More London

The day I went to Windsor Castle was the same day they uncovered the plot to bomb all those Britain-U.S. flights via carry-on luggage. It seems the Queen's guards were none too keen on the possibility that someone might also try to take out Windsor Castle, so all purses, baby strollers, crutches, cameras, etc. had to be put in storage before going into the castle. The end result was an hour-and-a-half wait to get in, but that's about how long it took to get into Buckingham Palace, so what can you do? At least I wasn't at Heathrow Airport that day. The best thing about Windsor Castle is that the Queen lives there. I've been to other beautifully furnished castles before, but they were more like museums; nobody lives in them. It's much more fun and romantic to walk through a castle and know that a royal family still lives there.

Two other famous Royal landmarks that I visited and loved were the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. The Tower, Windsor Castle, and Westminster are all interrelated and should therefore share one blog entry. No, no, no, I'm not being lazy. The work best as a trio. Not convinced? I've drafted a small proof:

The Tower of London has the Crown Jewels, Westminster Abbey has the Coronation Chair, Windsor Castle has the Queen.
The Tower of London has the suits of armor of most of Britain's great kings, Winsdor Castle has their furniture, Westminster Abbey has their bodies.
Windsor Castle has the Royal Family's immense collection of tablewear and cutlery, the Tower of London has the chopping block where Anne Boelyne (sp?) was beheaded.

Pictures: Windsor Castle, Beefeater at the Tower of London, and Westminster Abbey