It is the end of May and I have to do a bit of training at the Heathrow Hilton tomorrow, but having just landed after an overnight coach flight I have two options.   Go to bed and catchup on the sleep I missed last evening during the flight or get out and power through the day.   I must admit I was very tempted by the former but after several trips to the UK, I know that a nap for me winds up being 8 hours leaving me fully awake when the sun is going down and any tourist attraction due to close shortly.  

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So, I stifled my yawns, ate some breakfast sucked down a Coke Zero for caffeine and drudged down to the buses near Heathrow.   Using my Google maps, I find bus 87 which, in 20 minutes, will deposit me near Windsor Castle.   Immediately, I am struck by the massive outer walls of the castle and beauty of the surrounding city.   I head up to the ticket office and plunge into all things Windsor. 

Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest continuously occupied castle in the world.   It has been the home of 39 British monarchs and even today, the Queen spends many of her free weekends at the castle.  Built by William the Conquer after the Norman invasion it sits upstream from London on the Thames river

Built on 13.6 acres of land, Windsor Castle is made up of three distinct areas.   The Upper ward comprises the regal State Apartments, where the Monarch meets and entertains guests, the queen’s private apartments, and the south wing with the Edward III tower.  Of course, when the tourists are all gone to their homes, I am sure HRH Queen Elizabeth II probably goes wherever she wants.   The Middle ward is essentially the round tower, which today is just a big huge royal archive building and sits on man made hill, called the motte.  The Lower Ward’s focal point is St. George’s Chapel.   Surrounding the chapel is housing for Knights of the Garter and the King Henry VIII Gate.

My path into the Castle ran up the outer wall towards the Edward III tower.  Entering the grounds, I found myself thinking about shooting arrows through the slits and repelling invaders.   As I walked around the Mote, I looked over the retaining wall and down into the big ditch.   At first, I thought it was a drained moat but no, it never had water.   Making my way around the ditch I enter the Upper ward through the Norman Gate.  

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State Apartments

Upon entering the Castle proper, guest first get to see Queen Mary’s doll house.  Looking like a wealth London home it comes complete with running water, lighting and filled with thousands of objects all built on a 1-12 scale.   Never meant to be actually played with it is an adult toy complete with gardens out front.   The state apartments are an amazing array of rooms, staircases and hallways that tourists can marvel over.   Adorned by mounted knights, a wealth of armaments, paintings the apartments let you know you just a bit how the other half lives.   You are not supposed to take pictures but my camera with wide angle lens seemed to find a way to click away. If you aren’t as irreverent as me, take your time as it is worth drinking in the ambiance.   

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One of the more amazing highlights is St. George’s Hall.   This room is over 150 ft long and 20 feet wide, able to easily sit 200 people for a state dinner.   I did smile just a bit, as an American, when I looked up at the painting of King George III.   No taxation without representation! 

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Unfortunately, a fire in 1992 burned most of the roof off the St. George’s Hall.  It started from a faulty spotlight and within hours it had spread consuming 115 rooms including 9 state rooms.   Now fully restored they are all stunning.

Lower Ward

Now that I have been totally overwhelmed by the elegance of the staterooms, I was glad to be outside again and walking down to the lower ward.   The lower ward houses many of the workers at Windsor and surrounds St. George’s Chapel.  I was there on Sunday so the Chapel was closed between church services.  So, while it seems a bit macabre, I didn’t get to see some of the other monarchs’ tombs, as I had at Westminster Abbey.    

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City of Windsor

I said goodbye to Windsor Castle as I made my way through the King Henry VIII’s gate and, soon, my delayed colleague arrived from the US.   It was early afternoon and he decided to forgo a tour and instead directly, go to lunch.   We ate at a nearby pub and enjoyed a proper pint of English Ale.   The afternoon we explored the city just a bit, took at walk to Eton just across the river and then decided to head back.  I didn’t do enough homework prior to going to Windsor because I missed a photo opportunity on the Long Walk. Oh well need to leave something for the next trip.

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On our way back, our bus driver told us that we needed to get out at a bus stop and we willingly obliged.  He said the next bus should arrive shortly to take us back to Heathrow.   We waited a bit then checked the bus schedule, no more buses running.   Great! Our driver ditched us to go home early.   Luckily, we saw a cabbie and made it back safe and sound (pre-uber days).   Chalk that up as an adventure as well! 

Let me know if you enjoyed my little tour of Windsor and if you may be planning a day drip on your next London vacation or business trip.   I look forward to your comments and feedback.

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