London 15

Today Kayla and I decided to use our free Sunday to go to Windsor and see the Windsor Castle Estate and the town of Windsor. We took the tube to Paddington Station and then got on a train to Slough. From there, we transferred to a small train and took the five minute ride to Windsor.
The town of Windsor is really beautiful and peaceful. There isn't much vehicular traffic and the streets are lined with vendors, ice cream shops and beautiful old homes.
When we first got out of the train station we came upon the main street and, beside it, the outer wall of Windsor Castle.

We then got our tickets and took a guided tour within the castle walls where we learned of the castle's history and use by the Monarchy and Cromwell's rebellion. In fact, Windsor Castle was the headquarters of Oliver Cromwell's Interregnum and his Protectorate government in Britain in the mid 1600s. Cromwell and his followers despised the royalists and, as a mark of insult, made their headquarters in the most Royalist estate in Britain. On our tour we were shown where Cromwell lived in the castle and where he conducted government business and held his prisoners.
Cromwell's reign rendered much disrepair on the estate and after his deposition the monarchy started restoration projects on Windsor Castle. The current model is truly breathtaking.

If you look closer, you can see that the flag in the distance is actually not the flag of the union, as is flown most often, but this flag:

This is the flag of the Queen and, when raised, it means the Queen is at the palace. Thus Kayla and I spent the rest of our time on the grounds searching for the Queen and her family. To Kayla's dismay, Prince Harry was nowhere to be found.

As we ventured further into the castle, we reached the main central courtyard.

In the far corner you can see the Queen's residence in the Castle.

An interesting fact is that during the Blitz of London by the Nazis during the Second World War, the Crown Jewels were evacuated from the Tower of London and taken to a vault beneath Windsor Castle. Hitler fancied the castle and its valuable, easily defensible location, for himself and planned to use the castle as his British headquarters if the Nazis conquered Britain. This is why Windsor Castle was never bombed unlike Buckingham Palace which weathered many air raids and sustained heavy damage.

After finishing our tour, we went to the State Residences and saw the unbelievably intricate interiors of the Castle residencies. In several rooms, it was as if the monarchs ran out of room to store their swords, guns and suits of armor and so they set them up as fine show pieces on the walls of many, many rooms. I've never seen that large an Arsenal - and it was all used as wall decorations!
After we left the Castle, we walked down to the town of Windsor and crossed the bridge to a get a great view of the Thames at its more narrow points.

At this point, Kayla and I went back into the town and got souvenirs and presents for our friends and family (mother's birthday present!) and then took the trains and tube back to Baker Street and Regent's.
Now, I've finished (finally) reading Boswell's London Journal. He may be the most pompous and chauvinistic writer I've ever read. Needless to say, most readers applaud the (spoiler alert) point in his journal where he comes face to face with "Signor Gonnorhea" (actual quote from the journal).
Cheers!

-Simon