The Royal Shops

Across High Street from the castle grounds is the Windsor Royal Shops. This is a nice sort of mall, built as the sign says in 1897. 

Church Street and the Castle Walls

Were kit not for the modern chairs and trash cans, you might be tempted otherwise believe that is a scene from any of several centuries past.

Last of the Church, Back out on the street

For an externally modest church, this place has some very nice features The stained glass is quite nice. the altar is simple but well appointed. I suppose it helps that you are just down the street from the king/queen.

More Church Views

While I do not for sure, it seem likely that through the years the king/queen have been here a few times since it is within walking distance to the Windsor castle gate. As a result, this relatively simple church has some rather fancy adornments.

St. John the Baptist Church, Windsor

Our first house sit in England took up to Slough, a gritty working class town just north of Windsor. Needless to say, we visited Windsor multiple times. On our first trip, we started with a look around St. John the Baptist Church, just down the street from the Henry VIII gate entrance to the castle.

On Our Way to St. Paul's

Here's the backside of the Mary le Strand as we walked on down the Strand.

Off to London!

Once our house sit in Staunton was over, we left directly for Merry Ole England and a house sit there. The remodeling work on the house in Snohomish started later than expected and so we out exploring while we wait.

No visit to the big city is complete without a stop at the Borough Market. It has changed a good bit since we were there last. It is still great, but there is a slicker feel to it. Not quite so quintessentially English, rather more like a place designed for tourists. And it is still very busy.

The Last Hurrah

After our day of sledding behind the dogs, we were treated to a find banquet of salmon and mushroom soup. The mushrooms were locally foraged and the soup was to die for. Above you see the salmon staked to boards and cooked over the open fire. It was really delicious.

Sled Dogs!

Bundled up in our multiple layers and the warm outerwear supplied for us, we walked next door to the lodge to meet the sled dogs and get mounted up for a mush through the snow. The kids were all loaded onto one sled that was driven by our guide.

I don't have photos of the ride itself since E was the passenger and I was the driver of our sled. Imagine a vehicle where the only pedal you need is a brake. Take you foot off the brake and it goes. That's a dog sled. These animals are eager to run and pull. The only limit we had on our sled was my ability to stand on the brake and the fact that if I didn't we'd run over the sled in front of us.

My face got pretty cold, but the rest of me did OK. Elizabeth was seated and covered by a blanket so she stayed reasonably warm. But the sleds have no springs and the ride was bumpy. So she got the good out of every bump and dip. There were even a few bruises where the sides of the sled banged against her legs.

When we got back, we got to meet some of the new arrivals in the kennel. While there is no place for these sorts of dogs as pets, they are mighty cute.

Interestingly, these are all Alaskan dogs rather than Siberian. We were told that Siberian dogs are built for much colder climates and don't do well in Lapland. The Alaskan dog are much better suited to the local climate.

 

After the Visit

After our visit with Santa, we stopped at a nearby kotta to warm up and have a bit of refreshment. Here, another of Santa's elves assisted us.

Feeding the Reindeer

After our ride through the snow behind the reindeer, we went back to the coral and fed them. Reindeer eat lichen from the trees in the forest. We were given a bin of lichen someone had harvested for us and the kids got to feed the animals through the fence. Everybody was happy.

Riding with the Reindeer

This forest is enchanting. However, I'm pretty sure that I don't want to be here in the summer. This conifer forest must be filled with mosquitoes when it is warm here. Now, however, it is delightful.

In the Kotta

Here are a few more shots from inside the kotta. It was a warm, cozy place and we were fed a delicious mushroom soup.

Stopping for Lunch in a Kotta

It seems that the Finns build these small huts in the forest. This small one might be a refuge from the cold, I don't know. This small log cabins are called Kotta, huts, in Finnish. The scene sure is pretty though.

Looking Around

The trees here all look like they've been powdered with confectioners sugar. The cold and the frequent light snows contribute to this. As you can see from the snow on the roof of the building, the snow is fairly deep. We also find this out when we step off the beaten path. It looks relatively light out as if the sun were doing its job. But notice the lights on in the background. It is still pretty dark. The exposure of the camera is fooling you.

Snow Adventures

After breakfast we donned our serious winter clothes (provided) and headed out for a morning of play in the snow. This meant lots of tobogganing off of a small hill constructed for the purpose and a bit of riding a tethered snowmobile.

As you can see, it is still dark. Between the cloud over and the sun never really getting above the horizon this time of year, it was never very bright outside. As you can see below, it does get brighter, but not a lot.

Muonio, Findland

Our destination for this adventure is Muonio, Finland. It is located about 200 km above the arctic circle. Thus, it is not surprising that it is dark and snowing.

The Beginning of the Adventure

In the middle of December, we started on our grand adventure to see Santa Claus. First stop, London. Our first stop on this dreary day was the Borough Market.  The crowd was so thick, we could hardly move. We abandoned this mash for a ride on the London Eye.

The View from our B&B

And so we leave our visit to the Lake Country with a few views of the big industry here (after tourism)...cows and sheep.

Parish Church of St. Andrew, Coniston

In Coniston, we find the Parish Church.