The Fulfillment of your Fantasy Dream: The Windsor Castle
Do you regularly imagine a place where there’s a limitless air of elegance? Have you ever dreamed you’re once the handsome prince waiting for your Cinderella? Do you imagine yourself standing at the center of a ground and you’re surrounded with breathtaking walls and towers? If you answer yes to these series of questions, maybe it’s time for you to stop daydreaming and book a flight in Berkshire to see the 484,000 sq. ft. Windsor Castle.
Yes folks; the Windsor Castle is the answer to your deepest fantasy. This grand attraction help you realize that things you only see in animated films do really exists in real life. You see, the interior and exterior layout of this castle has evolved throughout the years. Lots of eye-watering landmarks are added but the positioning of most main features remained untouched.
So, what are these grand attractions you can see inside the Windsor Castle? Let’s start with the Round Tower. It’s called as such obviously because of its cylindrical and irregular round shape that cuts the castle into two sections, the Lower and the Upper Ward. You should be in the Lower Ward if you want to see the Baroque style of St. George Chapel. This chapel already looks so good at the outside with its meticulously-carved big windows. What more if you’re exploring the inside as you see the burial place of Henry VIII.
The Upper Ward consists of the private royal apartments, the George’s Hall and more state rooms. There’s no need for you to doubt, living in those private apartments is a grand. All what you need and all what you want to eat are at grabs in an instant. All you probably need to do is ask.
The St. George Hall is simply splendid. Entering this hall, you’ll be amazed with a very wide space and impressive set of high-quality furniture all around. The ceiling is decorated with coat of arms with those brave-hearted, Order of the Garter. The experience is a delight once you’re here, you can spontaneously say this area is without a doubt an ideal place for whatever dream event you have in mind.
The Royal Home Park is another must-see attraction inside this castle. The whole area is divided into two; one for parkland and the other area is for farms. If you are interested, you can schedule for a tour visit in Frogmore House and Gardens. Just by the name of the attraction, it sounds like it’s already a piece of paradise waiting to be explored.
There’s also a private school in the north part of the castle known as the St. George’s Windsor Castle. The purpose of erecting this school is to train students who want to be a part of a choir in the chapel.
There’s also this beautiful scene referred to as The Quadrangle, located in the Upper Ward from the North West. Taking a picture with you at the center of this vast ground is really a fantastic moment so hard to believe. Sad though, this place is not open for tourists.
In many cases when the Royal Family is in, anyone is not allowed to tour. So, it’s better to make an advanced reservation before visiting Winsdor Castle.
Fun and Brilliance in Siena, Tuscany
Siena is considered as the medieval city in Tuscany. The beautiful city is widely-known for its brilliant architecture and horse racing.
Some people say that the best way to travel around Siena is to stay longer. The longer your stay, the nicer the explorations are.
Your first stop to Siena should be Palazzo Pubblico. This is Siena’s Town Hall where you can see the overview of Sienede countryside. The outside structure of the hall boasts its Medieval Architecture influenced by Gothic style. One of the must-explores inside are the good and bad frescoes. If you take closer looks at these frescoes, you notice that the Allegory of Good Government is made to personify the Justice of a woman while the Allegory of Bad Government depicted a falling city in crime and violence.
The Piazza del Campo is also one of those attractive squares in the city where you will feel you are like in an extraordinary shell-shaped piazza and ready to tour the symbolic emblems of Palazzop Pubblico, Torre del Mangia and Palazzi Signorili.
Then, every devotee should pay a visit to the house and give thanks to St. Catherine. She’s the patron saint of Italy. Proceeding to Duomo, the Italian Romanesque Cathedral, sounds a nice decision. Here, you can see the Pastorini’s Last Supper glass-stained window, the hexagonal-shaped dome and the unique moldings of the Nave.
Horse Racing
Of course, your visit to Siena is definitely incomplete without coming to Palio di Siena--- the venue for horse racing competition for twice a year (2nd of July and 16th of August). Horse racing is truly a special festival in Siena. Horses have ornaments in their head while racing and there are also banners (Contrade) sell to the public as souvenirs.
The horse race in July is called Palio di Provenzano. During this time, you can watch ten horses take part in the race.
The second race, which is known as Palio dell’Assunta, is celebrated after the Feast of their Assumption. At seven in the evening, an explosive echoes are shot on air signaling the start of the event. The nine horses are arranged in order while the rincorsa or the tenth horse waits outside the track. You may be upset with the happenings as the riders are allowed to whip their horses and other competitors of their reach.
Apart from horse racing, other special events in Siena are Summer Classical Concerts at Academia Musicale Chigiana, Siena Jazz Festival and market exhibitions.
Dining & Hotels
Various restaurants and bakeries are in Siena. You will enjoy the wine services at Osteria Sotto le Fonti. Eating the excellent pastries at Nannini and almond paste cakes at Ricciarelli are a wow. If you are on look with commercially-specialties such as cake, honey, almonds, flour and spices, you should visit Panforte.
Hotels and apartments are all over to give you the best form of comfort of your stay. If you are on a tight budget, stay at Piccolo Hotel II Palio or Casa Gigliola. Tuscan Villa Burraia and Montestigliano are just two of convenient mid-range hotels around the city. But if you want to experience the full delight of your visit to Siena, your destination should in splurge luxurious hotels such as Borgo Scopeto Relais and Campo Regio Relais, which is just situated in the historical center of Siena.