London …..Day Trip to Windsor Castle

September 16, 2017

The weather pundits are calling for a nice day but as we set off for the Tube to Paddington Train Station > note the CCTV camera > London is considered to be one of the most “watched over” cities in the world…..

…it is cold and gloaming….no worries, we are optimistic that all will be good. Easy peasy, about an hour after we leave the Hub, and traversing mostly boring terrain, we are in Windsor. The entry way to the Windsor Castle area has been done tastefully whilst providing ample opportunity to eat/drink and buy stuff…btw they seem to be very accommodating to cyclists ……

Approach to the ticketing area….

…..often people wait over an hour but we lucked out and handed over our 37 STG (62 CAD) and were in within 5 minutes ……the castle grounds/setting really are quite nice …..it is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world (covering an area of about  13 acres) and the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen. Its rich history spans almost 1000 years as many of the artifacts attested to…

…..with very courteous guides ready to explain and guide you……

…..next up was a tour of the State Apartments (furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection) which was interesting ….lots of medieval weapons, artwork, furniture etc., perhaps not at the top of the best castles in Europe list, but it certainly would be quite impressive if one was coming here from the far reaches of the Empire….not allowed to take pics so only got a few (some of the attendants were ancient but seriously dedicated to ensuring no pics were taken):

…… a key element of Windsor Castle is St. George’s Chapel (one of the most beautiful ecclesiastical buildings in England and the burial-place of 10 monarchs)….unfortunately closed on the day we visited (inside pic below from the internet)…

……then a changing of the guard > literally 1 guard….

With the visiting over we walked down to the town (not surprisingly very touristy)..

Lunch was a grab and go pasties …… baked pastry case with variable fillings, usually beef and vegetables.

…..then down the hill ……

and over the Thames River …

to Eton……as can be expected, a very British Upper School > in two blocks there were 3 shops selling tailor-made suits, shirts etc. so the young lads (single sex school) could be suitably attired…….

Then back to the City …..from Paddington we decided to walk back to the Hub via a Mid Eastern area as well as some very upscale neighbourhoods …..another opportunity to feel the vibrancy of this mega city….

and a quick in and out to Fortnum & Mason >>> if you want classy presentations of food stuffs you definitely cannot go wrong here !!!!

.….long walk, stopped for a beer at a rather quiet pub then searched for a livelier pub settling on The Feathers ………an ok meal. And that folks was enough !!