Another medieval castle - Saturday 7/9

After yesterday's visit to the Tower of London, Saturday's excursion took me, eight students, and another faculty member to another medieval castle, Windsor Castle. Windsor Castle is one of the current residences of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She spends much of her time, when not in London, at this residence. Still, Windsor is not all modern. In fact, it, too, has medieval roots from as far back as the Normans, just after William I conquered England in 1066. Windsor overlooks the Thames river, which has been an important "road" into the heart of London since ancient times. Consequently, a castle that controls who can travel on the river would be an important one. That's one of the original reasons this castle is here.

Windsor Castle is a type of castle known as a motte and bailey castle. That is, it has a centralised motte, or man-made hill, that is very steep. On top of the motte, there is a keep, or a large thick-walled building that is very easily defended because of its height and its physical strength. The White Tower at the Tower of London is a keep, and Windsor has a large Round Tower as its keep. The baileys are large areas of land that are enclosed by walls. These are the areas where all the other buildings of the castle would be constructed. Windsor Castle has three baileys, called wards: the upper, the middle, and the lower. The Queen's residence is located in the upper, most secure ward. The middle ward has many of the buildings necessary to serve the Queen as well as buildings associated with the garrison. The lower ward houses the large church (called a chapel) and other buildings associated with the town, which is essentially what a castle is. There is also a town around the castle, just as there would have been all throughout history.

I guess that's enough of a history lesson. Let's see some pictures.



We arrived just in time to see the changing of the guard



The gatehouse towers over the entrance to the lower ward



the outer wall of the Windsor Castle's lower ward



a view of the motte at the foot of the Round Tower at Windsor Castle

the large Round Tower of Windsor Castle

a section of the queen's residence at Windsor Castle

one of the Queen's Guard standing a post outside the queen's residence area of the castle

me, looking a bit windblown, at Windsor Castle

St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle - many kings and queens are buried here, including Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour

this is the outside of the castle's walls where it overlooks the town of Windsor

After our trip to Windsor, I had tea at a little restaurant in what had been a house dating back at least 150 years - probably much more. I had a classic English light sandwich, a Cucumber Sandwich. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like! More to the point, it was delicious. Regrettably, I forgot to get a picture of it. I was too hungry to wait, and the sandwich did not last long!

After tea, I strolled through the quaint town of Eton which is just across the river from Windsor. You might recognize the name of the town. It's the same as the name of Eton College, which like Winchester College  is not a college as we know it, but is instead a preparatory school for boys ages 13-18.

the pleasant High Street in Eton - a High Street is what we usually call Main Street

This is a very interesting place. It has been in continuous use for about 500 years. Today, it is a shop, but it probably started out as a fairly high status house.

After I returned to London from Windsor, I had a very nice meal at a vegetarian Indian restaurant. I have been convinced that Indian cuisine is among the best in the world.

my "starter" - Bhel Puri - very tasty, and nice and spicy

the main meal, Spring Dosa, which is a mix of vegetables and beans inside a very thin pancake (kind of like a crepe) with a selection of chutneys (the dipping sauces) that were all very flavorful - they ranged from mild to spicy, too

With a full tummy and a very long day exploring the castle, I returned to the dorm for a good night's sleep. I wonder what tomorrow will bring in this great adventure!