The queen of England calls Windsor home, and after spending ten days there we really can’t blame her. Windsor is exactly what we wanted England to be. It has castles and guards and tea shops and forests and even a red phone booth. The river Thames runs through Windsor along with a train that will take you straight to the heart of London. It was the perfect place to, however briefly, call home.

Windsor is a town of about 30,000 people that, thanks to tourism, attracts far more shops and restaurants than a town of 30,000 should. Millions of people visit Windsor each year, most come to see Windsor Castle. Windsor castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world. It is also the official residence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. For £20 you can visit the castle, but during our stay there we never did.

Our mornings in Windsor began with the clickety-clack of dogs walking across hardwood floors. The two poodles we were caring for were polite enough not to bark in the mornings, but they would pace between the bed and the door, staring us down until we woke. After opening the back door and pouring some food into their bowl (and some coffee into my cup) we’d watch the morning news until we worked up the energy to take the dogs out for their walk.

Once out the door, we would typically head towards the Long Walk. The Long Walk is a walk through Windsor Great Park that is, well, long. Three miles long, to be exact. It stretches in one straight, tree-lined path from the statue of King George IV towards Windsor Castle, and it is the perfect way to spend a morning.

At 11:00AM we watched the guard change at Windsor Castle. Of course, we couldn’t go in to the castle without purchasing a ticket, but anyone can watch the guards march up the street from the barracks to the castle. In the afternoons we would either take the train in to London or while away the day in the pubs and shops of Windsor.