Winsor

Today after getting up rather late, Madeleine took us to Winsor Castle.

We wondered around the town of Winsor for a while before heading up to the Castle. Winsor is pretty much as I expected, a small town based around the tourist trade, but also has kept alot of its heritage. Well from what I could make out anyway.

We walked across the Thames River onto the Eaton side and took some pictures of the Castle and stopped in and had a coffee at a shop on the river. It was very serene, sitting there next to the River, looking up at the Castle. Ian will know exactly what I'm talking about as I remember him trying to describe the way he felt when he and June finally made it to a place in France that they had been wanting to go too for a long time. I imagine the feeling was the same, finally here I was in front of what I thought was a real Castle (finally one that looked like a Castle :) ) all the way from New Zealand, I was in a place I had been only dreaming of and now was reality. It was a very emotional moment.

Anyway once past that ... we headed off up the road, back over the Thames and off to the Castle. It was amazing walking around, its been on this site for about 800 years. They have replaced the moat with gardens, which are simple, but very nice all the same. We went into the State rooms, which weren't as flamboyant as the rooms in Buckingham Palace, but still very stunning. One part had been destroyed in a fire in 1992, but now has been restored to what it might have been like when Charles I ruled. All round the Castle you could see the Royal initials of past Kings and Queens. Although Buckingham was the main residence, I could see more of the Royals in this Castle than in the Palace.

We then moved onto St George's Chapel, which pretty much holds the Royals that aren't in Westminester Abbey, and the more recent ones. Henry VIII, George VI and the Queen Mother just to name a few (plus I can't remember the others and can't be bothered getting up to get the guide book). While the Chapel doesn't have the grandeur of St Paul's Cathedral or Westminester Abbey, it is still an impressive sight.

One thing that caught me was this little alcove of finely carved wood placed in the wall to the left of the high alter where Catherine of Aragorn (Henry VIII 1st wife) would sit to hear mass away from the commoners. As I stood there I felt humbled again, by the people who have walked where I was walking. It was rather emotional (maybe I was just tired again). Also Rowan noticed in the Knights/Order of the Garter which have seats just in front to the right and left of the high alter the Kiwi and ice pick helmet (helm) of Sir Edmond Hiliary (all the current living knights have their helms displayed here). He is the only Kiwi in the order, and now that the NZ honour system has moved away will be the last Kiwi in this order. Mind you he is probably the first as well.

After moving through the chapel, we went outside and I got a picture with the guard. He never smiled, which I suppose is to be expected. We brought a couple of things from the town (one piece of silver from the silversmith that worked for the Queen Mother), and then had lunch. Madeleine picked us up after that and we went home.

We took Michael and Madeleine out to dinner that night, we even risked another English pub, although this one was very nice. A very pleasant evening to finish off a very pleasant day.

R&M