Sun and Salutes

April 8, 2010

Windsor on Wednesday! So we got up really early to catch the train out of Paddington by 10AM to try to avoid the lines. I just love Paddington Station – cheap train tickets, the buy-one get-one bookstore, Millie’s cookie stall, and our ever-faithful Platform 4. Grandma bought a Paddington bear and I think I’m going to have to, too. So we started out the day well. I think Mom said she was actually feeling awake that morning and finally getting used to the time change. No matter how tough you think you are, that change is difficult. It throws you completely off. Anyway, we bought some cookies, our tickets, the bear, and I bought a few books and we were off. Our train to Windsor was only about a half-hour and we had to transfer once. While we were waiting for our connecting train in Slough, a passing train drove through the station. And it scared the crap out of, I think, just about everyone. No warning or anything, just a 90 miles per hour train whipping by only a few feet from you. Like a bullet! I almost crapped my pants.

Eventually we got to Windsor. The connecting train from Slough was this tiny two-car passenger train and it was so cute. Just like a little Fisher-Price train set. And luckily, everything in Windsor is relatively close. The shopping, the castle, and the train station. I lead Grandma and Mom toward the castle. Like you could miss it. The thing dominates the town, sitting on this hill all old-looking and massive. Lazy me, didn’t want to do the two-hour tour all over again (and pay the 15 pounds), so I found a cozy chair in Café Rouge and read my book about Lady Jane Grey. She was actually queen of England for nine days before Mary I beheaded her. Great story! After about two and a half hours, Mom and Grandma came back tired and full of new info about the endlessly entertaining monarchy. They give you these great audio guides on tours here that have so much information. I think if you listened to all the commentary on the guide, it would take you all day to get through that castle.

We sat down for a bit and ate at Gourmet Burger Kitchen… yum. Grandma bought a book about Windsor Castle, which was quite good. And we did a very tiny bit of shopping before catching the train back to London. Another busy, fun day. I might have to go into sightseeing detox after this week! What am I going to do when I don’t have my two students listening intently to all of my random facts about London? And I’m not constantly checking behind me to see if they are still there and okay? I think they might have to stay until I’m finished with my program and go to Italy with me afterwards. Good idea.

Well, Thursday was a bit less crazy. Which was good. We needed a day to relax. And boy, was it a beautiful day in London. The sun was out, it wasn’t windy, and it was probably the warmest day since I’ve been here. A whole 61 degrees! We met at Gloucester Station, like always, and road the tube to Knightsbridge. From there, we hopped over a block to Hyde Park. So so pretty. All the flowers are blooming and the grass is green. Everyone is out with their families! We ate at the Serpentine Kitchen, just off the Serpentine Lake. Well, I think it’s a lake. I haven’t quite figured out exactly what that body of water is. They just call it the Serpentine. Anyway, we ate breakfast and enjoyed the view over the water.

And then we saw the horse guard marching across the water. Grandma tried to take a picture from inside the café, but we realized we needed to get closer. After a bit of a walk, we found the guards doing some kind of exercise on this lawn area. We got some pictures, but they left shortly after we arrived. And then they came back! We started to walk toward Kensington Gardens when a man in a carriage passed us and then the horse guard did this funny salute thing for him. They kept marching around in circles, going faster and faster each time. It looked neat. Their armor shined in the sun and I didn’t get any hives from the horses!

After that excitement, we found the Diana Memorial, Kensington Gardens, the Round Pond, and eventually, Kensington Palace. I left Mom and Grandma there, to tour the palace, while I had this crappy thing called class. No, it wasn’t that bad, but I definitely would have rather been outside in the sun. After their tour and my lecture, we met up at the Stanhope Arms again. The guy behind the bar recognized me. Does that make us regulars? Mom had her favorite apple pie again. This one is definitely her favorite.

And tomorrow, we are doing all the stuff we haven’t done yet. Which includes St. Paul’s, the British Museum, and shopping on Oxford and Carnaby Streets. Sounds like a good day to me!

Cheers,
Kelly