A Visit to Queen Elisabeth's Home...

[hast]

at Windsor Castle. She was even home! Here's a proof of that. If she's home she runs her personal flag and if she's not they flag the Union Jack.

http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7567.JPG.500.jpg

Windsor is a quaint little town that has grown around one of the oldest buildings in England. So we'll start with a few pictures from the town. Here is the cutest little house, that leans every which way, that has been saved (Thank heaven!) in the midst of newer houses.
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7565.JPG.500.jpg

Many of the streets in town are made for walking and nothing else. I love the history of it all and wish I'd had more time to explore it.
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7626-1.500.jpg

So here's the castle. The largest continually inhabited castle in the world. It was begun by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century and has stood for almost, impressively, 1000 years.
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7519.JPG.500.jpg

The clock tower is, obviously, of much newer origin...
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7522.JPG.500.jpg

It was springtime in England...
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7545.JPG.500.jpg

Another entrance to the castle, if I remember right from Charles the II’ds time in the middle of the 1600’ds. Ways away from the Queen's home.
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7525.JPG.500.jpg

Here's one of the street lights inside the castle
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7569.JPG.500.jpg

And wouldn't you know they have shops here too?

http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7591.JPG.500.jpg

A view over the moat and up to the tower...
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7574.JPG.500.jpg

Here's another picture of the previous moat... I bet it was impressive.
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7577.JPG.500.jpg

It took many, many, stones to complete this castle...
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7585.JPG.500.jpg

This is where kings used to eat dinner…

http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7616.JPG.500.jpg

I even saw the changing of the guard. It sounded like the leader of the troops who took over was shouting Hugo before he gave a new command. I'm sure he really said something else but it really sounded too funny. This is the part of the castle where The Queen lives, and this is as close to it as you can come. I almost visited her. LOL
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7605.JPG.500.jpg

Here are some of the Queen's not so loyal subjects. LOL. All these Swans are her personal "pets" and have multiplied over and above all expectations. They are everywhere, both in the castle and along the river in town.
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7627.JPG.500.jpg



At the end of the day all the conferencing businessmen took a boat tour along the Thames and I was asked to please come along. Usually they don’t include wives, but this time they were adamant that I participate.

We went through several locks. in...

http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7664.JPG.500.jpg

and out...

http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7669.JPG.500.jpg

I felt this was pretty self-explanatory... LOL, there were water all around..
http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7661.JPG.500.jpg

Windsor is also home of Eton, one of the oldest universities in the world, and one of their favorite past time is to row… they were rowing up and down the river like there were no tomorrow.

http://elaine.midgaard.us/trips/windsor-06/500/IMG_7649.JPG.500.jpg

HTTY

[Linda Y]

What great photos and explanations! Thanks so much for sharing this view of another country!

[LynnG]

Wow! Enjoyed the photos of my distant ancestors' homeland.

[DebbieS]

Elaine - thank you so much for taking the time to post all of those and give us great explanations! You need to make a coffee-table book of all the cool places you visit!

[Blameitonbrio]

Elaine, thank you for posting. I love England and want to take my family there for a visit one day. My grandmother took me with I was 16 for a trip I will never forget. I will also never forget how grateful I was to see the White Cliffs of Dover after a nauseating crossing of the channel!!!!

[Pasogirlz]

Wonderful pix! Thanks for taking us all to far away places all the time.

[baileyholc]

great pictures Hast. How did you get to go to England? Was it for spring break or just a vacation? I would love to visit England. Thanks for the tour. It was beathtaken for me.

[hast]

Hubby had a conference in England and I came with him :lol: Then we continued to Sweden, where I am now, to visit friends and family. ;-) I have some more pictures from England, and will have some from Sweden too... if I can get the internet to work I'll post as I get to new places, otherwise I have to wait until I get back to Saudi.

[Monty]

COOL - my husband worked a job at Redcar - and we got to go over there for 6 weeks ( daughter and I ).
we wen tup to Scotland and got to go through Holyrood Palace - since we were the only ones on the tour - the guide snuck us into places you normally don't get to see ;-)
We also saw a number of other places that were historic and interesting - Durham ,York ,Whitby,etc..
:lol: Watch out for those pasteries !!!!!!!!!!! :bsmile

[Brigitte]

Cool! Great pics!

[hast]

Did you go to Edinburgh when you were in Scotland? It's one of my favorite places to visit. I love to see the old castles -but oddly enough I just realized that there are several close enough to visit here in Sweden, that I've never seen.

[CarolU]

Beautiful pictures...Europe is so awesome. Here in the states we measure history in a few hundred years...over there it is several thousand years.

England is such a beautiful country and I really think the reason is that people stay put. You don't move to a new subdivision there. You fix up the old house, plant flowers and make it more beautiful. It's incredible how all the little streets are so photogenic.

[JennLM]

What neat pictures, thanks for sharing them, almost felt like I was there with all the captions for the pictures.

[PASOFAN]

I really envy you Hast being able to travel such as you do and go to places some only dream of. I absolutly love your adventures, thank u for posting them! :D

[Pasomom]

Hast, thanks for playing tour guide for us, and as usual, you do a superb job! One of these days, I am going with you to Sweden! (If you'll have me! Maybe take Larry with us.....LOL) I would love to see the land of my ancestors also!

[paintedhorizon]

Great pictures!!!!

When are you coming this way again?

[hast]

I'd love to have you come here with me PasoMom :D
Probably mid June PH. It's not entirely decided yet, if I can I'll be back before the June show. ;-)

[Monty]

Edinburgh was the only city we managed to see in Scotland - Walked the Royal Mile and did see Edinburgh Castle - I ws on a mission for Father in Law - they have a small building/room that has every WW2 casualty is listed there - had to look up the buddy that my husband was named after .
My Maternal Grandmother's family was from the far northern part of Scotland .
Only could see so much - our daughter was just 5 and the two of us were alone up there. :lol: She wants to go back too - so she knew what she looked at ! :roll: She is 33 now :lol:
It is mind boggling the think we were in a chapel that had been used since 700AD - o think we tera down buildings that have our history in the name of "progress" - but then most of the buildings overseas are made of stone and ours are wood and don't always hold up as well -
I am a history nut - so I loved going over there !

[Monty]

Don't know why it posted twice -

[Barbwire]

http://bestsmileys.com/thankyou/1.gif

[paintedhorizon]

If you got back by the June show, I bet I know a certain horse you could ride in it! ;)

[hast]

If you got back by the June show, I bet I know a certain horse you could ride in it! ;)

Don't tempt me... Or maybe do :lol: