gnine: (Travel)
gnine ([personal profile] gnine) wrote2009-10-24 12:20 am
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Travel Log: Windsor Castle, England

So, I've spent the last few weeks so busy settling in/attending classes(which I'm greatly enjoying so far)/penny pinching until my student loan money arrived, etc. that I haven't had overly much chance for exploring. But, things have settled a bit, and the money came in (w00t...still a poor, poor grad student, but now have at least a bit of solvency \o/...however temporary it might be :-p) so I decided a little exploring was in order. However, a lot of the main touristy sites of London itself I saw back when I visited [livejournal.com profile] utopiantrunks in 2005, so for my first short foray, I decided to do a day trip to Windsor Castle.



All together it's around an hour out from where I'm currently living so I packed a small lunch and headed out around eleven...thirty...ish...okay, probably closer to noon (c'mon, this *is* me, guys. Getting up anytime before noon on my day off is ALWAYS a great accomplishment, no matter how close to noon it may in fact be... ^_-) and arrive at the castle a little after one.

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This was the outer walls to the castle, on the approach. Thankfully, by choosing to go on a Thursday, the crowds were at a minimum. Though, considering the long roped off line areas they had set up, I have a feeling that is not generally the case.

And then there was this random door in the inner wall:



...what kind of education is taking place there, exactly?

And then in the garden area that seemed to have at one time been said moat, they had some real fall foliage going on.





...Imported foliage, is my guess. Or at least, I'm almost positive that's some kind of Japanese maple, from the leaf shape...I am missing my New England/Japanese falls...alas...but Castles! So...^_^

And, because someone *cough*[livejournal.com profile] byakkodan_slash*cough* complained last time about not enough pics of me, I got a kind soul to do the classic "I'll take one of you if you take one of me" exchange. At two different locations, even!





Then there was the amusing (at least to my warped sense of humor) fact that Heathrow airport is located quite close to the castle, so there were fairly low flying planes going over head on a very regular basis.





I also was able to see the State Apartments, as the Queen is at Buckingham palace for the time being and thus the ones at Windsor were open. And impressive...crazily over the top decorative...but truly a sight to see. As was Queen Mary's Dollhouse, also on display. That thing was HUGE! And the level of detail in...well, just about everything, was incredible. Sadly, no photos were allowed in any of the inside areas.

After that I made my way down the grounds to St. George's Chapel, also located within the castle walls. And sitting there, right on the lawn in front, happy as you please and not at all startled by the numerous tourists passing by was this adorable little one:



Random cat is random. Not sure who's it was, but it was rather...out of place and totally content with that, in a way that only a cat can be. ^_^

Finally, after leaving the castle behind, I wandered down to the Thames...and found swans:



Lots and lots of swans:



There, neechan, I took bird pics, just for you. Happy? ^_-

And that was my Windsor excursion. (If you follow the embedded links on the pics, there are a few more random ones up on my picas album...)



One of these days I'll remember to actually take my camera on the way to class and get some pics of the campus, the area where I'm living and even my dorm itself. Really...really I will. ^_-

[identity profile] bluemeanybeany.livejournal.com 2009-10-24 11:35 am (UTC)(link)
Hey Gnine the castle is only 6 miles away from us so you can probably get quite a good idea of where we are now :)Weve never actually been inside the castle because it costs money to get in (there is a trend developing isnt there :)

That cat clearly just loves to sit and torment the corgis- its what I would do if I were a cat.

[identity profile] bluemeanybeany.livejournal.com 2009-10-24 11:52 am (UTC)(link)
p.s dont forget the clocks go back tonight
p.p.s dont forget Doc Ten is on on Thursday- you can watch him legally, hooray!

[identity profile] gnine.livejournal.com 2009-10-24 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
...Ah! Thank you! I had not known it was tonight, very good to know.

And yup, I'm very aware, re: the Doctor. I just watched all of SJA in honor of his coming appearance...and quite enjoyed it, really. It's Doctor Who light and fluffy the way Torchwood is dark and angsty. Made of a happy pick-me-up!

Oh, and can't remember if you guys said you watched Merlin or not, but this Sat. the actors who play Arthur and Gwen are gonna be at Forbidden Planet for a signing. Care to join me?

[identity profile] bluemeanybeany.livejournal.com 2009-10-24 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
lol I love that you knew when SJA was on but not that we are technically travelling back in time tonight :) Yeah theres nothing wrong with SJA, fine childrens programme really. If you need something soothing and calming to watch...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ncr13/b00ncr0m/Life_Challenges_of_Life/

Awwwww we are away on Saturday so cant join you at Forbidden Planet damn it- its half term for parents. Sorry. Ooooo you could get a signed Merlin poster for your wall.

[identity profile] gnine.livejournal.com 2009-10-24 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Ahh, you're out in that direction as well. Good to know! And I totally hear you when it comes to the money thing. I just hadn't gone out much yet, so decided to splurge...