Where the Queen Lives

Saturday 5 July

Hello everyone!

Today we went to Windsor castle!!! it was so awesome!!! windsor castle is where the queen lives, sometimes, it seems that she actually lives in loads of palaces around the place but she goes here for most of her weekends, (how nice) anyway she was actually there when we were there and we know that cos her Royal Standard was flying above the round tower, which means she's in residence!!! cool aye??

we got a real train ( not the underground) from the actual Paddington Station to Slough (which it turns out is said to rhyme with though) and then changed to the Windsor train. it was really nice trip and good to get out of the city for a bit and see some of the countryside.

i brought some shoes in Windsor, turns out there are heaps of shops in windsor just by the train station, who would have thought!! they're just boring sandles but i need something to wear thats not sneakers, its still pretty hot here!!!

anyway enough rambling, what is actually interesting is the castle, it is huge and looks just like you expect a castle to look, not the fairy tail princess kind of castle but the knights in shining armour kind with battlements and arrow slits in the big imposonbg walls!!! its an impressive sight when you walk up the hill towards it.

we got audio guides to listen to whicvh were cool but got annoying after a while. they had some interesting information though. inside the castle grounds we had a look around and then went through the Sate Apartments whivch is where the kings and queens entertained, and got to see where the Queen holds massive important banquets, and where the Knights of the Garter are based (the olders order of chivlery). aswell as rooms from King charles the first's time and King Henry the eightths time. there were some amazing portraits and as with everything royal it seems, lots of gold on everything!!! it was all pretty overwhelming really but such an amazing place.

Also in the state apartments was the Queen Mary's Dolls house, now that might sound a bit dumb but it was actually one of the highlights, not a dolls house for kids but an actual miniature version how how the royals lived in the 1920s and everything actually worked, the hot and cold water plumbing, the electric lights, the mini vaccume cleaner and moterbikes, even the piano and the vaccume cleaner and the hose in the garden!!! it was soo detailed, even had a vault in the basement with mini crown jewls and the plates on the dinner table were real silver!!! it was sooooo cool!!!

after we'd oooed and ahhhed over all that we did some more and looked thorugh the St George's Chapel, which was also pretty spectacular. it is an amazing example of a gothic church and is very beautiful. the knight of the order of the garter all have their regalia up there too.
we stayed after the castle closed and attended the evensong service at the cahpel which was beautiful, the young choirsters have amazing voices and they were so small i think the youngest is about 7 years old!!!


right internet time is about to run out and i think i've rambled long enough

lots of love
Gem