By 10:30 we were out the door. We bustled through the sticky humid air, trying not to break a sweat, yet all the while attempting to be as speedy as possible. The excitement was too much and we wanted to arrive! Our journey took us through the tube station and down into the ground, flying through tunnels and then back up to Waterloo Station, where we were to catch a train! (The above ground kind)
Finally our journey brought us to the gates of Hampton Court Palace! The grand spread of red brick lay before us as we stopped and let hang our mouths in awe. (Well, really we whipped out our phones for photos like this)
Quickly we found the ticket booth, retrieved our tickets, collected maps, and rushed inside! As we entered into what was called the Base Court, I felt the air itself change. It was alive. There must have been magic woven into the air we breathed because suddenly there weren't tourists in front of me on the cobble stoned courtyard, but horses and nobles, all waiting to praise the king as he arrived at his favorite palace. I could see it perfectly.
We meandered through Henry VIII’s own apartments, taking in all that we could about that place. We walked where he walked, touched the walls that he touched, saw views of the grounds that he viewed. Those majestic rooms were not all that we saw about Henry VIII, we also wandered through his kitchens - sprawling clusters of rooms that covered more space than all of our houses!
Dinner was eaten - scratch that; dinner was shoveled in. (Though we did take time to appreciate that the room in which we ate was Elizabeth I’s privy kitchen!) We were running out of time! That historical monster of a palace held too much for us to do in one afternoon. One of the last things we did, to my great delight, was the maze! A hedge maze that is over 300 years old, it was truly a maze fit for kings!
To the dismay of all involved, Hampton Court Palace had a closing time of 6 o’clock PM. So our long journey once more began.
I felt the same way when we visited Hampton Court. I could probably have spent 2 whole separate days there if I had the chance! I'm glad you guys got to go through the hedge maze, we ran out of time last weekend unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteHampton Court is so beautiful, I'm glad you guys took the time to go! Rachel, Liesa, and I got there at a reasonable time and we still did not see everything! You could spend two days there! It's amazing how well built this place was 200 plus years ago that it remains today. I wish this place was on the itinerary because of how historical it is to London.
ReplyDeleteDid you have a favorite part of the castle? Personally, I really enjoyed the fountain and the gardens! The fountain there is so beautiful!