WINDSOR CASTLE

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We slept in a little longer today, since we only had one item on the itinerary and that was a day trip to Windsor to tour the castle. We walked from our hotel to Waterloo Station. It was about a 20-minute walk across the Waterloo Bridge over the Thames. The train we would be taking is basically the commuter system for greater London, similar to LIRR or Metro North, just more comfortable and less crowded, well except for the two stops full of children on their way to a zoo or something.

It was pretty easy to figure out which train and buy our tickets, it helps when it is all in English unlike when we are on the Continent. The trip was about 50 minutes passing through the outer part of London, suburbs then countryside. We arrived at Windsor Eaton & Riverside Station and when you get off the train, Windsor looms over you. From the station, it was a quick walk to the castle entrance.

Again, it pays to plan ahead. I had purchased tickets online several weeks before we left for London. This saved us standing in the 90-minute ticket line and went straight to the main entrance and the about 15-minute security line, which no amount of advance planning will help you avoid. The admission price included free audio tour sets, but we opted out since it is our experience that when using them you end up spending far more time than you have. They do provide great insight and history, just you need a few extra hours in your day if you want to take that option.

We started our self-guided (guided tours are available for a charge) tour and headed for the Moat and Round Tower. Windsor Castle is the oldest royal residence that has remained in continuous use by the monarchy, it is also the largest Castle in England. Henry II began building the castle and Henry III and Edward III further expanded it. It has been expanded from a defensive stronghold to the primary residence of the Monarchy.

During the winter months, the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel are open for tour. Most of the public grounds are open but you can’t get close to the actual living quarters of the Queen or the private gardens. If you are visiting dur the summer months you can climb to the top of the Round Tower (200 steps) for a great view (so it says) of the town below. Unfortunately for us, what was not available for tour was the Great Kitchen, this is only open during select months and is a special tour. I have no idea what those select months are, but would love to take that tour sometime.

We have been to and seen several palaces, chateaus and castles on our journey, what makes Windsor unique is that it is still in use as an actual royal residence. While it is not nearly as grand as the Palace of Versailles, it is more comfortable looking as it is meant to actually be still lived in. Pictures were not allowed inside so I don’t’ have any visuals to share with you. Several people did not head the 100 signs or 20 verbal warnings of no pictures, and almost lost their phones or cameras. It is amazing how many tourists thought they could just sneak in a picture, but a guide tour or other staff person would be on top of them the second they raised their phone/camera to snap that picture. They seem to know it was going to happen before it did.

In addition to the state apartments, the Doll House of Queen Mary (not sure which one) was on display, not your average doll house 4 stories high and took up a dining room table. There was also a display of the queen’s fashions over her 90-year life, including some of her many hats.

We spent about 90 minutes visiting the Castle then headed into the town of Windsor itself for lunch. The trick here is to walk down the central street and keep walking, past the shopping, bad chain restaurants and other tourist traps, until you get almost to the end of the street. Here you will find a traditional English pub, the Queen Vic. It is a small establishment with a very small bar two rooms and a working wood fireplace. There was a mix of locals having their pints and a few tourists that managed to wonder down as far as we had. Jerry had his first beer, which he forgot is served warm and I had a gin and tonic. The food was amazing. Traditional pub food and nothing was frozen or pre-prepared, it was all made cook to order. Unfortunately for us the table before us got the last order of Fish & Chips. Instead Jerry had Banger’s and Mash and I had a Chicken pie and ham. A pie is basically what we call a pot pie, but this was no regular pot pie, the crust was perfect and the inside was full of moist chicken a few vegetables and a rich and thick sauce. The British have a way with mashed potatoes, they are simply prepared but taste oh so good and are perfectly mashed or whipped every time. Jerry’s sausage was extra crispy, and a heart attack waiting to happen. We asked the gent behind the bar how they were cooked, first they are fried in a pan to get them slightly browned, then baked in the oven for about 5 minutes and finally deep fried. They were piping hot and Jerry almost didn’t want to share them with me.

During lunch, we had a nice conversation with the barkeep and a table of people from Philadelphia. After lunch, we strolled back through the city to the train station. Windsor is a perfect day trip from London, you could spend the entire day touring the castle and walking around the town. The town itself, at least the part next to the castle, is very tourist oriented so it takes some doing to get the actual character of the place. We had a good day visiting Windsor, I do need to talk to the Queen, about her moving out of my family home. Legend in my family is that we are directly related to Mary Queen of Scots, so technically we have claim to the throne. I guess I would be King Christopher I.

The train back to London was uneventful and Jerry nodded off several times. It was dark by the time we arrived back in London. Public transportation, while very good in London, is a bit spotty during this time of year. They take advantage of the lower number of riders to work on the several lines. So, you don’t really know from day to day which line will be out of commission. We have been pretty lucky and not really impacted by this. We did have a bit of confusion today, thinking our main line was closed, but it was running per usual.

When we returned to the room, we relaxed had a spot of wine and relaxed before dinner. Jerry verified tomorrow travel routes and I just stretched my aching back.

Maggie Jones

Dinner was in the Kensington section of London at Maggie Jones. The place is tucked away on Old Court Rd, if you don’t know it is there you would never find it. It is worth the Tube ride. When you walk in it is liking walking back in time to an old Country Inn you might have found during the time of Elizabeth I. The tables are all wood, the settings are all old-style china (mismatched of course) and the entire place is lit primarily by candlelight. If you don’t have a reservation don’t expect to just walk in and get a table. We were seated upstairs at a corner table. Behind Jerry was a very obnoxious table of American men (Jerry thought they were pilots, let’s hope not for the sake of the passengers). They were crude and crass, swearing nonstop even with a table of kids next to them. Never mind, they were clearly the center of the world, at least their meathead world. They were exactly the type that give Americans such a bad name (but with Donald’s plan to use Brexit against the UK and steal their business, we don’t really need any help with that). The other table next to us was a son and his family visiting grandma. Grandma apparently did not get to see her grandchildren that often as it seemed she hardly knew them. The son and his wife lived in Madrid, so the children and his spouse spent much of the night speaking Spanish none of which grandma could understand. She had some very irritating habits and repeated everything 3 times, an example, her son ordered a side of French green beans, she then would go one for 10 minutes about the beans. “Oh, you ordered beans, beans, beans” turned to the grandkids and say “he ordered beans, beans, beans.” I think we got it grandma dad ordered beans. But none of that detracted from our meal. It was hearty traditional, with a twist, British Fare.

We started with our traditional champagne. The starter was a Stilton Mousse served with toasted rye. The mouse had a light hint of stilton and was whipped with possibly cream cheese or sour cream. It was very good.

We then moved on to salads, and they were generous portions. Jerry had a Stilton, Bacon & Walnut Salad (there was rocket as well). They were not stingy on the bacon or stilton. I had a Rocket, cheddar and mushroom salad. Both were lightly dressed with a vinaigrette. These were the best salads of the trip.

Moving on to the entrée: Jerry had grilled salmon with hollandaise and I had a roasted stuffed chicken with a bread sauce and gravy. I have never even heard of a bread sauce, but that is what it was a béchamel with bread in it. The gravy, unlike other things that have been called gravy on this trip, was very good and perfectly seasoned. We shared a sided of mashed potatoes and peas & bacon. The peas were disappointing, tasted very bland and old, like they were out of a can. Our meal was accompanied by a good (not great) bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape.

Not that we really had any room, but we split a Sherry Trifle. It was not made in your traditional trifle style, but it was really good.

Maggie Jones is a must eat when you’re in London. Reservations can only be made by calling or via e-mail and they are a must.

Thus, ended another day in Merry ole England. We headed back to the room and sleep.

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