Windsor Castle and The Savill Garden

From very early in the planning stages of the trip, Frank had expressed an interest in visiting Windsor Castle; when we were in London many years ago, it was a couple of years after the famous fire, and large parts of the Castle were closed to visitors.  I was a little put off by the reputation as "England's most popular tourist destination," but I must say it was a great place to visit.  Because there are so many visitors, the staff really have things down to a science with reference to making it a pleasant visit for tourists. 

There are no photos allowed in the castle itself, so you'll have to believe me that it is every bit as exquisite as television says it is.  I particularly loved seeing how beautifully the fire areas have been restored, using methods and materials identical to those of the original construction several hundred years ago.  I really liked watching the caterer setting up one of the public rooms for a luncheon being hosted by Prince Phillip!

Outside, the most impressive gardens are in the area that was originally the moat around the main tower.  It is, by design, an incredibly steep slope, and the gardeners have done an amazing job in developing it as a garden. 

Because we had driven so much the day before, and we doing another two hour drive at the end of this day, we opted to visit The Savill Garden rather than go into London to visit Kew.  I have heard about the Jubilee Garden for the past few years, and was anxious to see it, as well.  This garden definitely did not disappoint!  The Jubilee Garden was installed a few years ago to mark the Queen's 50th year on the throne, and is a series of color beds, done on an ENORMOUS scale.  The section below is the orange area. 

I fell in love with this amaranth in that orange bed, and plan to use it next year at home if I can find seeds. 

Here's another area of reds, leading into purples.  The Castor Bean will give you a feel for just how large this display is. 

Pinks and roses were incredible portions of the display garden. 

Right next to the Jubilee garden is a new contemporary rose garden, that is designed in a cyclone pattern of roses and some fabulous grasses.  There is a contemporary sculpture representing the bow of a boat that juts out into (and above) the bed.  Here's Frank pretending he's Leonardo di Caprio......