OFF TO SEE THE QUEEN

During my visit to England there was no way I was going to miss seeing Windsor Castle so I joined a church group on a bus and away we went. Of course, we wouldn't see the Queen because she was up in Scotland trying to hang on to that independent bunch. Her absence was of no consequence because her castle is phenomenal. We walked from the bus parking lot, past the train station, got into a lift (elevator) and passed a bunch of small shops and cafes before we actually reached the castle. Since I had only seen castles in movies, etc, I was not prepared for the enormity of this building. It is spread out over many acres of beautiful landscaping. There was one man strapped to a turret with a rope and he managed to cut the grass on the side of a very slanted hill upon which rested part of the castle. 

The chapel of St. George was the most impressive with marble statues of past kings and queens and fantastic stained glass windows. The "chapels" I had seen in the past were tiny compared to this and it is not quite as big as Notre Dame but pretty close to it. Many important people are buried beneath the passages in the chapel and of course the age is most impressive. Henry VIII is buried there but I don't know where they stashed his unfortunate wives. Photos are not allowed.

                                                      


                                                     

We were to meet back at the bus at 1:00 so we could go to Savill Gardens and I decided I should get something to eat before going. I stopped at one of the little sidewalk cafes and waited and waited until finally a waiter passed by and I gave him my order. He looked rather startled but I thought that was just his manner. However, I later found out I was in a self-serve place so I served myself a very plain "jacket" potato and drank a fairly good cup of cappuccino. It wasn't great but it kept me going.

Savill Gardens , part of the Royal Landscape, was another beautiful site with all sorts of plants, streams and nice little benches where one could sit and meditate. It was a fine experience but by then I was pretty tired so I didn't finish the walking tour. 

We left about 4:00 and drove back through Runnymede where the Magna Carta was signed by King John in 1215. It's a meadow on the banks of the Thames and there is a Kennedy Memorial put there by the American Bar Association. It is owned by the U.S. so you could actually seek asylum there if you wanted to. I didn't need asylum, I just wanted to get back to my daughter's house. 

It is obvious that I have not conquered the insertion of photos into my writings but maybe if you have a magnifying glass you can see the pic of the castle. My apologies. 

Tah!

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