On the outskirts (part II): Greenwich and Windsor

"On the outskirts (part II): Greenwich and Windsor"

Hello again to all readers! Yesterday I wrote about places that are on the outskirts of London or just near this big city, take a couple of trains and there you are, discovering a whole new world. Today, I want to continue with this theme and the focus of this entry are going to be Greenwich and Windsor. Let's get started!

First Destination: Windsor

In 2010, I went to London with my parents and my little sister. We only went for a week so we saw the the most essential sights of this great city, but we also went a little further to visit the great Windsor Castle. This castle, for anyone who does not know, is the official residence of the Queen of England. It's fortunate that it opens its doors to tourists and citizens of this place called the world to visit it.

It is massive and beautiful, it stands out for its outside appearance, but the important thing is the interior, never better said, for its many halls, rooms, landings... It has huge dining rooms, both wide and long. Someone who loves architecture could spend entire years in there, appreciating and enjoying every corner because it's clear everything is thought out. Every single minute detail. The huge and delicate lamps hanging from the ceiling, the large halls and stairs, decorated with equestrian statues and delicate handrails. It seems like a fairytale, just unreal. However, it's worth noting that what I like most about the castle are the infinite corridors full of paintings, usually portraits. They have something very special, and in front, a huge window with movie-worthy views. it's crazy,

But as I'm telling you, this was in 2010 when I visited the castle. In the summer of 2015, last year, instead of visiting the castle inside, we decided to visit the city and the surrounding area of the castle. Also, the year I went with my parents it was snowy and I think the surroundings along with their gardens would not have been appreciated in the same way as in the summer. First of all, we went to Windsor taking a train from Waterloo station, easy and simple. When we arrived, we had to walk a bit, but it was a nice day and we entertained ourselves quite a bit seeing little souvenir shops and different cafes. We arrived and saw the immensity of the castle on the outside, For a moment, we thought we'd go in, but the student ticket cost 17 pounds. I had already been and my friends were not up for the trouble, so we decided not to step in and enjoy the city itself and all its charm.

We were in the gardens, with a lawn cut to perfection, I was not quite sure if we could sit there, to give you an idea. But well, we did, in front of the castle of the queen of England herself, look at us. Eating and taking pictures. But I don't know, I loved this trip. Even above you, the trees are planted and cut almost mathematically. It forms a symmetrical set that makes me think of how many gardeners must care for only this part of Windsor. Amazing,

After relaxing in these gardens, recording videos, taking photos and chatting, we decided to go and visit the village. We knew the river was passing through Windsor, so we went on the quest. We went back halfway back, all the way downhill, until we found the river. To our surprise the water was blue and clean. In central London the famous Thames is brown. I once read that every year 8 tons of gum is thrown into the Thames. But this stretch the water was almost crystal clear. We could see the fish swimming, the water lilies floating and all the vegetation very well maintained. In addition, if you are encouraged, you can buy a ticket to sail the river on a boat with music and dancing. We thought about doing it, but the boats we saw were full.

We spent the whole afternoon wandering around, having some ice cream, feeding the swans: we had a very relaxed afternoon, Windsor is very different from London, even on its outskirts. There is the bustle of the crowd, people coming and going, taking pictures, running towards the subway, the noise of cars and buses, thousands and thousands of tourists, etc. Windsor is quiet and relaxing. From the area of the river you can perfectly appreciate the immensity of the castle. It's beautiful. It's like the Serpertine area of Hyde Park but much calmer and with pure air.

And this is all I have to tell you about Windsor. To return, we returned to the station and took back the train, the overground, which took us back to the great station of Waterloo, the rushes of the people and the noise of the subway and train and returned us to real life. I hope you liked it and if you like to see the luxurious life of the :P monarchs, it's really worth spending a little more to enjoy it. Go if you can. Here are a couple of pictures.

Doing the goose in The Infinity Gardens of Windsor with Miriam and Gabrielle. Summer 2015.

Second Destination: Greenwich

One of the first things I discovered about this place when I went to London was that not all the lyrics were pronounced. It's called something like "gr'nitch. " So look, because if you say "gring-ich" or "greng-ich" or whatever, chances are they won't understand you.

Well, as you all know, through Greenwich passes the zero meridian, specifically through the astronomical observatory of this town. We had to go no doubt about it. We went by train get there. There's a huge esplanade of grass where we weaited for a friend who came a bit later. This esplanade is Greenwich Park, but to go to the Observatory you have to climb the hill. When he finally arrived, we went to the famous Greenwich Observatory. It was quite crowded, everyone taking pictures and enjoying the panoramic views that you can see from the top of the hill. The first thing you see is the Queen's House, designed by architect Inigo Jones. Inside it is in Maritime Museum, but careful, it closes quite early so you have to go in time to be able to visit everything. Beyond the Queen's House, you can see the River Thames and the entire cosmopolitan and urban city in the background.

We continued on, the Greenwich Observatory is beautiful on the outside. It costs eight pounds to get in, so between all the different places make sure to carry plenty of money with you. It's a planetarium, I'd only been to one in my whole life and I felt like trying the experience it again. Inside, it's a great visual spectacle, I strongly recommend it.

Me in Greenwich, all the pictures are mine!

We went back by train pretty tired, that day the clouds let the sun pass a little bit at times and those times were killer for me. It gave me a headache, really.

And this was all for today's post! If at any point in your life you have to choose between these two places, you should definitely go with Windsor. Both are nice and both are worth it but Windsor is much more impressive and even more so if you get to see it inside. I hope you liked it and, and I'll be here again tomorrow. Thanks for reading my post.

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