Hi friends, welcome back to my Paris and London Anniversary series 🙂 We started our second full day in London getting coffee at Watch House, our favorite coffee shop of the trip. I will say the coffee in Paris seemed pretty weak, so it was nice having stronger coffee in London. We also stopped by the bakery Buns from Home for a delicious tiramisu cinnamon bun. They specially made this flavor for me and it was delicious! I’d definitely recommend sharing this treat because it’s very rich.
After enjoying our treat, Â Jon and I boarded the train to Windsor to see the queen! I was very excited to visit Windsor Castle, especially because the queen was there. The train there was quite empty and we had a short walk from the train station to the castle entrance. We got there around 12:30 pm and had our tickets purchased so we could walk right in. I was trying to time our visit for after the tour groups leave and I think it worked out nicely.
Windsor Castle has been a royal home for more than 900 years and is Queen Elizabeth’s favorite place to reside. Construction began on the castle in 1071 by William the Conqueror and each monarch added on to create the massive 951-room palace.
The Royal Standard flies from the Round Tower to say the queen is at Windsor. She was there while we were in Windsor, but we didn’t get a glimpse of her or her beloved corgis
In 1992 an accidental fire engulfed one fifth of the palace. To help fund the restoration costs, Queen Elizabeth opened Windsor to visitors and now over one million people file through each year. We toured the State Apartments and saw Queen Mary’s Doll House, complete with working electricity and plumbing. Depending on the events the queen is hosting, some areas might be closed so it’s worth double checking ahead of time.
Pictures are prohibited inside, but touring Windsor Castle was awesome. Sometimes it’s nice not being allowed to take pictures so I can focus on being present instead of getting the perfect shot. There was a free audio guide that I thought was well done and gave a good, organized tour. I blocked off the whole day to visit so we could take our time and see it all.
Jon and I also got to see St. George’s Chapel where Meghan and Harry got married. This elaborate church was built in the gothic style in the 1500s. Pictures aren’t allowed inside like at Westminster, but the interior was beautiful!
Queen Elizabeth II’s father George VI, Queen Mum, and her sister Princess Margaret are all buried in here as well as Prince Phillip. Henry VIII and Charles I (with his head sewn back on) Edward IV, and Mad King George III are also buried in this spectacular church.
The Lower Ward is where about 150 staff of the Queen live and offers a great view of the entrance to St. George’s Chapel.
I picked up this cute ornament at the gift shop to celebrate the Jubilee 🙂
After finishing up at Windsor Castle, we walked through town and around to the Long Walk front gates to get a different view. We really enjoyed seeing Windsor and would highly recommend visiting if you have time in your schedule!
For dinner we made it back to Pilgrim Pizza and it was delicious! They had wood fired pizza and we also got some yummy garlic bread.
I hope you enjoyed our day in Windsor! Next up is our final day of the trip starting in the picturesque Notting Hill neighborhood.
Posts in my Paris and London Anniversary series:
Paris
- Day 1 – Saint Chapelle, the Concierge, and Notre Dame
- Day 2 – Palace of Versailles
- Day 2 – Versailles Garden
- Day 2 – Touring the Versailles Summer Homes
- Day 3 – Louvre Museum
- Day 3 – Champs Elysees & Arc de Triomphe
- Day 4 – Montmartre & Sacre Coeur
- Day 4 – Musee d’Orsay & Crepes
- Day 5 – Luxembourg Gardens & Eglise Saint-Eustache
- Day 5 – Going up the Eiffel Tower
- Day 6 – Rodin Museum
- Day 6 – Palais Garnier & Galleries Lafayette
London
- Day 7 – Westminster Abbey
- Day 8 – Tower of London
- Day 8 – Tower Bridge & St. Paul’s Cathedral
I think you must have been getting café au lait in France which is half milk. A cappucicno or Americano would have been stronger. We found the coffee in London disappointing at the bigger chains and looked for the smaller shops. Nothing beats a good fresh cream bun in the UK. We loved our tour to Windsor with the kids and also took the boat tour down the Thames. Certainly a nice quiet town, except during Royal fanfare. I assume it will be busier now that Wills and Kate and kids are there. Thanks for sharing Lyssy. Happy Monday. Allan
I think I went between cafe au lait and cappuccinos. It seems the London food/coffee scene has really improved the last few years. I have some foodie friends in London that had so many recommendations for me that rivaled places in NYC. Windsor was a neat place to explore. The town was very cute, I’d love to explore more of it one day. We stayed on the main drag. Will be nice for the queen to have her grandkids close. The youngest one sure is cute, but a little trouble!
A lovely day in Windsor Lyssy. I’ve visited the town before but surprisingly not the castle so it was extremely interesting to read your post. Hopefully we’ll get there soon. Have a good week.Marion
Windsor is a very cute town! You’d love exploring the castle. I hope you get there soon too. Hope you have a great week as well, Marion.
A very enjoyable post! I have not been to Windsor Castle, so, it was interesting to see real photos of the place (rather than the standard shots they sometimes show on tv)! The pizzas look great but so do those buns!
It was very cool being able to wander the castle! The grounds were so beautiful and in pristine shape. The interior was very cool, lots of artifacts. It was a good day of eating 🙂
It looked so!! 😉 🙂
Great write up! I loved all the pictures and that tiramisu pastry looks AMAZING
Thank you! The pastry was especially delicious 🙂
You had a fantastic day for your visit and I’m sure the Queen would’ve popped out to say « hi » if only she’d known you were visiting. I toured Windsor courtesy of the people who managed the post-fire refurb which was fascinating.
We had such a beautiful day, we got lucky with weather on our trip! She must’ve had a schedule conflict or my invitation to tea must’ve gotten lost in the mail 😉 That would be fascinating to hear from people who know the ins and outs of the castle. They are a lot more entertaining than an audioguide.
Ah but I’m sworn to secrecy
The Windsor Castle seems so magnificent, and the tiramisu cinnamon bun looks delicious!
Such a great place to visit! The cinnamon bun was delicious, I wish they had a location in NYC!
On top of thatthe wether was perfect; it is not that often. It is a good idea for a daytrip ouside London on a long weekend.
We got very lucky with the perfect day to explore Windsor! It is nice getting out of the city and seeing a different area.
Great photos! I had only briefly visited the town many years ago for a night out with friends. Haven’t done any sightseeing there. I’ve enjoyed reading your post about Windsor Castle. I think you were absolutely right to leave the entire day for this one massive place and do the visit properly. The food looks amazing as always.
Thank you! I hope you make it to Windsor one day, I know you’d love exploring the spacious ground and peeking at all the treasures inside. Between the castle and town it’s very easy to spend a whole day here 🙂
This is incredible castle..you are enjoying your getaway…love our time there.
Such a great trip!
Ahh glad you got amazing weather for your trip, amazing! Hehe Pizza Pilgrims are good, but not sure they rival NYC pizza. Anyway, glad you enjoyed your day trip and I’m so glad you left the full day to do it and see everything properly – amazing 🙂
We really had the perfect day in Windsor! It doesn’t top NYC pizza, but I do love wood fired pizza 🙂
That sounds like a perfect day bookended with some perfect tasty treats!
How poignant to read this post just days after the Queen’s passing, Lyssy (all of your other commenters weighed in beforehand, while I’m still catching up). You should feel fortunate to have been in close proximity to Elizabeth just weeks before she left this world. I’m surprised she won’t be buried in St. George’s alongside the others. Windsor Castle is refreshingly complete considering almost all of the other castles you see in Europe are damaged in one way or another. I assume no battle took place at Windsor.
It is pretty surreal to have visited and been at Windsor the same time the Queen was. I was hoping to get a glimpse of her walking the corgis or waving from the window haha. I think she will be boring in St. George’s and they will move Phillip to be with her and her family. There were some battles in the 1200s at Windsor, but they’ve had plenty of time to restore the castle 🙂