Monday, May 19, 2014

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



17 comments:

  1. Welcome home, Angela! I so enjoyed reading about your visit to St. George's Chapel and Windsor Castle. It's easy to see why it's the Queen's favorite residence. Your post makes me want to go pull my photo albums to recall my two visits. Love your beautiful teacup. I bought a keepsake teacup from my visit too, but it's different than yours. Looking forward to more blog posts about your fabulous trip! ~ Phyllis

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  2. How nice to have the chance to visit England in May! I think your tea cup is lovely. I wold like to "Pin" it but, of course, I would link back to your blog if you give me permission to put it on Pinterest. I believe the watermark will go along wit it.

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  3. What a wonderful trip! And the perfect souvenir too.

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  4. Oh I must put the Windsor Castle on my list for our next trip to England. How special to carry home a beautiful teacup. You will treasure it dearly. I have one I bought at the Kensington Palace and I love it so much I hold my breath if anyone uses it. And I was hoping you would be sharing your special birthday trip with us here. Hooray!!!

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  5. Lovely photography of the castle and grounds... enjoyed strolling along with you! And fun souvenir! Just the box alone is special... so special I believe the customs officer wanted to see how pretty it was!

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  6. Thank you for sharing your trip to the castle with us!

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  7. Your photos are lovely and what a beautiful teacup you brought home. Looking forward to sharing more of your trip.

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  8. What a wonderful birthday trip! I can't wait to read more. Lovely to see the photos and revisit my time there (I was on the trip with Phyllis, etc.).

    Happy Birthday month!

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  9. It would appear you had a delightful trip filled with gardens and architecture, and the teacup is a pretty one to remember your special birthday in England.
    Hope your hubby treated you to a special dinner to celebrate.

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  10. Belated happy birthday! The teacup is stunning and the perfect souvenir for a milestone birthday trip. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your travels in Europe.

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  11. I am so glad you took the train to Windsor. It is one of our favorite places to visit in England.

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  12. I so enjoyed your memories here and what a wonderful experience. I had a couple here today who live near Bath and they told me I simply must come to England! Abracadabra!

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  13. Happy Belated Birthday and Welcome Home. Your photos are lovely. Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

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  14. Happy Birthday to You! A new pretty ROYAL teacup for your collection - perfect! So happy for you!

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  15. Beautiful pictures. I'm glad you're home safe and sound. Missed you at the Sisters in Crime meeting but if I had choice between the meeting or England. It would have been England hands down. But you would have loved Kelsey Browning. See you in June.

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  16. Happy Birthday, Angela!

    Wonderful post and wow, the photos are beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing, Joanie

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  17. I so enjoyed touring England through your blog. The teacup is quite lovely! Thanks for sharing your special trip, and happy belated birthday!

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