Between our crazy day-trips into London, The Travel Bees have been enjoying the winter landscapes of Royal Berkshire where we are staying.
We have had relaxed strolls in the country side, explored river locks, enjoyed proper English pubs, met squirrels and sipped on mulled wine. The weather has been chilly and wet but not freezing like it was a few weeks ago and it certainly has not stopped us from doing anything.
Yesterday, we ventured to the most famous Royal Berkshire landmark, Windsor Castle. We started our adventure via The Long Walk, truly the best way to approach the castle. The weather was glorious and we were able to appreciate the castle’s commanding presence as we made our way towards the 11am Changing of the Guards.
Always a wonderful ceremony to watch, Changing of the Guard is something truely unique to the British Royal family and well worth seeing. We had a great spot along the edge of the road as the band and soldiers made their way up towards the castle. Secretly the Travel Bee children were rather impressed, although too cool to let on.
After grabbing a coffee, we joined the queue to enter the castle and were pleasantly surprised at how much better organised it was than the Tower of London. Within ten minutes we were through security and in the gates.
As most of our party had been to the castle before and because something major has happened since, we all made a beeline 😂 for St George’s Chapel to pay our respects to the Queen.
Although there was a line, the crowd respectfully filed their way through the chapel and past the stone ledger marking the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth II. In turn we each took a moment to remember her and reflect on her life of dedication and duty.
In actual fact, it is a very interesting time to visit the UK. All the guards and staff at both the Tower of London and Windsor Castle still remain in uniforms dedicated to the Queen (E II R). Clive our Yeoman at the tower explained new uniforms could not be ordered until the Royal period of mourning and the public period of mourning were complete. The sheer volume of uniforms required is huge (3 per guard). This combined with current supply issues means it is taking a while to complete the order. They are expecting to change over to the King’s uniform (C III R) in around six weeks time.
After a wander through the state rooms, we joined the throngs of people milling around Windsor and attempted to find some lunch. This proved to be difficult with restaurants and cafes either full or out of food. We managed to find a few pizzas which filled a hole before discovering the cutest ever building for rent.
Travel Bee headquarters perhaps?
TTB
The Travel Bee 