Henley on Thames, & Windsor Castle

August 3

We drove to a little town called Henley on Thames which is very picturesque.  There were these very cute little boats  that can be rented for a couple of hours, and we thought it would be fun - but none were available until 6 pm, so we gave up on the idea.  Probably best - I didn’t have cute boating clothes or a little straw cap to wear, and the boat seems to call for that.  So we walked around town a bit, took several pictures, watched some rowers and carried on our way to another little town called Sonning.

Cute hotel in Henley on Thames.  I like the red lion dancing on top.

Beautiful old bridge and a number of really interesting boats to look at.

'Antique' store that sells antiques. Again, Glen has to
duck to get inside!

I really love these old "carriage" entrances that lead into
back courtyards with other buildings.  They almost seem
like a door to a secret garden.

Beautiful old boats that are in pristine condition.

Hotel and pub area on the riverside.

Don't you just want to live here?  So pretty.

Interesting stonework on this old church in Henley on Thames.

These little boats were for rent - but we couldn't get one until 6 pm.  Too bad.
I didn't have my flapper girl outfit with me anyhow.

There is an old flour mill in Sonning that has been converted into a dinner theatre.  Not much to see since it was noon, so we walked along the Thames to where it joins a canal and watched some boats going up and down the locks.  There were some very large yachts, along with smaller motor boats all waiting, when something broke and started leaking oil into the water.  So the lock was closed until a repair person could come fix it.  There were a few annoyed boaters.

Close-up of the stone walls on the church at Sonning.  I believe it's flint.
Very pretty.

Church of St. Andrew in Sonning.  It's an 11th century church, but
was heavily restored in the mid-1800s.  Quite a beautiful building.

Please don't cycle in the churchyard!

These streets are ridiculously narrow.  Hope no-one
is coming the other way!

We stopped in at Shiplake for a light lunch at the Baskerville Arms - they had a set menu for a 2-course meal for Ł21 per person - yikes!  We decided to split a hamburger - it was seriously the best burger I’ve ever eaten!  There were a number of delicious salads to go with it - the best was a minted cucumber salad that I have to find a recipe for.  The staff were all so friendly and we chatted with the owner/manager for awhile.  While we were there, a number of these old bi-wing planes flew over several times.  There are a lot of WWI anniversary events happening all over Britain this summer, so I presume that's what it was all about.

Nice outdoor patio at the pub

Old planes provided some entertainment at lunchtime!

There was still some light left in the day, so we decided to head over to Windsor Castle and have a look at the royal digs. Honestly, I just don’t see why someone needs such a large place to live.  It’s massive, it’s extravagant, it’s beautiful . . . but it’s a bit ridiculous. We didn’t go in - just had a look at the outside, and the surrounding streets (which are just a mass of tourist shops and restaurants), and then left.

A rather elegant looking place near the castle

Windsor Castle

The queen's "across the street" neighbours.

Entrance to the castle.  I don't think this is the one HRH uses though.

This is a VERY big place.

I have no idea what these people were doing, but they were hanging
around across the street from the castle.

Across the road from Windsor Castle.  Lots of restaurants and silly
souvenirs.  If you live in one of the apartments you can look at the
nice big brick wall across the street (next picture)

A lot of people use the outside of the castle walls as a picnic area.