old telephone booth repainted with Princess Kate on it…
and right up to the castle. The flag is flying, which means the Queen is in residence. Neat!
We pass the crooked pub - which looks like it will tilt and fall over any day now - then move on to the castle.
Once again we buy our day passes, but can convert them to annual passes, which gives us access to a bunch of other museums as well. Nice feature!
Inside there is a great photo of the castle with the town nestled around it - vast is the only word I can use!
Grabbing our audio guides we begin our tour, up the lane…
Then on around what was once the moat, but has now been converted into a garden-like park.
On the lane leading to the State Apartments, we get a nice shot across the Thames to Eton - where we will end up later for lunch, and then it is on to the apartments tour. We begin queuing up for the doll's house, but the line is way too long and way too slow. We decide to tour the apartments first, then come back and if the line is not long, do the doll house later.
Before the apartments though, we take the tour of the Treasures from the Royal Archives, which is phenomenal. All these ancient records and papers and hand embroidered playbills (yeah, embroidered on a pillow sham - odd - but totally interesting). The handwriting is incredible - teeny tiny and so precise. The four of us spend a lot of time perusing each and every document, astonished at the detail, age and preservation.
Once we've had our fill of the archives, we move on to the apartments which we are not allowed to photograph - thus a boring text recital of our tour. The apartments are immense - of course - with coats of arms and armor in one hall, an enormous dining table for Royal dinners in another and tapestries, artwork and history all around. There are displays on the different Royal Orders of Knights, including the Order of the Garter. A hall with all the coats of arms, including blank shields for disgraced knights. The King's ceremonial bedchambers where he would go in the morning to be "ceremonially" awoken. The drawing rooms, the dressing rooms, St. George's hall…an amazing collection of Royal living space. Thoroughly enjoyable.
As we left the apartments , we can peek through a gate where we can see into the private area behind the State Apartments - where there are cars waiting for some dignitaries - we are sure.
Then it is onto to St. George's chapel, which is unfortunately closed for services all day today. We get some nice outdoor shots…
…and one with me and the guard! And then head into town in search of a lunch spot.
It's still crazy in town, so we head toward Eton, across the Thames
and find a lovely spot right on the water called Cote Brasserie. Great setting, and excellent food. We each share a charcuterie platter (bad photo - sorry!), Roger and Natalie also share steak tartare (no picture, sorry again!), then for mains I have goat's cheese and roasted vegetable salad, Ed has haddock and Roger and Natalie each have the 1/2 chicken special.
It's a lovely couple of hours spent chatting, eating and relaxing after our Castle tour. And all too soon it is time to go. Natalie stops to feed the swans,
then we are back in the car and on our way to the hotel. We are sad that our time together is over. It's been a wonderful two days and we wish we could stay longer. We say goodbye at the hotel with promises to plan another get together soon.
We hang out at the hotel for a bit, grab a quick snack and drink downstairs in the garden of the restaurant, then head to bed so we can get up at the crack of dawn to hopefully check in (I'm a a problem again - I can't get a boarding pass because the online system is telling me that I need to go through a document security check at the airport….oh geez….I'm having flash backs to the Cat Stevens issue of years ago) and start our really, really, really long travel day home.
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