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Windsor Castle is known be the Queen's favorite castle where she spends many week-ends throughout the year. When she is in residence, the royal standard flies over the round tower.Windsor Castle, largest inhabited castle in the world is the oldest royal residence to have remained in continuous use by the monarchs of Britain. Built by William the Conqueror within what was a royal hunting forest ( now Windsor Great Park ) after the Norman conquest in 1066 covers an area of 13 acres.

The castle was enlarged throughout the centuries by the Monarchs in residence such as Henri II who built the round tower, Edward III who built a Gothic palace in medieval times and was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he set up his own group of honourable knights, called the Order of the Garter. An order still celebrated to this day with Knights,both male and female, chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service. The patron saint of the Order is St George (patron saint of soldiers and also of England) and its spiritual home of the Order is St George's Chapel, Windsor.The 1000 years old history the city of Windsor shares with its castle can be found in many historic and quaint buildings throughout the town.

A must see for many tourists visiting Windsor is the Changing of the Guards which occurs at 11am Mondays to Saturdays from April to the end of July and on alternate days for the rest of the year. Accompanied by a military band, the Guards are marching from the Barracks to High ST and the castle in a colourful and musical display. On the Saturday I visited Windsor, the Welsh Guards and band were marching.Karim

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The history of Windsor is also strongly connected to the Thames River as William the Conqueror is known to have travelled the Thames as far as Wallingford. It runs through the Royal Borough and provides some of the best views to the town & Castle.

Boat trips are available from £9.40 for the 40 minutes round trip on the Thames which can be navigated upstream towards Oxford and downstream towards London. Great walking trails run on its banks providing excellent and secluded picnic areas. The boats are travelling at a speed of 5 miles per hour.

A little anecdote I learned while cruising towards the Boveney Lock with French Brothers is that of the Windsor Men's Swimming Baths which were created in the mid 19th century by a Mr TAYLOR who ran a shop opposite the Parish Church. The Baths opened in 1858 but were moved in 1870 because of their proximity to the railway following a complaint of Queen Victoria who thought inappropriate to see men bathing. They were then relocated to a new site on Jacobs island, and in 1909, Ladies Baths were officially opened.

Windsor is also connected by a bridge to ETON, home of the famous King's College founded in 1440 by Henry VI to educate 70 "worthy boys" with free education. Boys who were at the time living in harsh conditions, waking at 5am, chanting prayers while they dressed and starting work in Long Chamber from 06am. The teaching was in Latin and if a student was found speaking English, he was flogged. From the 70 initial boys, the college expanded to 1300 boys aged from 13 to 18. The fee for the academic year runs over £30.000 but also offers bursaries and scholarships. The school is known for its traditions which include a black tail coat, waistcoat and pinstriped trousers. ETON is famous for its tailors shops on High St amongst those, Tom Brown which has supplied ETON College uniform for over 200 years.
I will finish this introduction to Windsor with a little anecdote concerning the swans which can be seen all along the river Thames in cities such as Windsor, Marlow, Henley on Thames, Cookham and other riverside cities.

By prerogative, the British Crown enjoys ownership of all unmarked swans in open water. The connection of Monarchs with the swans dates back to the time when Kings of the Tudor era such as Henry VIII enjoyed having swans cooked and served at his banquet table. A taboo food of the era, swans were exclusively reserved for royalty and aristocracy. Anyone caught catching one would end up for stay at the London Tower.

Swans have been the Royal status since the 12th century and are still the subject of an annual census to this date known as "swan upping" which consists in rounding up, catching, ringing and finally releasing the bird every summer.
An interesting fact about swans is that they cannot differentiate shades of grey resulting in them often seing structures such as bridges too late in murky weather. In order to avoid them hitting such structures over the water, red dots are painted along the bridges whichh can easily be seen by the birds who can then land safely on the water.

Karim

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I now invite you to follow me as I was revisiting Windsor for the first time in 10 years through the enchanted eyes of the tourist I have become in a city I used to call home, a journey starting from the terminal train station of Marlow early morning on Saturday ...
Karim

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Karim

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Karim

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Karim

BristolUK

How do you make such "ordinary" sights so interesting and appealing?

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Thank you so much for your comment and following my Postcards

You have truly made my day

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Karim

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Karim

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Karim

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Karim