So now begins Day I of the JASNA tour! – I am off to Windsor where it is all to begin – we are to stay for one night at the MacDonald Windsor Hotel right in the heart of town [do I dare mention a TK Maxx next door? – notice it is TK not TJ – same beast, different country, apparently to avoid confusion with another UK retailer TJ Hughes – this explained via google…]
Well, enough of shopping – how to be in Windsor and spend time in a TK Maxx?? [though I did find a terrific dress!]
I have been to The Castle before, so other than a few shots I decided to just wander around the town, which feels like a small village – and alas, the first shop I see is Seasalt Cornwall [back to shopping sorry to say] – a friend of mine in England loves these clothes, and so I now added a new blouse to my suitcase [the end of trip found me in need of a new, larger carry-on – mostly books and pamphlets, some gifts, and a few clothes…it is all so irresistible…].
The main street was busy, a beautiful day beginning to be clouded over, as you can see here with Queen Victoria overlooking it all:
And here the famous Shambles, now a café, bar and bottle shop [formerly a teahouse] – known as “the Crooked House of Windsor,” it dates from 1687, and is, as you can see, Crooked…
*************
I did visit the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist [one of many churches on the trip, and uniquely not named after St. Nicholas (which many of those we saw are – stay tuned to start counting)] – the present church is from 1822, when it replaced an ancient Saxon / Norman building. Some pictures from here, highlighted by the two thrones, a gift of Princess Augusta, daughter of George III, who regularly worshipped here:
The Last Supper, that hangs on the wall above the west door, was painted by Franz de Cleyn (1588-1658), court painter to James I, and previously hung in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. It is considered a national treasure:
Felt quite regal meandering back to the hotel by way of the EII Walkway, to check in and meet up with my roommate [yay!], and then onto our first group dinner, where we all introduced ourselves and gave a bit of our history with JASNA. I felt right at home as a good number of the people were already known to me – a very companionable group, with many days ahead of us to get to know each other as we retreated into the early 19th century with Jane.
Jane Austen in Vermont 