Royal Ascot

On Saturday, we joined 80,000 other people who were making their way to Royal Ascot - the most famous (or at least most quintessentially British) of all the horse races in the UK. It was quite an afternoon. I've never seen so many hats with color coordinated outfits in my entire life. We arrived around 11am and staked out a spot on one of the benches in the grandstand area. This served us well through the Queen's parade (she was brought in by a horse and carriage with Prince Phillip) and the first race. Also worked through a couple Pimm's and a half bottle of champagne (while I was drinking water, of course). We then braved the crowds for a fish and chips lunch and made our way right up to the white fence that separated the people from the horses for another couple races. All day we were torn between staring at the amazing outfits and actually watching the races. Unfortunately, you can't see a lot of hats in the pictures below (other than ours) but just take our word for it - they were outrageous.

Walking to Ascot from the train station



At the entrance



The outside of the main building




Our bench for most of the afternoon



Ladies in hats



Champagne anyone?



The Queen and Prince Phillip



Enourmous crowd



A day at the races



Up close - ready for the third race