A Castle Better than at Disney World

Saturday was an early morning for Dan, Kaitlin, Megan, Kelly, and I, because we were off to Windsor to see the Queen's Castle in this cute little town about an hour from London. Windsor is known as the summer palace for the Queen, but also the place that she most likes to spend her time when she doesn't have to be doing official business at Buckingham Palace. We had to walk for about an hour to get to the bus station, but walking through London is always enjoyable because there is so much to see and take in. And on this cloudy Saturday, the scenery we were lucky enough to see was none other than Buckingham Palace.
After a bit of a nap on the ride there, we got off the bus literally steps away from a beautiful, picturesque, 900-year-old castle. It was amazing. Even better than Cinderella Castle at Disney World, formerly my ideal image of a castle. And it pains me to say that as a lifelong Disney lover, but its true. See for yourself.
Windsor was absolutely amazing. It sits on a hill overlooking the rest of the town, including Eton College, where the famous Princes William and Harry attended school.The decorations and paintings inside were spectacular. There were a few too many rooms decorated solely with weapons (Tim, you totally would have loved it) for my taste, but the rest of it was absolutely beautiful. All the decorating was so ornate and detailed, even on the ceilings! I also really liked this portrait of Queen Elizabeth I as a young girl; it was something about the vibrant colors and the sweet, yet confident, expression on her face that drew me to it. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so here is the best version I could find online.
We also saw the beautiful Saint George's Chapel, where Henry VIII and several other kings and queens were buried. It is so crazy that I am getting to see all this stuff; Kelly and I were saying that we have to almost pinch ourselves and remind ourselves that it's real, it actually is Henry VIII's tomb (or insert other amazing European landmark here).
And one of the cutest parts of the day? Sitting and eating our packed lunches on a bench in a little courtyard of one of the man buildings and turrets of this beautiful castle.