#WanschurasHopThePond: Windsor and Oxford

On Tuesday we took a break from the hustle of London, and rode on a train out to Windsor. 

In 1070, William the Conqueror began building Windsor Castle, and it is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. 1070?! That's over 900 years of history!

Not being able to take photos at Buckingham Palace, and then here at Windsor Castle was pretty much killing me. We were passing the queen's waiting room, grand stair cases, and suits of armor, among other things. When we walked into this room - with the shields of all the people who have been knighted, hanging all over the walls and ceilings, I couldn't take it anymore. So, it's not the greatest photo, but I was shooting from the hip - literally. 

Quite the formidable fortress!

Our selfie with the Beefeater.

The long road to Windsor. Can't you just picture peasants traveling this road, to gain an audience with the King?

Windsor was such a charming little town...

Lots of cute little shops. We had ice cream for lunch at one of them. :)

After Windsor, we took another train to Oxford. An equally charming town, lined with fun shops.

So very many bicycles in Oxford!

I love this one!

The Bodleian Library at Oxford

The cobblestone streets that surrounded Oxford were pretty awesome. 

But the real reasons we visited Oxford were to see a certain house on Northmoor Road, and eat dinner at a certain pub.

This is the house where J.R.R. Tolkien lived when he wrote -what I would argue is one of the best fictional works out there - The Hobbit.

And the certain pub- The Eagle and Child, home of a renowned group of writers - The Inklings.

There was a plaque inside that read "Until 1963, the great writers of the 'Inklings', C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and others, met regularly on this spot. The conversations that have taken places here have profoundly influenced the development of 20th century English literature. "

And there it is - The Rabbit Room - a little room off the main seating area where they met! Super cool to see...definitely worth the train ride out there!