Just 22 miles from London, Windsor’s a lovely little town - and home to not just one of England’s first-rate schools ( Eton ), but also one of the world’s most high-profile and historic castles.

The Royal Station at Windsor is almost right next to the castle, a huge stone fortress which stands on a hill and towers over the entire area. We arrived at Windsor from London on a clear spring day, and walked uphill to the castle (the Queen was in residence that day - the Union Jack was flying above the castle). Within the solid stone walls of Windsor, we first visited the absolutely adorable Queen Mary’s Doll’s House . Six feet high, and a faultless replica of an actual house, the Doll’s House was so exquisitely perfect it made me wish I were a little girl again! Everything, down to the minutest detail, was there: handpainted china, glassware, delicately embroidered linen, tooled leather books, furniture - all miniature, and all perfect.

After ogling at the Doll’s House, we went on a long, slow stroll through the rest of the Castle, through the stunning English Gothic St George’s Chapel and the State Apartments - the bedrooms, the dining rooms, audience rooms, closets, dressing rooms and reception rooms. The treasures in the State Apartments are unbelievable - china (including Ming vases and Sèvres china), solid gold utensils, loads and loads of weapons (there are swords and guns filling more than two rooms, including the bullet which killed Lord Nelson at Trafalgar), armour, coats of arms (again, one complete room), tributes, prizes from various parts of the British Empire, crowns, an ivory throne, paintings galore, (there are originals here by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, etc) and much, much more.

And the rooms, of course, are themselves quite spectacularly decorated - they’re sumptuously gilded, painted, carved, and tapestry-draped. Quite opulent - the Reception Room , for instance, though a rich cream in color, is so heavily gilded that it seems almost totally gold; and the walls and ceiling of the dining room are, every inch of them, painted with mythological figures in all the colors of the rainbow. All this richness is really rather overwhelming, and after a brief interlude at the guard-post outside where we (like all self-respecting tourists) got ourselves photographed with a poker-faced guard, we came out of the castle and strolled down to the Thames to feed bread to the swans.

May 15 we took a day trip to Windsor. Direct train from the Waterloo station (50 min) arrived at Windsor and Eton Riverside station. From here we visited Royal Horse Show first. The show has been interesting itself and the castle view could not be better. Towering above the river valley on a steep chalk bluff, the castle created an awesome background to the show. Tickets to the Windsor Castle allowed us to see the castle precincts, the State Apartments, the Gallery and the Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, and the St. George’s Memorial Chapel.

Windsor Castle began its life as a wooden keep built by William the Conqueror. Henry II tore down the wooden buildings and rebuilt the castle in stone and during George IV times the castle was upgraded again. The Round Tower was constructed in 1170 and heightened 30ft by George IV. The moat below the tower has never held the water, as its chalky soil is highly porous.

Admission is included in the London Pass. This huge and magnificent 900-year-old castle is located in the charming town of Windsor (see separate entry), about 40 or so minutes from central London. To get here you have to take a train from Paddington to Slough, and then transfer to a train that takes you to Windsor. If you have the London Pass and an all-zone visitor travelcard, this trip will cost you nothing. Despite the somewhat inconvenient trip, a visit here is HIGHLY recommended. You get to see rooms used for official purposes. There is beautiful furniture, which includes a number of thrones, art and architecture. If you go in September (perhaps also in August, but I'm not certain), you get to see the North Terrace, which is a beautifully sculpted garden facing the back of the Castle. This area of the Castle is where the private residences of the royal family are, so it is usually not open to the public. There's a fascinating exhibition about the 1992 fire and restoration that took place. Also on the grounds of the Castle is the Albert Memorial Chapel (which I wasn't able to visit) and St. George's Chapel, which is a beatiful church. Be sure to plan on spending at least several hours here, and since I recommend staying in the area for a bit longer, you might want to make a day of it. The only refreshment you can get inside the castle is bottled water at one of the shops, so be sure you don't go hungry. There is a Changing of the Guard ceremony here, and takes place daily from April to June and every other days the rest of the year at 11:00 AM, except on Sundays. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are buried on the grounds, and apparently their mausaleum is open to the public for something like one or two days a year, sometime in May. Go to http://www.royalresidences.com for more information.

No wonder everything in London's so cramped.. It has to make room for Windsor castle! It took me about ten minutes to get the picture of how grand everything was in Windsor castle, so I didn't spend long touring through it. Tour guides aren't allowed to do tours inside the building so you're on your own in learning about the specifics on the insides (I think you can rent head sets for cheap, though). The history was interesting but not the most exciting part of my day, here. I went down to the little town around the castle where there are shops and markets and talked to people down there. Good place to do some shopping, not very expensive. =)

Because of the historical significance... I wouldn't pass it up.

"Seen for the first time, Windsor Castle is an unforgettable sight; its imposing towers & battlements creating one of the world's most spectacular skylines."

Windsor Castle is the oldest royal residence to have remained in continuous use by British monarchs for over 900 years. The present Queen Elizabeth II spent much of her childhood at Windsor. She still stays here many weekends, most of April, & part of June. The flagpole of the Round Tower flies the Royal Standard when the Queen is in residence.

One of many interesting features is Queen Mary's Doll House w/ working water, electricity, & miniature books handwritten by leading authors.