Its a long time since either of us heard bagpipes in real life. Seen it on television but not in real life. When in London in early February 2012 we visited Trafalgar Square and saw to pipers in the square playing some of the more common tunes. It was great
Bagpipes on Westminister Bridge (by Queenie)
Listening to the bagpipes on this particular afternoon was special considering that in the morning it was snowing (see London Snow in Willesden Green). We were on our way to see the national gallery when we saw the bagpipe players. You can see them in the video below:
While I was making video of the players, Queenie managed to get a couple of pictures of them.
First Player (by Queenie)
Second Player in Trafalgar Square (by Queenie)
It was fun listening to them but they were busking and we did give them a few pounds each after watching and recording. And it was a cold day!
In early February we found ourselves in London in the middle of the snow. Having just come back from Sri Lanka the cold weather was a shock to the system but the snow was so beautiful. I went out to take some pictures and some video. Lucky I did! All the snow melted by the end of the day and there was no other snow for the duration of the trip.
Snow in Willesden Green
The snow covered trees and roads were really beautiful. The pictures and video were taken in the vicinity of Willesden Green Tube station where we were staying with my mom. The whole road must have been covered in the night but by the time we woke up the snow on the roads had been melted by the cars. Nevertheless there was enough to give us a beautiful, picturesque view of London in the snow. The video below is in my mom's neighborhood. Enjoy!
I also took a couple of pictures on the road. The first picture of a tree lined street covered in snow. The road was absolutely beautiful all dressed in white.
Every car parked outside was covered in snow as shown below. Some of the owners were trying to clean the snow off and warm up the engine. It seemed to be an unenviable task and for these owners, since it doesn't seem to snow too often in London, the task must be quite irritating: but still needed to be done.
The bicycles shown below were parked at the bike stand directly outside the entrance of the Willesden Green tube station. They didn't fare better than the cars.I would not be wanting to put my butt onto the saddle of any of those bikes. Despite this, I did see people warmly dressed up cycling down the road even in the middle of the snow.
The snow seemed to make even the most ordinary pavement a beautiful work of art. I could tell many of the Londoners were also surprised by the snow as many of them were taking pictures with their mobile phones. I suppose it is not normal in London anymore. The pavement below was truly beautiful and I really enjoyed walking around there. But at this point my hands were freezing.
The picture below is of St. Gabriel's Church, a couple of 100 metres down from Willesden Green tube station. The Church garden was covered in snow and it was a really beautiful sight. Funny story is that I tried to take a self portrait of myself so I mounted the camera on a pillar in the garden, set the auto-timer and then stepped backwards and tripped over an unseen object in the snow! I got back up but it was too late and my camera had jammed so I couldn't take the self portrait. Anyway, the Church and gardens around the Church were beautiful
London in the snow is beautiful. The last time we went to London it was also in the winter but we had perfect sunny skies for the full time we were there. We were happy to see London in the snow: if for only a morning. It was quite remarkable that by the afternoon/evening all the snow had melted and we didn't see any more snow after that.
These super amazing street performers were found along the London South Bank (just past the London Eye). It was a beautiful, sunny winter's day in London when we saw these amazing street performers: they will blow your mind.
One of the Amazing Poses
Four years on from our previous trip to London we found ourselves strolling along the South Bank of the Thames once again. It was a beautiful, sunny winter's day and as usual human statues and street performers were out in full: we were blown away by this one particular dance troupe. We wouldn't have believed some of the moves (especially at the end) unless we had seen it for ourselves. Amazing. Enjoy the video.
Mind blowing right? Hope you enjoyed and look forward to your comments as always.
Here is the slide show of some of our pictures of our trip to London in February 2008. We had a great time visiting my Mom and seeing many of the different sites in London. We also spent a lot of great times with our friends including Richard, Keziah and Noah; Marcel and Denise and Ken.
For full size images, please follow the link below:
After spending 12 days in London, it was time to return home to Taiwan and to our real lives. Real life for Paul meant studying and work and for Queenie meant stepping into a new job. The vacation was meant to have been 14 days but because of the struggles we had getting here, we could only stay for 12. We really had a great time and have many great memories.
Of course leaving any place is easy but leaving family anywhere in the world is hard. Leaving my Mom is especially difficult as we know she is alone in London and only sees her family sporadically. Despite this, she is incredibly positive about her life and is really very active. We were very happy to see how busy her life was.
(Mom in the Eagle)
(Mom in Piccadilly Circus)
We are really proud of Mom. She moved to London in her mid-fifties to start a new life for herself. In the time she has been in London she has built a network, bought an apartment, found a steady job and found things to do to keep her active and busy throughout the days and weeks. She has built up some good friendships and learned how to travel around the city by herself. We think she has done an amazing job and we are very proud of her.
Mom was also a brilliant host. She made us feel incredibly welcome in her apartment and even though it was the first time I was going to London and the first time Queenie was staying in my Mom's home in London, we felt like it was our home. We felt as if we had lived there a long time. We were really comfortable. Mom also made sure we did and saw everything we wanted to see and do. She helped facilitate our schedule and helped to get information and details about places we wanted to go. She also made some great suggestions like visiting the War Cabinet.
(Queenie and Mom Eating Breakfast)
(Paul and Mom)
Mom's neighborhood was also a great neighborhood to live in. Since she lives in a mainly immigrant community their shops stay open fairly late, similar to what we are used to in Taipei. Many of the other places we visited in England closed down at 5:00pm. We were always surprised by this. The stores in Mom's neighborhood remained open till around 9 or 10 pm. It made life a little more convenient.
(Shawarma Restaurant in Mom's Neigborhood)
(Inside the Shawarma Restaurant)
(Vegetables and Fruit)
Mom also had a lot of great little restaurants in the neighborhood. The restaurants were mostly Middle Eastern and even the restaurants that served traditional English fare were run by foreigners. The place we ate traditional bacon and egg breakfast every day were run by Pakistanis. The other breakfast shop was run by Eastern Europeans. The bakery accross the street was run by Iranians and Afghanistanis. The eclectic mix of people made it an interesting place to live.
(Signs at the bus stop)
The convenience of the public transport in Mom's neighborhood also made it an ideal spot to live. Mom had a Tube station right across the road from her and she had a bus stop right outside the her front door. Her Tube station was also only 15-minutes from central London so getting in and out of London was very very easy. All in all, the place we lived was the best we could have been in. We really appreciated Mom's hospitality and we will always cherish these memories we shared with her.
Our final day in London was a little difficult. Knowing we would be leaving in the evening made it tough, but we spent the day shopping in some stores, we made sure we finished the vacation off with a great big English breakfast and we even went for a beer in an old English pub up the road from Mom's house. When we parted of course there were some tears shed but we once again focused on the future and the great memories we will have together in the years to come.
London was great. We look forward to visiting again very soon. We owe a great deal of thanks all the people who made our journey a pleasurable and exciting one including Mom; Richard, Keziah and Noah; Marcel and Denise; Ken and Mr. and Mrs. Shabaaz. Of course, we should also say thank you to London, it really is one of the great world cities.
Note: The emedded video player seems to stall sometimes. I don't know if this is a YouTube problem. If the video doesn't load, please visit our video page on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/durbanbay) to see the videos.
When we went to London we were so fortunate to know so many people. It was almost like going home. One of Queenie's old class mates from Sunderland University, Marcel, lives and works in London, Richard, Keziah and Noah moved from Taipei to London last year and another friend of ours, Ken, now lives in Cambridge. Added to that we also got invited to visit one of Mom's clients, Mr. and Mrs. Shabaaz.
Richard and Keziah
(Richard and Keziah)
Richard, Keziah and Noah are wonderful friends. We have known Richard for a long time (before we were married) and have over the years built a wonderful friendship. When they moved to London we were happy and sad. Happy they were headed off to new beginnings and sad to lose our friends from Taipei. But it was the right decision for them.
We were also happily reunited with them on this trip to London. We first saw Richard on the first Friday we were in London. We went off to Buckingham Palace together and then for some coffee. It was great just hearing about their adjustment to London and what they were doing with their lives. Although we keep in touch through email, its always better to hear it face to face.
(Buckingham Palace)
On Sunday they invited us to their home on the other side of London for dinner. We had a great time getting there (meaning we got lost). However we finally did arrive. They live in a quiet part of London, right on the edge of the city. There is a large park near to where they live. However, Kez does have to travel far to get to work.
(Richard Cooks)
Richard cooked us a fabulous pie for dinner. We had some wine and really just enjoyed chatting with them. Of course playing with Noah at home is always great. The last time we saw him he was still refusing to walk. Now nobody can keep up with him dashing here and there with giggles and gurgles. We established a game with him that he remembered long after he left. The essentials of which were us counting to three then all shouting "go go go" and Noah running at us to be hoisted above our heads. Great times, good memories!
We then saw Richard and Keziah when we went to Lords. Richard met us and we went on the Lords tour together. Keziah came later with Noah. We all went off to lunch near Mom's house. Of course we had a great lunch and it was surprisingly cheap.
(Noah go go go....)
(Lunch after Lords)
We also got to see them both on the last night we were in London. They came all the way over from their part of town to have dinner with us in a Czech restaurant next to Mom's house. The Czech food was authentic and very filling. Of course a few beers washed down one of the most filling meals we ate in London. We then ended the evening with tea at Mom's house. Of course keeping Noah still in the restaurant was tough so going to Mom's place was better. He could get those legs moving again (go go go).
(Final Dinner)
When they left us on the Saturday night we were of course very sad. They were our family in Taiwan and we miss them greatly. When they left for England last year we always had it in the back of our mind that we would see them in London fairly soon. Well now that time has past and we are not sure when we will see them again. Hopefully they can come to Hong Kong soon or we can go back to London. Either way it was a sad departure.
Marcel and Denise
(Marcel and Denise)
We also met with one of Queenie's old schoolmates Marcel. After leaving Richard and Noah after going to Buckingham Palace, we headed off to Waterloo Station (of course) to find a pub called the Firestation. Marcel had already arrived. This was the first time Queenie had seen Marcel in more than 10 years. Of course she was excited. Marcel is now a financial services software engineer and really loves his job. He says everyday he faces new challenges that keep him occupied and he gets to interact really closely with his clients.
(Marcel 10 years later)
After a short while Marcel's wife Denise arrived. She is half-British half-Turkish and although she grew up in England, she spent summers in Turkey and indeed knows all the places we have visited in Istanbul. She is an architect and designed part of their home which we saw on another day.
(Denise Talks About her Home)
Marcel and his wife took us, with Mom, to a wonderful Turkish restaurant. The food was great and reminiscent of what we ate in Istanbul the two times we have been there. Of course Queenie and Marcel had a lot of catching up to do and were mostly talking about their friends and catching up on the latest news.Well, after spending and more than two hours gorging ourselves on Turkish food in the middle of London we had to take our leave and head off home. Queenie was really happy to have met Marcel.
Marcel and his wife invited us to visit their home. So, on our last Saturday in London, we went to visit them. They lived quite far outside of London and of course the train left from Waterloo. The train ride was quite enjoyable (as all train rides in the UK seem to be) and we were at their house in a couple of hours.
(Marcel, Denise and their Boys)
When we arrived at the right station, Marcel and one of his son's was there waiting for us. We walked home with them through a small, quaint English town with many traditional houses. After a five minute walk we arrived at their beautiful home. Their home is next to a Church and really seems to be a typical English home.
(Us and their family)
We had a really great chat with Marcel and Denise. We could talk a little about Taiwan and China (as everyone loves China in the UK) but we were also interested in talking about Holland and life in England. We had probably the healthiest lunch in the UK too and of course made a hopelessly impossible commitment to try and eat similar healthy food back in Taiwan. Their house was also interesting since Marcel's wife as an architect had designed many of the extensions. The house had a beautiful sun room and a wonderfully big kitchen. Of course we can only dream of houses like that in Taiwan.
(Walled Garden)
After Lunch Marcel took us to a beautiful walled garden which was quite interesting. He also took us to a pub on the river Thames for a pint of beer. The pub was great. The pub was gearing up for the six nations match in the afternoon but we wouldn't be there that long. After having a final chat with Marcel and trying to persuade him and his family to visit us in Taiwan we had to leave and get home to meet Richard and Keziah for our final dinner in London. Hopefully Marcel and Denise will visit us in Taiwan sometime soon.
(Riverside Pub)
Queenie was really pleased to see Marcel again after so many years. She was really proud of his achievements and really pleased to see him and his happy family. We will see them again sometime sooner or later, either in London, maybe Turkey and an outdside chance of Taiwan.
Ken
(Ken)
Our 0ther friend from Taiwan who has moved back to the UK is Ken. We got to spend time with him in Cambridge and go punting on the river Cam together. We are happy to see Ken has settled down in the UK and found a good job that he enjoys. The day spent with him was a wonderful time.
(All of us in Cambridge)
Ken now works in a company in Cambridge and by all accounts really enjoys it. Since arriving in the UK he has had a number of interesting adventures and certainly some interesting landlords. He continues to smile through and is enjoying life back in the UK. His biggest advantage is proximity to his family. Now he can see them more often.
(Ken in The Eagle)
Meeting Ken in Cambridge was fun. We would never have gone to Cambridge unless he was there and the trip was well worth it in the end. Being introduced to the famous pub The Eagle and walking around the old buildings of the university made the day an interesting and exciting one. The punting on the Cam was also a blast but it was very very cold and so, relaxing in a warm restaurant after the boat ride was also great as we got drink wonderfully warm coffee and tea.
Ken fortunately comes back to Taiwan on a regular basis and so we do have many opportunities to spend time with him. In fact, in between the time of writing this and the time we were in London, Ken has already been to Taiwan once. He will hopefully come back towards the end of the year again but I do know he is working on a big project right so time is short.
Mr. and Mrs Shabaaz.
(Mr. and Mrs. Shabaaz and Family)
Mr. and Mrs. Shabaaz come from Pakistan and Mom tutors their children. They have lived in London for a very log time and have a beautiful family and home. They invited us to their house for lunch on the last Friday we were in London (before the play). On the way Mom got us on the wrong tube, so we were a little late but it wasn't a problem.
Mr. Shabaaz is the taxi driver who picked us up at Heathrow with Mom when we arrived. They were very kind and generous to us and we really appreciated their hospitality. Of course we spoke about many issues but mostly religion and the current state of politics in both the U.K. and Pakistan. We learned a lot and thought if only the whole world could come together and talk with such peace and sincerity. Much of the problems witnessed today would be non-existant.
(Delicious Snacks)
Mrs Shabaaz prepared a spectacular lunch. They called them snacks but there was just too much food to call it a snack. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mr. and Mrs. Shabaaz and hope, if ever we get back to London again, to be able to see them again.
Going to London was like going home. We knew many many people and really enjoyed the time spent there. There are many other people we know in the UK and hope in the future to meet them. We miss our friends who have moved there and hope to see them all in the near future.
Note: The emedded video player seems to stall sometimes. I don't know if this is a YouTube problem. If the video doesn't load, please visit our video page on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/durbanbay) to see the videos.
These are just a few sightseeing tidbits that were not included in previous posts. I know its a little late but I (the I being Paul) was lazy. Anyway, we will have two more London Days posts popping up in the next week. Enjoy this one for now.
Buckingham Palace
(Outside Buckingham Palace)
On the first Friday in London we met with our friend Richard and his son Noah and went to Buckingham palace. We actually had a very slow morning just hanging out near Mom's apartment and going to a shopping mall. We were once again very fortunate with the warm sunny weather. Green Park was amazingly beautiful in the sunlight!
(Queenie in Green Park)
Richard arrived with Noah and we traipsed off to Buckingham Palace. It was wonderful to finally get to the front gates, especially for Paul who has never been there. Here we were standing in front of the gates of the Palace that we have seen a thousand times on television. Looking at the statues in front of the Palace was interesting but, as expected, there wasn't really much to see.
(Statue Outside Buckingham Palace)
It would be great if there were some plaques explaining the history of the statues and what they represent but we couldn't see too much. Of course there were many people milling around as it was a beautiful day but, after half-an-hour or so we were bored and decided to head off for a cup of tea, after all what else would you drink after visiting the Queen? So outside of the Palace is great, but it should only allocated a short time on the itinerary of any tourist. I guess the changing of the guards would have made it more interesting, but we were there on the wrong day at the wrong time.
(Outside the Palace)
As we were leaving the palace we saw one of the most quintessential English pictures a person could ever see: a clergyman with a collar and top hat riding a bike. We all paused for a bit and thought we were in another century. Unfortunately it happened to quickly and we never got the chance to take a picture.
Green Park and Hyde Park
(View from Green Park)
We love big open parks. Especially on sunny days! Of course we spent some time walking around Green Park on the day we went to the Palace. On the Sunday after we visited the Palace we were invited to Richard and Keziah's house for dinner. We decided to detour through Green Park, and head off to Hyde Park and hear some of the speakers and shouters at Speaker's Corner.
(Squirrel in Green Park)
Once again the weather was amazing. In Green Park we got to see some squirrels running around enjoying the day too. We were rather surprised at how friendly they were. One squirrel came right up to Queenie when she pretended to feed it. We could have touched them they were so close. The squirrels in the Taipei parks always run a million miles away at the nearest hint of human contact.
(War Memorial)
At the exit to Green Park is a war memorial to the soldiers from Asia and Africa that died in both world wars. These monuments are scattered all over and are a reminder of the great sacrifice the world and the British made in the last century.
(Mom in Hyde Park)
We then walked on to Hyde Park where we saw many people milling around and preparing for a huge roller-blade event. It seemed as if it was just a social event where anybody who wanted to roller blade with a group could join. It seemed like a lot of fun. At the front of Hyde Park we also saw these two guys on what can only be described as bouncing stilts. Whatever they were they looked like fun but quite possibly very dangerous.
Next we headed off to Speakers Corner. This was quite a scene. There were only Christian and Muslim speakers. They spent most of the time shouting at each other and shouting each other down. Nobody was really listening to each other. It was really amusing. Paul especially enjoyed zipping from one speaker to the next listening to them and watching the people's reaction.
(One of the Speakers)
Ultimately though the speeches were useless as they were merely a platform to shout and scream at each other. It was great watching the show though. Hopefully those people will realize that there are better things to do on a Sunday afternoon than make pointless spectacles.
(Mom and Queenie in Hyde Park)
Of course, if living in London with nothing else to do, one could always head out to Hyde Park on a Sunday afternoon and barrack the speakers. Actually, I think that is what some of the folks do. Oh, the joys of living in a democracy where freedom of speech is permitted. There was definite irony in watching people from countries with no freedom, using this freedom for their benefit.
Lords Cricket Ground
One of the highlights of the trip for Paul was a tour around Lords Cricket Ground. The tickets were pricey at $12 but well worth the trip. Richard managed to come with us and we had a great time walking around the home of cricket. We went into the famous Long Room, the Committee Room, and both change rooms. We also went into the museum, saw the Ashes and managed to go into the stands and look at the ground. The weather was bitter on this day but it was well worth the effort.
(Paul and Richard at Lords)
(Queenie at Lords)
Even Queenie and Mom enjoyed themselves as the tour guide gave a wonderful introduction to the history and traditions of the great game of cricket. Queenie was even interested in some of the famous people from the past. Of course, the one everyone loves, and the one Queenie was most fascinated with was the good doctor W.G. Grace.
Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures inside the member’s room. Apparently they are afraid the camera flashes will destroy their pictures. I don't think so. We asked if we could take a picture of the actual ground from the players’ room. We were refused. We managed to snap a shot without them noticing. Such are the advantages of the digital world.
(The Illegal Snapshot)
Despite the disappointment of not being allowed to take pictures in most parts we were taken too, we did have a great walk around the ground and we did get some pictures of the playing field. It was wonderful to go there even though we never did get to see a game. But if a game was on it is doubtful we would have been able to get tickets, and at 60 pounds a ticket for a day of test cricket, we may not be willing to fork it out.
British Museum
(Outside the British Museum)
What a disappointment! Paul had longed for so many years to see this museum and was utterly disappointed. The new entrance is noisy and kitsch and there were so many people milling around each exhibit that we could hardly see anything. We walked around ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, we walked through some European historical displays but were very disillusioned as it was very noisy, many kids running around screaming. It was just difficult to concentrate on anything.
The most fun Paul had was making videos of some of the artifacts while reading the display information. It was one way to sound intelligent about things we had no idea about. However, it got a bit tricky when words were used that had no obvious pronunciation. Well we stumbled through the reading. So much for the British Museum. If we ever get back to England we will definitely not rush off to this most venerated institution.
We then went and had the worst Thai buffet lunch ever. We would not eat in that restaurant ever again. After that we walked along the most famous shopping street in London, Oxford Street. Of course Queenie had to go into Boots and buys some stuff. Paul just stayed outside and watched the view and the passing crowd.
We then did manage to find a bus that went all the way from Oxford Street to Mom's house. The bus ride was definitely the highlight of the day as we managed to go through many different neighborhoods and see different parts of London. The city really did seem to be fragmented along cultural lines. Especially noticeable were the Muslim neighborhoods. This was very interesting for us as our neighborhoods in Taiwan are fairly homogenous and do not vary much.
(On the bus home)
Mama Mia on Westend
(Piccadilly Circus)
On the last Friday in London Mom took us to watch Mama Mia in Westend. What a treat! The musical was everything it was cracked up to be. Upbeat, funny, humorous, thoughtful and with a predictable but funny twist in the end. We were so lucky to get seats to the Matinee show and we really had fun. They did three encores and in the end everybody was standing up, clapping and singing with the performers. Of course we had to emulate them on the street and so we did.
(Mom in Piccadilly Circus)
(The Show)
(The Pretenders)
(The Best Pretender)
Well Piccadilly Circus was fun. It was full of life. It was full of vibrancy and it was full of everything that London was meant to be. We walked around Piccadilly Circus, went to a bookstore and ended the evening eating donuts and drinking tea. All too soon the evening was finished and we had to head off home, but what a magical time it was. We really enjoyed ourselves and were so thankful to Mom for the treat.
Yes, we once again went to Waterloo station, bought our tickets and headed off to Windsor and Eton River Edge station. We were there on Monday when we went to Canterbury and we have met countless people there and made countless tube changes there. It seems that Waterloo Tube Station is the vortex for travel in London, but at least the station is efficient and the trains frequent.
Windsor
The quaint town of Windsor is dissected by the Thames River and overshadowed by Windsor Castle, the current home of the royal family. Windsor is like a typical English village: small and compact with a few attendant pubs and restaurants. There were also a few tourist shops. However, we were to learn later that the price of property in Windsor was very expensive, almost the equivalent to London Central. A one-bedroom room with bathroom in a bed and breakfast costs £80.00 per night or £1,200.00 per month.
(Queenie in Windsor) (Mom in Windsor)
The Castle
Windsor Castle itself is impressive. The tickets were pricey at £14.50 per person but included an audio tour in both English for Mom and Paul and Mandarin for Queenie. Getting into the castle required passing through a fairly thorough security check. We could only imagine in summer the time it would take to enter with the swarms of tourists that descend on this small town. One of the attendants told us that in the summer, there was no room to move inside the state apartments and that some of the rooms would close. During the summer many international tourists descend on this castle so it seems we came at the right place. The manager of the pub we had lunch at said summer was always good for them.
(Queenie and Mom in Windsor Castle)
Once inside the views of the battlements and the overview of Windsor are impressive. The audio guide mentioned that the Castle was first erected in AD1070 and has since then been both a working royal castle and tourist attraction. It was built on a rocky mound high above the flat plains of Windsor so that enemies approaching the castle could be seen at a distance and if attackers got to the castle wall they would have to overcome the height and walls.
The oldest part of the castle is the central battlement. Apparently a water well was bored 160 m beneath the battlement to ensure the castle had a constant water supply. The views from the top of the battlement must surely be impressive but this was not part of the tour.
(Central Battlement)
As we entered the castle we immediately arrived at St. George’s gate. From there we got a great view of where the Queen and her family walk into and out of their residence. From there we walked down to St. George’s chapel. Apparently this chapel has had a daily service for over 600 years. The public is allowed to worship in the chapel which usually takes place at around 5:00pm. We unfortunately would not have the time to attend.
(The way down to the chapel)
An attendant in the chapel said Napoleon Bonaparte’s son was buried in the Chapel as were some kings and queens. The chapel itself was incredibly beautiful. The architecture was gothic and reminiscent of Canterbury Cathedral and Westminister. We were told also that the Queen regularly attends services at the chapel and that the public are also welcome to join in during worship services. The attendants told us that the Queen sometimes pops her head in even when the public are worshipping.
In the central nave of the chapel is dedicated to the highest order of the realm, the Knights of the order of the garter. In all there are 24 knights. They were commemorated in a similar way to those in Westminister Abbey with living knights having their banners on hanging over their chairs and their coats of arms on the chairs once they pass away. Current knights of the order include Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Prince Charles. The Queen appoints the knights but the titles are not hereditary. The chapel is incredibly beautiful but we were not permitted to take pictures inside.
After St. George’s Chapel we walked up to the State Apartments. This in reality is where we can see many of the rooms in the castle. Some of the rooms are closed up in the summer because the Queen and royal family use those parts of the castle. The castle is still used to welcome guests and formal state dinners are still held there.
We first walked through the miniature doll house given to one of the Queens and then into a room that held exhibitions of the state China and dinner sets. These dinner sets are impressive and are still used by the Queen on special occasions. Of course there were only a smattering on display but they were all impressive.
We next entered the drawing and sketch room where we saw a lot of drawings by some prominent artists. Apparently there are 600 sketches by Leonardo da Vinci. As we passed through the rest of the rooms there were many original paintings by famous artists of famous kings and queens.
(More Views of the Castle)
The Fire of 1992
We were also told that in 1992 a new electrical during renovations caused a fire that damaged much of the castle. Because of the renovations many of the moveable objects had been removed. However, there was one room that still had the original paintings. Apparently Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, offered to run into the building to rescue one of the paintings. He was advised against it.
Two Impressive Rooms
The Waterloo room was built after the battle of Waterloo. The room was originally an outside room but was covered. The carpet was made by prisoners in Agra, India and was 80 yard long and weighed two tons. The chandeliers have a manual winch that is used to lower them and to lower the chandeliers takes about 30-minutes.
The other impressive room was the Guards Room with all the impressive weapons used by the Royal Guards. These weapons from down the ages decorate the walls. There are four busts in the guards room of brave men who defended the realm. These busts were of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill and one of Churchill’s ancestors.
Royal Duties
We asked some of the attendants about the rold of the Queen in modern England. They confirmed our suspicions that she is merely a figurehead and symbold of England. She had now decision making authority and only signs off on decisions made in parliament. She seldom has much to say about current issues in parliament and even if she did she did not yield much authority. The royal family are however very involved in charity work and promoting charities around the world. They are perhaps very busy.
Leaving the Castle
The tour lasted about three hours. Afterwards we were famished. We headed off into town and found an Irish Pub called Maloneys which is being managed by a South African from Westville in Durban. We had a great lunch and a good chat.
Afterwards we went down to the river and fed the swans and ducks. Swans truly are beautiful and graceful. Feeding them was fun. One of the swans even ate out of our hands.
(Queenie, Mom and the Swans)
(Queenie and the Swan) (The River Thames)
We then went for a walk through the old town of Windsor. We once again saw the sun go down. Windsor is truly a very beautiful English town perched on the River Thames. This small town with the castle is well worth the visit. We then jumped on the 6 o’clock train to be home by 7:30 pm in the evening. It was a successful and enjoyable day.
