A Local Day

Careful now, just stand real still and they hopefully won't shoot you! Luckily Skye managed to remain calm and didn't ruffle the feathers, or rather bearskin hats of these royal guards standing at attention near the royal residence section of Windsor Castle. This was actually a rather funny sight, the guards had just marched up along with two others and then these two did this fancy dance to get into position before standing absolutely still. There was quite a crowd watching this pomp and splendour and then when the guards got still - suddenly one of the people in the crowd ran up and stood between them with a kind of impish, yet slightly nervous, expression wanting his friends to take a picture of him. None of us were sure what the guards would do, but when they didn't even bat an eye, practically everyone in the crowd had to have a turn. This provided some really great people watching, and it was funny to see the different poses people chose to take in between the two guards. One can only imagine how tiresome this must really be for the guards.

Yesterday, Good Friday, we made the short and extremely lovely journey from Addlestone (where we are staying) to Windsor Castle -- we were all excited to explore one of the Queen's residences. To get to the castle we drove through a number of very quaint little villages and through the most stunning English countryside -- we all felt like we were watching a period piece. Cherry and pear trees were blooming profusely, there were beautiful dense oak forests just on the verge of bursting into green buds, and then the forests made way to emerald green rolling fields dotted with the most amazing enormous gnarled ancient oaks scattered here and there. We could just imagine knights on horses galloping across the misty fields or young Jane Austen heroines languishing under the giant oaks. It was truly a sight.
Upon our arrival to Windsor, though, we discovered that it was one of the few days that the castle interior was closed to the public. This might have had something to do with it being Easter Friday. The grounds, however, and St. George's Cathedral (one of the royals' very old churches) were still open for exploration. No matter, it meant that entry was free and there was really so much to see that we still had a great time exploring this amazing place. It was so manicured and beautifully organized - a strong contrast to the types of sights we had visited anywhere in Asia. It was also the first real old castle that the children had ever seen. Sometimes it easy to forget that they have never been to Europe and seen such old and magical places.
St. George's Cathedral was truly a historical experience. There are more than 10 sovereigns buried in the actual church floor with very elaborate tomb structures. Furthermore, over 1000 people of note are buried in the catacombs of the building including: the Queen Mum, Princess Margaret, and Jane Seymour (King Henry VIII's 3rd or 4th wife who died in childbirth while producing his only male heir) to name a few. The church was build in around 1470 and is very Gothic. Both Kai and Pippin were mesmerized while inside looking at all of the ancient inscriptions and tomb-like structures, though both came out saying how eerie and creepy the building felt. To quote Pippin, "You know, churches kind of freak me out!" The inside of the church had walls that looked they were carved out of sandstone and the effect was almost like the walls were made from bones, so it is easy to see why the kids felt like it was a little creepy. All said and done, it was a great first church for us to begin our European experience. There are sure to be many churches ahead! Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed to be taken inside the church and the picture below doesn't come near to doing it justice.
The town of Windsor was very quaint and we strolled around it despite the inclement English weather. The shopping areas had large covered glass domes enabling visitors to stroll about no matter what the weather is. They even put out heaters so we could enjoy a nice hot cup of tea at a cafe.
Kai was in his element on this knoll because the ground was littered with flint. Many of the buildings in the area have flint embedded in the mortar. The rainy weather made the countryside that much more green and lush looking.
Our hosts Jonathan and Carol with their children Madeline and Olivia. The picture is pretty telling in terms of the weather. They have been very accommodating and kind showing us all around the place. Our kids in particular have really enjoyed staying in a home with another family after such a long time of staying in hotels.
Olivia, who is two, has taken a real shine to Kai and follows him around like a little puppy saying, "Hi Kai!" over and over. Kai has been enjoying the interactions, especially because he loves little ones so much.
Moving on -- we are settling into this time zone nicely, catching up on our sleep and feeling less jet-lagged as the days pass by. We feel ready to really get out there and see as much as we can in the days ahead. First though, comes the Easter Bunny bright and early tomorrow morning.

Until next time . . .

Skye, Ronato, Kai & Pippin