ETON & WINDSOR CASTLE

Today I went to Eton and Windsor Castle! IES was gracious enough to pay for this trip; they also included transportation and an awesome tour guide, Owen. Owen started us off by the riverside of Thames. The Thames River has recently expanded in side due to flooding, Owen said there was usually a pavement (sidewalk) by the river's edge but due to the flooding it was underwater. We then crossed the Thames River on the pedestrian only bridge and headed to Eton. Owen warned us that the sidewalks in Eton are a lot smaller than the standard American ones. In England, they refer to sidewalks as pavement but Owen said that he has learned from experience not to tell Americans to walk on the pavement because they automatically head to the road (haha). Eton is the home of Eton College, which is the largest and most famous public (meaning very private) school in England (all boys school). Those that graduate from Eton are destined for Oxford and Cambridge as well as some elite American universities (Harvard/Yale). Eton College is a symbol of England's class system, costing nearing £36,000! Many royals and over 18 prime ministers are alumni from Eton. 

Next stop Windsor Castle...

Then we took a walking tour of Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest occupied fortress in the world! The castle is located on highland in the Thames Valley and serves as the Queen’s weekend home. Unfortunately, the queen was not at the castle today because she is still on holiday from Christmas. We were able to tour the castle as well as it grounds. One of my favorite things in the castle was Queen Victoria's dollhouse. Queen Victoria requested the dollhouse be an exact replica of her castle and her demand was met. The dollhouse was so realistic, the tour guide even said that if you pulled one of the little books off the self that you could actually read them and that their was also wine in the wine bottles that could be found in the wine cellar. The rest of the actual castle was very ornate and majestic; it was amazing to see where/how royalty lived. After leaving the castle I then went to St. George's Chapel, which is where King Henry and many other royals are burried. After all the guided tours I needed some fresh air so I headed to The Long Walk. This pathway is breathtaking with a clear view of the castle with the greenest grass surrounding you on both sides.

After leaving the castle's ground we walked into town and it was filled with many restaurants and stores. I was lucky enough to catch an awesome street performance, the Guildford Bucket Drummers (video on my Facebook). These two guys played the drums on buckets and pans and were phenomenal, they had the crowd giving them money like it was their actual job! After their performance I took one of their cards and apparently they do parties, weddings and funerals...

I had such a great day; escaping busy London to the sweet breeze of Windsor could not have been better.

Tomorrow.....a bus tour of London!

-AMV