Sunday in Windsor

April 24:  Brr.  The day was mostly overcast, breezy and chilly.  If the weather stays this cold, I will use up all my warm clothing far too soon.  At least it's good to know we can use the combination washer/dryer in our rental unit.  I never knew that anyone had invented a unit that can function as both a washer and a dryer (but our landlord says they typically hang their wet stuff over the radiators to dry rather than deal with the dryer process).

After a relaxed breakfast we wandered into the Windsor center, partly to continue scoping out the town and partly to accomplish a couple of errands.  Phil visited the O2 shop in search of a SIM chip for his iPhone.  The guy was very helpful and had nearly completed the transaction when it became apparent that somehow the phone, purchased specifically to be unlocked was still locked by AT&T.  Phil, to his credit, resisted a melt-down and started an on-line dialogue with AT&T after getting home later in the afternoon that should result in a usable phone, maybe by Tuesday.

The main shopping street of Windsor

We then visited the Waterstone Bookstore and came away with 2 guides to the Thames River Path  -one for the upper section, from Oxford to Hampton Court, and the other covering the route from Hampton Court past the Thames Barrier.  The guides describe the path, the local amenities, and the bus/train connections along the way.  We also bought a guide to European birds, which are mostly very different from our North American species, especially the little guys.  It's almost pointless to try to match guide book photos with little birds, since they never sit still long enough to be identified.  Still, it's good exercise to try.

We wandered through one of the two train stations in search of information about connections to London - it turns out the second station is the one that takes us closest to our next accommodations in London.  It's good to know we have choices.  The pedestrian shopping area and the station arcade were full of locals doing shopping and tourists trying to stay warm.  We then walked through quaint Windsor, across the Thames, into quaint Eton and past Eton College.  The school boys were out playing soccer,  practicing cricket, or heading for the golf course - preparing for life on the fields of Eton.

The famous quote is "The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."

We followed back lanes and footpaths to the Thames River path, walking just a short segment before crossing back to Windsor.  We returned to our flat after picking up some pastries for tea.

Just before 5 pm, we walked up to Windsor Castle and the St. George Chapel to attend Evensong.  The service started with a Taverner introit, ended with Bach, and featured sung (rather than spoken)  liturgies, performed by a very high quality choir of men and boys.  We sat in the choir stalls and admired the elaborate Gothic architecture and the very ornamented insignia for the members of the Royal Order of the Garter, who are the main members of this building.

St. George's Chapel - Henry VIII and Jane Seymour buried here

The banner above the round tower signifies the Queen is in residency

Henry VIII Gate

 After Evensong, we retired to a warm Italian cafe for dinner.  We started with beautifully thin slices of zucchini and parmesan cheese and a plate of roasted vegetables.  Phil had ravioli stuffed with porcini mushrooms, and I had ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and drowning in butter.  There was a brief shower while we sat at the bay window table eating, but walked home in dry weather.