Solo Adventure: Part 14 - Windsor Castle

On my last day of my Solo Adventure, I spent my whole day outside of London City. I bought a day tour ticket from the souvenir shop at the hostel; 2 days prior the tour. Cost me £68 for a tour that covers Windsor Castle, Bath & Stonehenge. 

I departed from the hostel after taking my light free breakfast at the cafe. Walked down to Holiday Inn Express which is just a stone away; where the meeting point was. A coach took me & few other to Victoria Station; and upon getting down from the coach we were told to queue up according to our destination. 

At sharp 9a, we departed for Windsor. Even in the coach, seat belt is a must thing to wear. The driver checked on each of us before setting off. It took less than hour to reach Windsor from London. For tour bus, parking lot will be near the train station. We need to walk a bit to reach the castle's entrance. 

We walked passed this on the way to the castle's main entrance. At the far left is the Curfew Tower, part of the Lower Ward. It is one of the oldest surviving parts of Lower Ward. The upper story contains the castle bells (1478) & the castle clock of 1689.

Because Windsor Castle is the official residence of the Royal Family; and it is still inhabited hence every visitor will need to undergo security check before entering. The security in the castle is very strict & the visitors are expected to follow the rules. 

The Norman Gate was built to secure the west entrance to the ward. 

St George's Chapel. Famous for its beautiful gothic architecture. 

It was Sunday & the church was closed for services. Inside this chapel lies the remains of Henry VIII, Charles I & Jane Seymour. 

Round Tower in the Middle Ward. It is a office space for the Royal Archives.

ER stands for Elizabeth Regina, latin for Queen Elizabeth. For a male monarch it is Rex. Ehem, doesn't ER sounds familiar? Walawei we share the same initial LAH!

The State Apartment; major part of the Upper Ward.

We need to line up to enter the Dolls' House because only 10-20 people are allowed to enter at one time. Considering NO PHOTOGRAPHY is allowed inside the Dolls House & State Apartment, I put my camera aside. And in order to be fair with the friends, I grabbed all photos below from the internet; mainly to share the beauty of the places with them. 

Very detailed miniatures indeed. Carefully design & made for Queen Mary.

Touring around the DH; admiring the architecture...I can't help but to imagine how more luxury life in the palace could be.

In the State Apartment; everything is real. No more dolls nor miniatures. This is the Grand Reception Room.

The Crimson Drawing Room was severely damaged in the 1992 fire when the ceiling collapsed and the walls were badly burnt. The restored ceiling incorporates many salvaged fragments from the original whilst the parquet floor was damaged beyond repair in the fire and was entirely replaced. (source: here)

The King's Bed Chamber

The Queen's Presence Chamber

Out from the SA, I saw a group of people gathering around. Quickly I made my way to the crowd...and saw this. 

If changing of guard involved only two to three sentries, it means the Queen is not home. Note on the far left; the tall stained glass window. It is the official entrance to the State Apartment.

Residence of the Governor of the Military Knights. The Knights are whom that represent the Order of Garter every Sunday.

On the right is The Lady / Albert Memorial Chapel. The curved brick building is the Horseshoe Cloister, originally built to house the lay clerks of the chapel.

The King Henry III gateway at the Lower Ward. This is the secondary entrance to the castle. And exit gate for visitors.

View of Castle Hill, Windsor from exit gate. The Statue of Queen Victoria was erected in 1887 to commemorate the Queen's golden jubilee. 

Building that houses numbers of branded shops. To get to the castle to & fro the coach parking lot, I have to walk through this building.

Replica of train that were used to carry Queen Victoria to the castle back then. After nearly 2 hours spent touring the castle, it's time to get back to the coach. We were given too little time to appreciate the palace...downside of travelling by tour; I'd say. 

I bought a super irresistible scrumptious blueberry CHEESE cake before hopping on the bus. Had it on the way to Bath; early luncheon!

The person responsible for introducing me to this castle is none other than my dear friend; Dana. I saw her pictures when she visited the palace sometime last year. Fell in love with the surrounding instantly. When she told me that Windsor Castle is one of the must-see places, I straight away put it in my itinerary! 

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