Walkin’ in a Windsor Wonderland

Fast forwarding to this past weekend- Saturday, Flat 66 took a family field trip to Windsor Castle!

While the days and nights alike in a university flat (especially Flat 66) seem to be one continuous stream of laughter, conversation, and stuffing oneself beyond belief, the days you’re able to leave campus (and in this case, London as whole) can be of the most rewarding.

Windsor Castle, nestled in the beautiful county of Berkshire, is one Europe’s longest occupied palaces. It was built after the Norman invasion sometime in the 11th century and has housed the reigning monarchs since. Even now, it houses Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family on weekends and holidays, particularly during the summer months.

The tour around the inside of the castle guided us through several parts of the castle, including my personal favorites- the State Dining room and the Knight’s Hall. The wing housing the Knight’s Hall was relatively new as that portion of the castle had burnt down in a fire in 1992. I’m not typically one to note architectural details during tours unless I’m suffering insomnia and in dire need of my beauty sleep, but some of the medieval techniques they used to rebuild the wing were extremely impressive and creative (though I’ll spare those details for those interested in touring the castle- Lord knows the Royal Family needs the royalties from future tourists. Coughsarcasmcough.)

Though you’re not able to take pictures inside of the castle, it’s easy to make the best of the castle’s incredibly expansive exterior with a photo shoot around the many courtyards:

After you’ve ducked into a local pub and sufficiently stuffed yourself full of England’s best (in our case, a pint of Doombar and several rounds of Fish ‘n Chips) there’s no better way to burn of the kcals than through a good ol’ fashioned walk. And so we spent the next few hours taking “The Long Walk” – a 5km stretch through Windsor Great Park, an area that stretches for 4,800 acres.

Only, be sure not to forget that once you’ve defeated the 5km stretch…

…that there’s still a Long Walk back:

After an exhausting (albeit beautiful) and unanticipated 10km not-so-leisurely walk, we made it back to Windsor just in time to enjoy the lighting ceremony, some sweets, and a conveniently short trip back to Uxbridge (only about half an hour by train + bus!)