Windsor

I wasn’t ready for my alarm to go off this morning! Things I do for adventures! After slamming my alarm clock snooze button for 20 minutes, I finally got up and dressed. It was supposed to be 80 degrees and SUNNY today! I was so excited. I put on a sundress and it started to feel like it was the end of July and not April! I made it to the tube, switched at Baker street for the Bakerloo line, and got off at Paddington! I felt like Paddington bear (except I was leaving, not arriving, and I wasn’t lost). Well actually I was kinda lost because I thought that the first off-peak train to Windsor was at 9:21 but that train didn’t say anything about stopping at Windsor or Eton. Great…. So I had to be a tourist and ask. I had to take the train to Slough and then change trains. Ohh…. Awesome. So I headed to platform 10 where I came face to face with a tourist mob. The train went to Oxford. Oh great.

I walked to the end of the train and decided just to try a car. (it was only 3 carriages btw. WHY??) End of long story… there wasn’t any seats so everyone else had to stand. It wasn’t a big deal though because it was only a 15 minute ride! The train pulled into Slough and I was grateful to be getting off! Platform 1 for Windsor was right there and about 10 minutes later I was on the train! It was a really quick (7 min) ride to Windsor and I was there by 10. The town was really cute… lots of little shops and such. I had a tour appt at 10:45 so I just walked straight up to the castle.

I found the admissions centre really easily, got my ticket and walked right up to the xray machines. I didn’t have to wait at all! How awesome! I got my free audio guide, and started to wander around to get my bearings and see stuff. I took some pictures and realized that I had 20 minutes until my tour so I headed to St. George’s chapel to fill in the time.

I understand why churches and chapels don’t want photography, but I really REALLY wish that I could have taken pictures. It was so pretty. I wandered around the chapel for 15 minutes and then decided to head over to my tour group. As I was leaving I realized how inappropriately dressed I was for the chapel! I should have put my sweater on over my little spaghetti straps. I wouldn’t have been even allowed in like that if I was in Italy!!

I found the tour spot without a problem and hung out by the sign with a family from the Czech Republic. Finally we were on our way! I was really pumped to see the royal kitchen We were taken behind the scenes and shown some rooms and talked to, but FINALLY we got to the kitchen. I walked in AND….. it was completely disappointing. It looked like a normal industrial kitchen. Yeah it was 3 times the size of Bellinger hall, but it had the same stuff in it. It was just like the one at the Royal Pavilion. Gah. It was a lame tour.

After that disappointing 40 mintues, I came back outside and headed to the state apartments. First was Queen Mary’s doll house. OMG I want one. It make all other doll houses look pathetic. It was seriously about 11 feet high and had EVERYTHING. I cant even explain it! The garage was even complete with a fleet of rolls royces. It was awesome. The next room housed Princess Elizabeth (the present queen) and her sisters dolls that they each got when they went to France. American girl needs to step it up. The clothes were made by top designers. They were beautiful. I wanted all of that stuff too! (the dolls were slightly creepy though!)

Next were the state apartments. Don’t get me wrong they were awesome BUT…. I like Buckingham’s better. The outside of Windsor is cooler (Buckingham IS just UGLY!) but the state rooms weren’t as cool. The Grand reception room was the prettiest room I have ever seen, and the St George Hall was impressive! (where they have state dinners) I am glad that I saw it, I was just more in awe at Buckingham.

After the state apartments I wandered around the town some. It was cute, but it was all stores and I have to money to spend so it wasn’t a whole bunch of fun. I decided to head back to London slowly. Of course when you aren’t in a hurry everything works out so well! I got to the train station and had to wait 3 minutes for a train to Slough. At slough it was only a ten minute wait until the London train came. If I was in a hurry that never would have happened! I sat near an American family and just chuckled at their American-ness. First they had southern accents, but if that wouldn’t have given them away the Hollister clothes, saying they had a coupon for something (not a voucher), and the kid asking to go to Subway for lunch was a dead give away!

I got home quickly and then realized I was supposed to have gone grocery shopping. I headed back out to do that and then came home to crash. I want to write the Queen and asks what she keeps in her purse, but I don’t think that would be appropriate. Seriously though… what does she have in there?? I HIGHLY doubt she needs id, she doenst need cash, and she certainly doenst need an oyster card! What, besides perhaps a lipstick, would she need to carry around with her? Im curious.

I surfed the internet when I came home and teared up watching Nastia Luikin fall of the uneven bars. I miss NBC!! I find things out a lot later over here and I love their Olympic coverage. NBS IS the Olympics! Her career is over I guess and she is going to NYU. I felt badly for her though. What a rough way to go out.

Well that’s it for today. Ill say Im going to work on my thesis, but that probably wont happen! I most likely will not blog tomorrow as I am sitting around and writing all day! A week from today is my Olympic adventure! Im so excited!!