Windsor

Last weekend I was catsitting in Oxfordshire again, and so I decided to use my proximity to a train station to take a day trip to Windsor. I was particularly interested in visiting this town because of its famous castle - I've mentioned here several times that I love castles and palaces.

Another thing I've mentioned here several times is that I completely disagree with monarchy; it is an undemocratic and classist institution, and I feel embarrassed that people in my country still treat the Windsor family like gods, whereas people in other countries have fought revolutions in order to abolish this outdated system and achieve equality.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth Windsor (the unelected head of state of this country) still lives in Windsor Castle, so I made the decision before visiting the town that I would not be paying any admission fee, as I did not want to give money to this already very over-privileged woman and her spoilt relatives. I had hoped that I would be able to explore the castle from the outside for free. After all, it is the public taxes that pay for the upkeep of this building, so the public should have complete access to it.

However, I ended up disappointed - I was told by a security guard that the only way we "plebs" can fully explore the castle from the outside is by paying nearly £25 for a ticket! How greedy and selfish of the Windsors to expect working people to pay them such a ridiculous amount, when they already receive a great chunk of our taxes, which should instead be going towards our stretched public services. Obviously, I did not buy a ticket and therefore could not enter the grounds of this national landmark.

But apart from this, I still enjoyed my day in Windsor. The castle is an impressive building, and I managed to find some decent views of it from various spots around the town.

The rest of the town is also very attractive, and I spent a nice morning walking around it.

One of the town's most interesting buildings is the Crooked House of Windsor, which looks like it's about to topple over.

And although I disagree with monarchy, I must admit I appreciated the name of this pub - the Queen Charlotte!

I had lunch in a nice shopping centre next to the train station, where I saw an old steam train and a Cuban shop! The shop caught my attention, partly because Windsor seems like an odd location for a Cuban shop, and also because Cuba is a country that intrigues me a lot, and that I'd love to go to in the future.

After lunch I went for a walk alongside the River Thames, where I found a life-size model of a Hawker Hurricane plane!

The riverside was a very picturesque place to walk, with lots of cute ducks, geese and swans happily swimming and walking around.

I walked along the river until I reached a bridge connecting Windsor to the town of Eton, known for its private school, which produces a disproportionate amount of useless prime ministers. But the town itself is quite pretty and has great views of Windsor from its bridge and its Riverside Piazza.

 

Overall, I had a good time in Windsor and would recommend it as a place to visit. But I think it's a shame that castles like Windsor Castle still do not belong to the people of this country. We should look to France as an example; its population and size are similar to Britain's, and yet it brings in far more money through tourism (which just goes to show that the old argument that the Windsors "attract tourists" is totally wrong). In addition, France has an array of beautiful châteaux and palaces to explore, as well as plenty of tradition and culture, whilst being a republican nation! Who'd have thought?

Well, perhaps I'm in the minority for now, but I'm hopeful that some day in my lifetime, places like these will belong to all of us...

Ashdown House: A Dutch House in the English Countryside

Ashdown House was the final item on the original list of local places to visit that I made last year, but as the house itself wasn't open to visitors back then, it didn't seem worth going there yet. However, last month the property fully reopened, and we had the opportunity to visit this Wednesday!

The house is a National Trust property located in the North Wessex Downs, with an architectural style inspired by the Netherlands. For this reason, I had particularly wanted to go and see it, as I'm interested in visiting places that are reminiscent of foreign countries, especially during this period of time in which it's so hard to travel abroad. Ashdown was the second Dutch-inspired place I've been to this year - the first one being Westbury Court Garden, which we went to back in April. Although I found Westbury Court Garden a little more interesting and unique, I still enjoyed our trip to Ashdown House. It's smaller than it looks in photos, but it's a very beautiful building.

We were given a tour of the house, which was very interesting and informative, although I've probably forgotten a lot of it already! But I remember that it was built for the queen of Bohemia in the 17th century, and that sadly, it's original purpose was as a hunting lodge for people to kill deer. I'm glad that it's no longer a place for monarchy or cruelty to animals, and that now it's a place for the public to enjoy.

At the end of the tour, we got to climb up to the roof of the house! From there, we could look out across the estate and the rolling countryside beyond. Interestingly, the house is in Oxfordshire, but it is right next to the borders with Berkshire and Wiltshire, so we had views of three different counties.

I feel a slight sense of accomplishment to have now completed my "bucket list" of local destinations. Travelling to a different place (many of them new to me) every week or two has made what has mostly been a very tough time slightly easier, and has provided some much-needed escapism from the monotony of daily life as it is now. Since I started this little project of blogging about local destinations in May 2020, I've visited an Indian palace, a Japanese arboretum, and a Provençal-style lavender field, in addition to this Dutch house and the Dutch garden I mentioned earlier, as well as countless other interesting places. I've learned that, to a certain extent, it's possible to feel like you've travelled to another part of the world without actually leaving the UK, and this is a topic I plan to write more about in the near future... (Edit: I finally wrote a post about this topic, and here it is!)