Today ended up being quite bittersweet. We woke up early this morning to drive my Dad over to Heathrow so that he could fly home. He had been in Zurich on business and was able to re-direct his flight through london and spend a week here with me!
Because Heathrow Airport is so close to Windsor and Windsor Castle, Jacob and I (but mostly me...) decided to take this opportunity to visit the Queen's London residence while we were in the area. We got to Windsor quite early...8:00 to be exact. And since we had about 2 hours until the castle even opened, we thought it best to find some breakfast.
We walked down to the city center, which looked like what you think England should look like, to find a restaurant or coffee shop. We wandered up and down different streets only to always find that everything was still closed. We eventually found a little Costa Coffee that sat on the banks of the Thames and sat down with our croissants and orange juice. As we sat there enjoying the sun and the picturesque little coffee shop, I noticed that two gentlemen (and this is probably the most genuinely appropriate situation for the use of that word) were sat enjoying their morning latte and cappuccino in FULL white tie attire. Needless to say, I have never felt so underdressed. That was just proof that we were in a "posh" town.
After breakfast, we meandered back across the bridge and the Thames to where there was a family feeding the 50 or so swans that seemed to have taken over the river. Jacob and I spotted where the swan food was for sale and each bought a bag. As we threw the swans their breakfast, they followed us down along the river bank. With 50 swans swimming along behind me, I have never felt so powerful!!
**Fact: All swans are property of the Monarch of England. Therefore it is illegal to harm, kill, or eat a swan. I would guess it's punishable by death, but don't quote me on that!
We walked quite a way up the bank of the Thames. It was beautiful, so green and quiet! I love the Weeping Willows that lined the banks, it made it so enchanting! If we were to ever reconsider where to live in England, this is where I would choose to go!
We slowly made our way back towards the castle. As we turned the corner to go up the castle hill we found tons of places that would have been open for breakfast...oh well. It was a great start to the day.
We fought our way through the large groups of tourists that seemed to have descended onto the castle from the numerous tour buses parked around the city. Once we were finally inside the walls of the castle, I quickly decided that this was by far my favorite royal palace that I had seen. It was everything that you think a castle should be: a moat, big stone walls, full green gardens full of flowers, cannons lining the walls, a beautiful church in the courtyard. I loved it! We opted into the garden tour right when we got there. The guide was telling us that Windsor Castle is dedicated to and is the "headquarters" of The Order of the Knights of the Garter.
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry and the most prestigious honor in England and of the United Kingdom, and is dedicated to the image and arms of St. George as England's patron saint. Membership of the order is limited to the Monarch, the Prince of Wales, and no more than twenty-four members who are all appointed by the Queen. Various legends account for the origin of the Order. The most popular legend involves the "Countess of Salisbury". While she was dancing at a court ball at Calais, her garter is said to have slipped from her leg, much to her horror and dismay. When the surrounding courtiers sniggered, the king picked it up and returned it to her, exclaiming, "Honi soit qui mal y pense," ("Shamed be the person who thinks evil of it."), the phrase that has become the motto of the Order. Their emblem includes there motto on a garter, which surrounds the red cross of Saint George, the patron saint of the order and of England.
As we were standing in the gardens learning about the Order of the Garter, the skies decided to open and it rained for the next 30 minutes of the tour. As we stood there listening and soaking wet, we couldn't wait for the end of the tour when we could run away inside. We finally made it to the state rooms where the tour ended...and of course the rain did too.
The first room that you see is Queen Mary's Dollhouse. This was the biggest dollhouse I have ever seen. It was made to scale and includes full working electricity as well as functioning plumbing. Everything is made to exact scale and was all designed by craftsman and artisans as if the pieces were all being made for real people. The plates and utensils on the grand dining room table are made of pure silver!
After seeing the dollhouse, we got to see the state rooms. The queen has 10 of her 48 china settings on display, they are GORGEOUS! I think this was by far my favorite royal palace. Because this is still a working palace, the rooms are exquisite, and since the original castle on this site was built by William the Conqueror in 1066, there is SO much history involved. There has been a royal palace here since the Battle of Hastings! And the Magna Carta was signed over in Runnymede, just around the corner!! It's incredible.
After the state rooms we stopped in St. George's Chapel where Queen Elizabeth's parents are both buried, as well as Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, and Charles I. (The history was so interesting and exciting that Jacob couldn't handle himself anymore and fell asleep in the pews…)
After we left the palace we grabbed some lunch and then headed back down to the Thames to take a boat tour of the Thames. It was surprisingly interesting. There were tons of big, beautiful houses lining the Thames. The system up the Thames is controlled by a system of Locks, kind of like the Panama Canal, that adjust the water levels so that boats can pass through. Even though Oxford is only a short drive away, the trip would take 23 hours by boat because of all the locks!
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