Bonney's
Vacation Sagas

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In My Life

There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain

First Day

Our final tour would carry us from the end of our cruise in Harwich, England to London via a stop at Windsor Castle and onward to London Heathrow Airport. This shore tour would save us the transfer fare back to London, while giving us a chance to see Windsor.

The area around Windsor is steeped in history, dominated by its famous Castle, originally built as a fortress by William the Conqueror. Across the river, which flows on past Runnymede, the scene of King John's signing of Magna Carta, is Eton College where many distinguished and eminent individuals have been educated.

Windsor Castle is probably the largest fortress of its kind in the world, and the largest occupied castle. It is the Official Residence of Her Majesty The Queen. Its rich history spans almost 1000 years. The Castle dominates the town, standing on a chalk outcrop overlooking the river, and from whichever direction approached, it rises magical in outline above the surrounding countryside.

We had time for shopping and independent sightseeing in the main part of Windsor town, which grew up around the Castle in the Middle Ages. There were quaint Georgian shops, houses, and inns while the most prominent building on the High Street was the Guildhall completed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1689.

We had to get up early for this tour because it included picking up our luggage after we cleared customs, and taking everything to our tour bus. We had been assigned to tour bus number 2 this time.

Our new friends Jay and Stef were on the bus with us.

Windsor Castle, seen from the north; (l to r) Upper Ward, Middle Ward, Round Tower, St George's Chapel, Lower Ward and Curfew Tower.

Just looking at the layout of the castle gives no clue to the scale of the structure.

Plan of Windsor Castle Key: A: The Round Tower, B: The Upper Ward, The Quadrangle, C: The State Apartments, D: Private Apartments, E: South Wing, F: Lower Ward, G: St George's Chapel, H: Horseshoe Cloister, K: King Henry VIII Gate, L: The Long Walk, M: Norman Gate, N: North Terrace, O: Edward III Tower, T: The Curfew Tower.

Even on our approach to the castle, one could tell how grand the castle was. From the flag flying atop, we knew the Queen was not in residence. I think we went in at the entrance at L and came out at K. But, could be wrong. I remember the entry was all up hill and the exit was down hill.

At this point, I think we were finally at the entrance or just inside. Once inside we went through several buildings where photographs weren't allowed, including St. George's chapel.

Arrow slits had been mentioned in period roman novels I have read, but the dimensions and depth were never so clear as being able to see one up close. In the photo on the left is the outside. The right is the inside.

No wonder my romance novels are always referencing how much it costs to maintain a castle. This castle was huge. We exited the castle back into the surrounding shopping area that also had restaurants and souvenirs.

When I ran out of pain tolerance, I suggested Lesley tour all the buildings she was interested in that I had no desire to walk to. If all else failed, we were to meet at the bus.

I was partially back to the bus when I ran into Stef, who was looking for Jay. We decided to get a bite to eat and sit out in the patio area of the mall in hopes of seeing Jay or Lesley.

We finished our sandwiches and, as time was running out, headed toward the parking lot. Part of the way there, Jay and Lesley came from the other direction. The two of them had been looking for us!

Back to the buses we went. Jay and Stef had plans to check into an airport hotel and leave the next day. But Jay had found a nice hotel within the Windsor area and they changed their plans. They would take a shuttle to the airport the next morning. The bus driver unloaded their bags and the rest of us boarded, on our way to the airport.

From the airport, we had originally planned to use our London Tube or train pre-purchased ticket. But it had become obvious that I would not be able to manage my luggage on a train. It was hard enough juggling my purse. So, Lesley and I made an executive decision to take a taxi to our accommodations near Marble Arch. We knew it would be expensive, but necessary. We're not sure the taxi driver took the most direct route.

Here are a few of the places we passed on the way.

We checked into our room at the Presidential Apartments. It had a small balcony and we saw these horse-drawn carriages going by on the street below.

Our original plan was to do some exploring of the city, on the regular red busses (not the tourist busses). But I was too exhausted, tired, with achy bones and muscles. There was a small grocery downstairs from our apartment, so Lesley went to get some milk, bread and cheese. We both ate some. Then, I pretty much collapsed on the bed until morning.

I'm not sure Lesley was happy with me, but one must consider she is fifteen years younger and not overweight.

I was disappointed in our accommodations because of several issues not worthy of a room costing the equivalent of $270.00 a night. First, the toilet did not have enough water to flush. A plumber came and worked on it, but it was never right while we were there.

The beds had been made up together rather than separated as requested, so we had to wait for them to do that.

The balcony was basically attached to the one next door with only a few potted plants separating the areas. The sliding door had a chain, but could not be latched. The front door had latching issues the last night, so I set my big suitcase in front of it. There was no way anyone was getting in that way, but we were still concerned about the balcony door.

The room had a washer/dryer and was supposed to have detergent, but none was available and none was ever brought to the room after it was requested.

The television was some kind of digital satellite version that would somehow catch in a loop where a person's word was repeated like a broken record. I have no idea how that could even happen, but we had to power it off and back on to reset it.

The bathroom door wouldn't close unless you locked it.

But none of that mattered while I was sleeping. Well, except maybe the sliding glass door that wouldn't lock.