Turning 50 with a trip to Europe!

I knew that when I turned 50 on May 4 I wanted to be in England to celebrate, and so it was that May 1 found me headed across the pond with my husband for a two-week trip to Europe! The day before my birthday, we took a train to Windsor. The first (and only other) time I was in England, I had not visited Windsor Castle, and I've always regretted it. Lucky for us, we had beautiful weather the entire time we were in England. It did not rain once, and that is pretty amazing!

The gardens leading up to the castle entrance were beautiful, and I especially loved stopping to smell the lilacs since I don't often see these back home.

Spring is really quite a lovely time to be in England! As a garden lover, I was delighted to see all the handsome plants. I wondered if I should peek over the ledge to see what was down below …

And indeed yes — that beautiful grass alone was a sight to see!

What a quaint little pond! I couldn't help wondering if any of the Royals ever actually take a walkabout down there.

And wouldn't you love to sit here sometime and have a spot of tea? Maybe the Queen will invite me sometime. (Fingers crossed!)

I can't remember what was happening at St. George's Chapel later that afternoon, but we were advised to head there first if we wanted the opportunity to check it out, and we did.

I knew Prince Charles had wed Camilla here, and I had always pictured this as a small, intimate chapel.

As we walked up and the architecture of the chapel towered above us, I realized I had greatly underestimated the chapel's size! Visiting the chapel was actually my favorite part of the visit to Windsor Castle. You can't help feeling the enormity of history when you walk past the resting places of everyone from Henry VIII to the Queen's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. I've always had a fondness for the Queen Mother (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon), so it was very moving as I walked past her burial spot to recall that the Queen lost her mum just as I've lost mine. Also in the chapel, I was delighted to see a little Easter vignette the Sunday school students had on display. They even had a small piece of linen cloth in the empty tomb where Jesus had lain. I was impressed with their attention to detail!

Next it was on to the castle proper to see such sights as Queen Mary's dollhouse (it's huge!), the magnificent State Apartments, and the Garter Throne Room with the beautiful Sir Herbert James Gunn portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in her Coronation Robes. Outside, I loved seeing all the towers at the castle, of which there were quite a few!

We all love a nice monogram, don't we?

And of course I didn't dare leave without a memento, this teacup from the Royal Collection Trust I found in one of the castle gift shops. The pattern comes from a Minton dessert stand purchased by Queen Victoria at The Great Exhibition in 1851. I love the pretty turquoise blue coloring, and I'm thrilled the teacup survived transport across three countries and a brief inspection by a customs officer in Paris. (Why this boxed teacup in my suitcase drew her attention I do not know. Fortunately she spoke English, so I was able to say, "Oh, there's a china teacup in there!" so she'd handle it safely as she opened the box.) And now that we're home, I must say that I do feel a bit royal when sipping from this pretty new teacup!

Tomorrow: Afternoon Tea in Windsor