A Posh Trip to Windsor

We have tried to be careful with our money while here in England, even in our sight-seeing. We've checked for the cheapest transportation, we haven't stayed overnight anywhere, and we've avoided expensive restaurants, often bringing our own prepared lunch and snacks. All that prudence was thrown to the wind on our recent trip to Windsor.

Yes, we went (almost) all-out. First, we hired a car (yes, they say "hired" here). This was my only time driving here in Britain, and it was a success (read: no crashes and we made it back safely). Partly this success was due to the encouragement of Larissa and the kids, who cheered loudly every time I successfully negotiated a roundabout (a traffic circle). Yet surely this success was partly due to supernatural agency, with a miraculous drive from Windsor to the hotel without knowing what road we were on or what hotel we were at, and finding out when we arrived that we'd actually taken a shortcut. Then we stayed in a posh hotel (yes, they say "posh" here). We had a posh (if sparse) dinner there, took over the posh spa for a boisterous splash in the pool, and then watched a posh Wallace and Gromit before falling soundly asleep.

But the real reason we went to Windsor, and the real predator of our pocketbooks, was spending a day at Legoland. Legoland is a major theme park of not-quite Disney proportions, and we decided to take advantage of being so close to it to take the kids there as a combined birthday present. (Besides which, they've patiently endured many un-kid-friendly days looking at piles of old rocks and such, and it's only fair for them to have a very kid-friendly day, don't you think?) We had a beautiful, hot and sunny day, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Riding the Dragon's Apprentice roller coaster, driving kid-sized Lego cars at the Driving School, and watching the Johnny Thunder live-action show were some favourite attractions, but there was really nothing that wasn't a hit with the kids. A few pics: measuring up for the rides at the gate (pic 1); standing before a Lego version of London at Miniland (pic 2); Amelia panning for gold in the Wild Woods (pic 3); winning the Lego fire truck race at Fire Academy (pic 4); maniac Matthew at Driving School (pic 5); cuddling with "Ned" on the Ferris Wheel (pic 6).

Oh, I should add that we did manage a side trip to Windsor Castle, at a time when the Queen was in residence. The Queen may not have liked being an afterthought in our plans, which surely explains why she didn't invite us in to tea. Nevertheless, we had a brilliant time without her. Windsor Castle is one of the oldest and largest castles in Britain, and it is the oldest continuously inhabited royal residence in the world, over 900 years. Naturally, it's not completely open to the public (if you want to see a full castle, see Warwick Castle), but what one sees is certainly grand and glorious. Pictures are not allowed inside, but we loved Queen Mary's Doll House, all the rooms in the State Apartments, and wandering through St. George's Chapel (even walking on top of King Henry VIII!). Here are some pics from the castle grounds: the central Round Tower which dominates the castle skyline (pic 7); the Quadrangle looking toward the State Apartments (pic 8); and standing guard with one of the castle Guards (pic 9).

Thanks for coming with us on our posh trip to Windsor!