Windsor

Hello guys!

Before leaving the UK, I thought there was something I really needed to do: visit Windsor Castle. I saw Buckingham Palace, I visited the Palace of Holyroodhouse, so I felt I HAD to see this royal residence! And I wasn't disappointed!

It was quite tricky to get there: first, I had to take the bus to Ely, then the train to London King's Cross, then the tube to London Paddington, then the train to Windsor with a change at Slough. I arrived there at about 11:45.

It was really easy to find the castle, as it's literally standing in front of the train station, massive and impressive. What a sight!

Then I saw something else that was massive and impressive: the queue. Maaaan, I thought, I'm not out of the woods yet! I knew there would be many people, as the weather was really nice and warm and also because it's the school holidays... But I wasn't expecting this! So I joined the queue and had my lunch there, you know, to keep myself busy XD But I was pleased to see that people were moving quite quickly and after about twenty minutes, I had my ticket and my audio-guide!

I was a bit afraid the castle would be really packed but actually, it was not too bad! I even managed to take some tourist-free pictures hehehe.

I was happy to have an audio-guide because it makes the visit really easy. You don't have to worry about where to go next or whether you've missed something on the map. You just have to follow the voice and enjoy! First, I had a look around. The castle is like a fortified village. It's really big!

Then I decided to visit the State Apartments. And what a surprise when I saw there was a queue at the entrance! So yeah, I had to queue for another twenty minutes or so. I'm afraid pictures were not allowed inside, so you'll have to make do with a written account here!

I began by admiring the amazing Queen Mary's Dolls' House. Miniature bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, bathrooms, gardens, studies, kitchens, dogs, cats and even snails I heard, but I couldn't spot any! It was definitively worth the long wait!

Then I walked through the Apartments and what a splendour! Golden and shiny embellishments, fine and delicate furniture. I even saw some Rembrandt's paintings! That was a lovely surprise! Wow. The whole thing reminded me a lot of Versailles Castle. I enjoyed it a lot!

After that, I made my way to St George's Chapel and the Horseshoe Cloister. Again, I wasn't allowed to use my camera inside the chapel, but here are some pictures of the building and of the cloister!

A unicorn gargoyle! I found it cool hehe:

I also saw a royal guard with a fluffy hat!

And that was the end of my visit! As it was quite early still, I decided to go to the riverside and have a look around. I saw the river (Thames!) from the train and it looked lovely. And it was lovely indeed! People licking ice creams, feeding swans and going on boat cruises. Yeah. Lovely!

Here are some pictures:

This is it! I really enjoyed my day out in Windsor. The weather was perfect and the castle is well worth both the wait and the price! =D