Pratt/Thor Adventures: Windsor Castle and Horse Racing

April 25: It is getting colder, though we were outside a lot today moving slowly. We were a few minutes late for the 11 am changing of the guard at Windsor Castle.

The Royal Band

The Round Tower (with one flat side) and dry Moat

Since we were there, we queued up for tickets to tour the castle. We got two senior tickets which give us unlimited entry for a year (after signing up on our exit from the castle).

We first had a tour of the "Precincts" with a guide - an introduction to the grounds, the Round Tower, the Quadrangle (which the private quarters and State Rooms surround), the dry Moat, and the North Terrace (which overlooks the Thames and Eton College).

Norman Gate leading to Upper Quad

The south side of the Quad where foreign visitors stay; the Queen's Private Quarters are to the left in the corner (not shown)

We were left on our own (with lots of other tourists) to tour the State Rooms with an handheld audio guide. We first saw Queen Mary's dollhouse and Shakespeare exhibit - we saw copies of the First, Second, Third Folios and various other old books collected by the early Kings for their libraries. The State Rooms tour snakes through one side of the Upper Ward quadrangle building, which includes several guard rooms (lots of swords, rifles and pistols on the wall), the Waterloo Room (homage to the successful defeat of Napoleon), various King's and Queen's drawing, bed and other rooms, and the State Dining room (site of all grand dinners). The route extended all the way to the northeast corner where the fire broke out in 1992. The fire destroyed 1/5 of the castle but was completely repaired in five years at a cost of 36 million pounds, paid for by opening up Buckingham Palace for summer tours.

We then finished the audio tour by going through St. George's Chapel. It is famous for its "fan vaulting" or stone arches supporting the roof. It is also where the current 28 Knights of the Garter have banners, headgear and half-drawn swords displayed over his/her assigned choir stall. As one of the current Knights die, the Queen may select a new one. She and Prince Charles are members of this group and 26 others who have done marvelous, heroic things for the country. Prime ministers and the like are the usual members and once a year in June they all gather for a ceremony and induction, if any. Note, you will have to imagine the castle's interiors for yourself since all photography is prohibited.

St George's Chapel, West End

We returned to our flat after buying a few groceries and "tea time" pastries. We had tea in an attempt to warm up.

And we then went to the horse races. We walked a brisk 2+ miles to the Windsor Racecourse for an evening of 6 flat races. We arrived just as the first race ended, but watched the next 5. We had a grand time experiencing British racing with the Pre-Parade Ring (horses warm up by walking without saddles with a "lad"), the Parade Ring (more walking with saddles on, owners, trainers and jockeys finalizing race strategies and mount up of jockeys), an odd figure 8 course (most of the race is 'way off in the distance'), the sprint to the finish line in front of the Club House, the Winner's Enclosure (where money and champagne is awarded) and the "punters" or book makers (umbrellas with electronic toot boards control by computers continually calculating the odds). I placed a single bet (Betsy's beer money for the night) on a "middling" horse for an eight to one payout. So sad, Betsy got no beer tonight - the horse came in in the middle of the field. It is a very pretty site next to the Thames with green fields and a view east to Windsor Castle. One race was disrupted by 2 swans on the race course. We walked home in misting rain to get warm; we were chilled to the bone and the walk helped some to warm us up. We picked up fish and chips (take away) for dinner.