Windsor Castle

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Geo: 51.48, -0.605995

Thank God - everyone got a good night sleep last night and the world looks even better after 8 hours in a bed! We had a huge cooked breakfast at the hotel/B&B where we are staying, then marched up the hill to the Castle gates. Along the way, Steven found a replica pistol in a shop window that he was coming back to buy (it sold before we got back!) and the kids bought beanies & gloves.

An extra thrill when we got to the Castle and found the Royal Standard flying - meaning Her Majesty is in residence. She and Prince Phillip have come for the start of the Easter celebrations. Entry to the Castle wasn't that expensive (15 pound each for Nonno & Nonna, 42 pound for our family) and included a lovely audio tour designed for children. Our audio guide was a ghost called Horace and a little boy called Tommy. Matthew was transfixed by the audio tour! The dolls house, with its real running water in the bathrooms and real wine in the cellar was wonderful, but I think an early highlight of the day was when the sentry guards marched by as the boys were coming out of the toilet! Suddenly the changing of the guard was very "up close and personal"! Tom marched behind the Grenadier Guards when the sentry changed.

The State Rooms of the Palace were mind blowing in their riches! I loved watching Georgia dance by herself in the Queen's Ballroom, and the boys' faces when they looked at all the cannons, pistols and swords. We also saw original drawings by Leonardo Da Vinci and the hunting sword of Henry VIII. G's comment was that "This is SOOO interesting, but it wouldn't be the same if we were just learning it in a book at school". I think she suddenly realised why we traveled across the world! The King George's Chapel was also very beautiful - I was really interested to see the burial place of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.

A very late lunch with some wonderful pies then back to the hotel for a bit of "down time". The kids are just watching some TV and resting. Nonno & Nonna have gone for a walk. The weather was colder today, and generally fine with some showers - we were thinking about a carriage ride down the Long Walk, but not sure if the sun will stay out long enough. There is always tomorrow!

After a rest (Steven slept, the kids read and watched TV), we met up with Nonno & Nonna, and decided to drive to a quaint village called Bray, which was a few miles away. Unfortunately, we didn't realise that the traffic would be so terrible, and then we missed the turnoff, and took a 15 km deviation - which would have been OK except traffic was only travelling at 10km/hr! We were all rather over it (and the 3 kids were fast asleep in the back of the car) when we arrived in the dark & rain at Bray. But we stumbled into a pub called The Hinds Head at Bray.

Frankly, when we got there (with three grumpy kids who had fallen asleep in the car), we didn't care WHAT it was like - we were just relieved to be anywhere out of the traffic. Then we see the roaring fire and dark beams...all good! The helpful waitress responded to our request for a table for 7 with no booking with a smile rather than a grimace...even better! Then we found that the pub was voted Britain's Best, that its owner (gourmet chef Heston Blumenthal) runs a 3 Michelin star restaurant next door and this is its "little sister", that the prices, however, are still reasonable, and the kids were slightly happier and being charmed by the crooked walls and low ceilings (the sign at the doorway says "Duck or Grouse!" Wonderful!)

The meals were great - chicken, ham and leek pies, poached salmon, and for the kids, home made fish fingers. The atmosphere was also wonderful - pictures all around of a day that the Queen, the Prince of Edinburgh, and 17 other royals from Europe came to the pub (don't know WHY they were all there - maybe the cooks at the Castle were tired & told them to go out for Sunday lunch!) It was also the location for Prince Phillip's stag night - apparently it is popular with the gentry as well, as the little village of Bray is on the Thames with a marina - one of the closest places to London to keep one's boat.

Think we'll have to return to see the pretty village of Bray in the daylight, but already impressed by the meal!

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