We stopped by but the Queen wasn't home

When my girls are home for breaks I pretty much suspend my normal routine. I know the week will fly by and I want to spend lots of time with them. This visit we also have daughter1’s boyfriend here and it has been lots of fun getting to know him and having a boy in the house. They arrived on Saturday and we went to the pub for dinner. He ordered steak and kidney pie which I gotta tell ya was pretty impressive. Not just anyone will eat steak and kidney pie! Sunday afternoon they went to a professional Rugby match and got to experience some typical British weather…clouds, wind, lots and lots of rain, bright sun, more clouds, a little more sun, a few more showers…you get the idea. The game was exciting though and they loved it. Yesterday they went into London to do a little sightseeing and daughter2 and I had the best day together. We went for a leisurely lunch followed by an afternoon of shopping and talking, talking and more talking. That is probably the thing I miss the most when they’re away at school. Talking on the phone and even on the computer is okay but there’s nothing like some heart to hearts when you’re face to face. Plus, I’ve decided that they just get more and more adorable every day. Were they this cute when they left for university in August?

Today I took everyone to the town of Windsor which is a short 20 minute drive from our home. Windsor is one of my favourite places in the UK. The castle is an absolutely spectacular sight. It sits right in the middle of town and its always fun to see people’s reaction when they catch sight of it for the first time. It really is jaw-dropping. Windsor Castle is the oldest continuously inhabited royal residence in Britain and was built in 1070 by guess who? William the Conqueror of course! (I mentioned him here). It was built to guard the western approaches to London and the site was selected because it was on high ground and just a day’s journey from William’s base in the Tower of London. The castle is a main residence for the Queen and her family who stay most weekends. You can always tell when the Queen is in residence at Windsor because they fly The Royal Standard (this time I do mean the flag and not the pub!) as opposed to The Union Jack which is flown on other days.

Before touring the castle we had lunch at a favourite spot called Wagamamas, a Japanese noodle house. Wagamamas is a chain scattered around the London area so if you’re ever in the city give it a try-their food is delicious!

After lunch we spent almost two hours meandering thru the castle including the State Apartments, St. George’s chapel (pictured below) and Queen Mary’s Dollhouse. You haven’t seen a dollhouse until you’ve seen this one…it even has working plumbing and electricity

We wrapped up the afternoon with a teensy bit of shopping. Boyfriend was an excellent sport and we only popped in two or three or five shops. Daughter1 bought a darling hat to wear to Carolina Cup in a couple of weeks and two pair of flip flops. Daughter2 got two pair yesterday. A girl can never have too many flip flops, right?