I was tired of spending another weekend indoors studying so I decided it was time to get out and see something - even if it was freezing cold.
So...
We booked a tour to see Windsor and Oxford.
I misunderstood the tour details thinking we would get to go inside Windsor Castle rather than just see the castle. I guess I should have asked more specific questions. Nevertheless the town of Windsor is fun and quirky and we still had a good time.
Windsor is about an hour north of Brighton, just to the west of London and where the Royal family lives part of the time.
This house was my favourite of all. It's called The Crooked House of Windsor and is a tea and coffee house.
It looks like it's about to fall over any minute.
This is the town hall known as the 'Guildhall'. It's where Prince Charles and Camilla were married and where, beginning in the 1200's, used as a merchant guild.
The building was designed by Sir Thomas Firz who died before it was constructed. Architect Sir Christopher Wren later finished the project. There are four pillars in the center of the Market which actually do not support the ceiling. Wren designed the building so that it would not need support. The council was concerned that the unsupported floor would collapse so they made Wren add the pillars. Wren left gaps between the tops of the pillars and the ceiling to prove a point that his design would not fail. To this day the gaps are still there.
I love it when the architect wins.
Every other day, since the queen still resides at the Windsor Castle, a Changing of the Guards parade is held.
Eton Collage is within walking distance of Windsor. It's a very prestigious collage so we decided to take a look.
It's an all boys school and their uniforms are similar to tuxedos with tails and top hats.
I wanted to get a closer photo but then I didn't want them to feel like they were part of some side-show so I didn't pursue it. I'm nice like that.
Eric wanted a sandwich real bad. He got one and all was right with the world.
This is the house of of Nell Gwynne who, at age 19 became the mistress to King Charles II. Charles chose this location for its near proximity to Windsor Castle. It's rumoured to have a tunnel built below so he could come a go as he pleased without anyone noticing.
So scandalous!
Oxford
Now we move on to Oxford. It's about an hour drive from Windsor to the west. Our walking tour went past many different colleges within Oxford University. They are all beautiful and full of history.
This is Christ Church college. Known to be one of the largest colleges within Oxford but most recently for its new-found fame from the film setting of Harry Potter and the film The Golden Compass.
This is the famous dinning hall from Harry Potter. It's much smaller than it seems from the film. It's used by the students for their meals every day and is open to visitors when meals are not being served.
In one of the windows above the fireplace are the characters from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's based on these where he got the idea for his story.
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