Finally managing to get up in the morning after a week of work, I had rushed off to Waterloo Station to meet a friend of mine, Andrew from Washington D.C. He had just returned from a weekend trip to Vienna and was eager to fill me on the details, as well as see another English landmark, the Queen's official residence, Windsor Castle
Getting to the station two minutes after the train was supposed to leave, I had discovered it was perfectly delayed, so both of us made it in time. MY friend was late becase the tube (Subway) was clogged with closures. Workers were repairing the oldest subway system in the world so that it doesn't embarass the british nation during the 2012 olympics.
The train shot off, taking about 50 minutes to get out to Windsor, which is on the far, far western side of London, past the ring road that traces where the city ends and the country begins. The castle's peaks grew and blended in with the overcast of clouds as the train grew closer. Walking up the hill leading to the gate, I couldn't help but notice the McDonalds, the Starbucks, the Pizza Hut, which was sort of odd considering the "British-ness" of the place.
So we paid, got in, got thoroughly searched and followed the tour. The castle's immensity revealed itself inside and out, walking through the sheer classiness, past the centuries of work, the completely flat view looking three miles out. The whole place was adorned with gold and velvet and priceless artefacts. No flash photography please, 'cause it could blind someone, what with all the shiny things.
On the down side, I didn't get to see any of the royal appartments, just rooms adorned with countless paintings and relics. In one room, the coat of arms of every knight of the garter hang upon the walls. The Order of the Garter was a small circle of incredibly important knights formed by King Edward the 3rd. Since it's foundation, there have only been 1000 knights in the club with a history stretching back to the 14th century. All of which had been selected by the reigning monarch and inducted in the chapel inside the castle's walls. In fact, members of the order had only three responsibilities, to eat, to train and to pray.
All of which they did in the safety of the fortress.
Of course, the trip was worth it, but as I had remarked before, the sheer commercialisation of the site was incredible. Within the castle walls, there were no less than 3 gift shops. Built up around the area were streets filled with pricy shops selling anything from cell phones to milkshakes to pints to chinese food. I guess it's just a testament to the millions of tourists and foreign dollars that pass through here every year.
Does this hat make me look fat?
Afterwards, me and Andrew headed back towards the train station, walking through the main streets, past every shop and stall. Stopping into a pub for a quick ale, waiting for the train, we watched the Thames flow onward towards the british countryside as the sun set for what was to be another London night.
