Windsor Castle

Another exploration across town. Today we took the metro to Paddington Station where we switched lines to the Windsor Castle Line. In spite of his bad knee, soon to be replaced, Stu was stoic as he climbed or descended the multiple stair cases going up to the trains, then down to the trains, across platforms, up and down stairs again. No wonder the BBC produced a show called Up the Down Staircase--all of London, as was Paris, is uphill, according to Stu! Neither Paris nor London have been very accessible to those with disabilities; we are very fortunate to be in the states with its heightened awareness and accessibility.

Windsor Castle, the Queen's home when she is not at Buckingham Palace in London, is 700 years old and has been a continuous residence of the Monarchy for these past centuries. We enjoyed the grounds, the St. George Chapel, the Round Tower and guarding wall. We got there just in time to see the changing of the guards and watch them march into the Castle grounds from the surrounding town of Windsor-Eaton. Today the Queen was in residence, but still no invitation to high tea or even a shared crumpet! We wandered through the residence that is open for public viewing. The art work and other treasures, including solid silver furniture, were on display. There is one room, Prince Philip's drawing room, that houses 200 pencil sketches by Leonardo d'Vinci among others. We saw the doll house, a 1:12 replica of Windsor Castle, complete with furnishings, electricity, and working plumbing. These are living rooms, used now for state functions including a dining room that seats 150 at one table. The official china collection has 48 sets of plate ware dating back 500 years.

Beyond the Castle walls is a small town, with 500 year old taverns--we had lunch in one--and modern computer stores selling the latest Ipods. The contrasts are a reminder that while history lives here, it doesn't stop the progress. A delightful visit for us and a leisurely afternoon as well.

Back in Paddington Station we exited to take the bus home when we chanced to meet a policeman with his explosive sniffing dog. Before a minute passed we were engaged in conversation with 3 different officers, a half-dozen working dogs, and had exchanged stories about Smudge and her inability to pass a muffin without snatching it. They laughed at that and shared some of their donut stories (London policemen eat donuts also). We happened to catch them on the change of shifts so 20 minutes passed in conversation. They gave us business cards from their dogs, Charlie, Ace, Buddy, and Spencer. We asked if there was a place where we could find a london fireman's hat. We've been seeking one for Mac since we've been here, with no luck. Seems they don't have stores like our CHIPS have, but suggested we go to Notting Hill's Portobello market and have a look. That's tomorrow's destination. It's been wonderful to have the leisure to go where we want, to be spontaneous and to change plans on a whim. We're probably missing some of the London "must sees", but we're doing so much else we're enjoying.

And so our time in London is too quickly coming to an end. We still have so much we want to do--so much to do, so little time.

Stu and Adrienne