A Regal Birthday

I was going to blame my late birthday blog on the weather, but cold snowy days usually mean you're stuck inside with plenty of time for blogging (or building awesome, professional looking, contest-winning worthy snowmen!). I thought about blaming it on our travels, but that didn't stop Brandina from posting a few blogs. I can't quite blame it on a job, because frankly I don't have one yet. I could blame it on my obsession with fantasy sports, but that's neither here not there. So I'll just be honest and say I've procrastinated, but the time has come to tell you about the fun day Brandina planned for me back on that clear, but crisp December 6th.

Since my trip to Israel, my interest in history has grown substantially, so Brandina cleverly organized a day of history, shopping, relaxation, and delicious food. The day revolved around Windsor Castle, which is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. This is where the Queen and her family generally spend the holidays----must be nice. On a tour of castle we weren't able to take any pictures, but my personal favorites were the weapons room, St. George's Hall, Henry VIII's chubby armor, and Napoleon Bonaparte's tiny bed. St. George's Hall is decorated with the coats of arms of all of the Knights of the Garter. We noticed the Prussian eagle on a few, which was especially significant because for my birthday present last year, Brandina surprised me with a completed version of the coat of arms my dad and I had designed---which also included the Prussian eagle, where the roots of my family tree begin.

After we toured the castle, in keeping with the theme, Brandina gave me a red velvet pouch filled with British coins (£1 takes the form of a coin in the UK) to do a bit of birthday shopping. The town of Windsor is much less touristy then I imagined, complete with a huge mall, grocery stores, and lots of restaurants---I had envisioned it to be more along the lines of a Shakespeare Festival, but I was a bit off. It felt a bit weird popping in and out of stores like H&M, Zara, and Gap with a historic castle as the backdrop, perhaps a little different then William The Conqueror had intended.

Once my pouch was empty, we walked to the next surprise---a relaxing couple of hours at a day spa. Back when we used to work, we could afford such luxuries as a gym membership with a hot tub, steam room, sauna, etc, but that doesn't quite fit in the budget at the moment, so it was a nice surprise to just indulge for a bit.

After our pores and toxins were nice and cleansed, it was time for some tasty eats---dinner and wine at a Thai Restaurant down the street---a delicious ending to a wonderful birthday!

-Bryan

“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” ~Abraham Lincoln