Day 5: London, England

London, United Kingdom

Today I had the chance to visit Hampton Court Palace in Surrey with Tana, Emily and Tristan. On our way we stopped to drop Olivia off at nursery school that was surrounded by such charming gardens and an old stone church with some of the tallest grave stones I’ve ever seen. Upon arriving to Hampton Court I was impressed by the size of this palace. It is where King Henry VIII used to entertain and truly has a massive footprint (36,000 sq ft). We toured through the various “apartments” of the different royal rulers and the staff performs various short plays throughout the grounds that made it seem you were living amongst the time of these famous Kings/Queens. They also offer you a cloak upon your arrival should we wish to dress the Royal part on your visit…Emily picked out a lovely read cloak to play princess for the day. I couldn’t believe the multiple kitchens dedicated for each part of the meal found on the grounds (meat, fish, and even a chocolate kitchen). We had the chance to take turns roasting the beef over the large fire. I guess it makes sense why King Henry the VIII was not a small man. I’m also thankful to not have been a wife of King Henry VIII or to have ever crossed the man…certainly resulted in many beheadings and it was so interesting to learn the stories behind each. We even had the chance to walk the hallway said to be haunted by his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, that was executed on her husbands orders in 1541 (accused of committing adultery). It was pretty wild to spot various markings throughout the Palace that were “hidden” initials of the various Queens. When King Henry VIII moved on to a new wife, he ordered the staff to remove this evidence of other wives from the Palace walls, but some were missed and still remain (this was not an easy feat; some were carved into extravagant woodwork, stone or stained glass). Most of the rooms in each living corridor progressed from more common areas (protected by guards and reception areas to greet guests) to more private chambers (dining rooms, bedrooms and even cushioned restrooms). This palace was constructed over time to reach the size it is today. In 1515 Cardinal Wolsey began to transform what had been a private courtier’s house into a bishops palace, but in 1529 his master, King Henry VIII decided he’d like it for himself so Wolsey, obligingly, handed it over. With King Henry VIII’s improvements, it became one of the most modern palaces in England. Anne Boyle visited this palace for her honeymoon and King Henry’s other wife, Kateryn Parr, was at the palace for her honeymoon. Henry’s son was born there in 1537 (Edward VI) and his christening was held at the palace in the Chapel Royal (beautiful, but no photos allowed). Soon after gaining the throne in 1689, William III and Mary II commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild Hampton Court (same architect that constructed St Paul’s). Wren completely transformed the eastern half of the palace , but before it was finished William and Mary died. Instead their Georgian successors were able to enjoy many Royal balls/concerts there before George III moved the court. He reigned until 1760, and in 1838 Queen Victoria ordered that the neglected Hampton Court be “thrown open to all her subjects.” Under her rule restoration occurred and at two points the interior was closed: 1) 1915 for fear of Suffragette arsonists and 2) 1986 when a fire destroyed much of the King’s Apartments. I also learned today that Queen Victoria has held the current longest reign; however, as of September 9th of this year (2015) Queen Elizabeth II will reach 63 years and can potentially exceed this (following her rule in length of time is King George III with 59 years). In the courtyard I noticed one half of the palace was lined by small windows above the main windows and the other section across the courtyard had smaller paintings in place of these windows. When I asked the guard he expressed it was simply designed that way, but they are currently trying to decide what to do because the paintings are quite faded (may be replaced with replicas at some point). I was glad to catch them in their original state, faded nonetheless. Adjustable paintings hung by ribbon were in King William III’s chambers (a room that could be locked from the inside), so he could arrange pictures as he would like versus having to have staff do so. The grounds also contain numerous gardens (rose, kitchen, fountains,and ones to simply stroll in), tennis courts, Tiltyard (jousting, wrestling, etc.), The Great Vine (wine vines planted in 1768 and still producing), and the Wilderness maze (built in the 17th century for entertaining wanders for guests of the palace). We had fun getting lost in the maze and were mesmerized by the beautiful gardens. We even enjoyed salads for lunch straight from the vegetable garden. I returned to Parsons Green for a delightful dinner w/Kristina at Kurobuta Chelsea. It was a creative blend of sushi/tapas that was the perfect mix of flavors for the pallet. We shared an array of ahi tuna nachos to Chilean sea bass. So nice to have more time to catch up with my friend 🙂 On to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge tomorrow. Gnight and Go Cavs!! I’ll be waking up shortly after the game ends!