“What a beautiful, sunny morning. It makes you happy to be
alive.” – Takayuki Ikkaku
During brunch one fine Sunday morning, my friends and I
arrived at a spontaneous decision to make a trip to Windsor, which is
approximately a 20 minute train journey from the station closest to Royal
Holloway. It was a magnificent, sunny day, and being as sunshine-deprived as we
are in England, we pounced on the one glorious day which came our way. The town
of Windsor, a small, quaint suburban town located in the county of Berkshire in
South-East England, is the location of the famous Windsor Castle, one of the
official residences of the Royal Family of Britain and the largest inhabited
castle in the world. Upon our arrival in Windsor, we headed straight for the
Castle, which is a 5 minute walk from the station itself. Although we chose not
take the guided tour inside the Castle, we took ample time to walk around the
grounds – the Castle is ancient but has been wonderfully maintained over the
years, and teeming with international tourists. Although I was extremely
impressed by the medieval exterior architecture, I’m sure we would’ve gotten a
much better historical perspective on the Castle if we had taken the guided tour.
Oh well…
Apart from the Castle, the town of Windsor itself is a great
tourist destination, ideal for day-trips. It is a typical English town, with a small
shopping area and lined with numerous cafes and pubs. My friends and I got
rather distracted as we surfed through the numerous stores and shopping outlets
(girls will be girls!), but when we were exhausted from all the window shopping
we retired to a charming little coffee shop and sipped our mochas and cappuccinos
before heading down to the Windsor Riverfront. On the other side of Windsor
across the River Thames lies the town of Eton, home of the esteemed Eton
College. We sat along the riverside for a long part of the afternoon, admiring the
gorgeous sunset views and occasionally feeding the ducks and geese populating
the bank.
Even though we didn’t cover as much of the town of Windsor
as I would have liked (we didn’t enter the Castle or visit Windsor Great Park)
on that day, I had a great time with my Royal Holloway buddies. Maybe I’ll come
back one day to do what I had left unfinished!
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