It has been a few years since we've been on a plane circling an airport, but as we flew across the Irish Sea our pilot announced he'd been told to slow down because of heavy traffic into Heathrow. Our speed dropped from 600mph to 500, then 400 as we flew over the English Midlands, then to 250 as we flew in a loop over Buckinghamshire and headed off east of London for another large arc over Essex, before we started our final descent. Heathrow busier than ever with masses of travellers, but we finally made it through immigration, shuttled our way to collect our rental car and headed off west in the traffic for a short drive to our Windsor hotel.
We walked the half mile or so into town to wander around in the sunny environs of the castle and the riverside. Just passing the coffee shop we began to wonder if the hanging baskets were being watered. It has apparently been too long since we have felt big splots of rain. Needing a mid-afternoon snack we ducked inside while the rain cloud quickly passed.
Back into the sunshine we sat by the Thames watching hoards of the Queen's majestic swans squabbling unmajestically for the food that other people were showering them with. A sea of synchronised white necks and orange beaks rose in anticipation as an arm was raised, then all swooped rapidly down in formation before the beaks jabbed at one another in the water. Mike persuaded me that every single swan was tagged and, sure enough each displayed a metal ring on one leg, but I failed to believe him when he told me that the Queen personally named each of her swans and that each tagged label was cross-referenced in a huge set of leather-bound ledgers listing their names which was maintained by a Royal Flunkey at Buckinghamshire Palace.
Across the River Thames we strolled up the Main Street of Eton as far as the college. The shops along the way displayed the amazingly garish, unstylish jackets bespoken of the finest fabrics, sold for large sums. Perhaps the recognition of being an Eton fellow makes it all worthwhile although it is hard for me to believe the current generation would be seen wearing these on the street.
On the subject of dress we were curious to see a large number of older gentlemen dressed inwhite shirts and black bow ties. Curiosity got the best of us so we stopped two men and politely inquired. They are part of an eighty-five member choir, there used to be eighty-seven but a few have died, invited to sing at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Unfortunately the performance was over and we had missed it.
Later, we had dinner al fresco at a riverside bistro watching the boats and the birds before wandering back to,the hotel for a relatively early night after starting our day on Wdnesday and finishing some thirty hours later on Thursday.
After our few spots of rain, we were surprised to see Friday breakfast newspaper pictures of golf ball sized hail and read about severe storm damage in Richmond, which can't be more than 15 miles away. Showered and breakfasted by 7am? That is not a standard likely to be maintained for the rest of our trip!
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