Kamilla and I decided to take a little city break on one of our free Mondays. We were going to try and make a trip to our Jane Austen Mecca, the Chatsworth House or aka known as Pemberley. However, with a four-hour journey each way, we decided that we would save it for another day, especially because we had to be back by 7 to see Enron.
We decided to venture out to the south of London and immerse ourselves in a day of history at Hampton Court Palace, where King Henry the VIII wooed all his wives.
Honestly, after going there, I’m going to have to marry incredibly rich. Like the Louvre, I was constantly just staring at the ceiling, which was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t get my mind around how this was hundreds of years old, and how they possibly could make the rooms so huge.
Room after room, rooms got bigger and the paintings on the wall seemed so realistic. One of my favorite rooms was the weaponry room (I would), because the walls had intricate designs made out of guns and knives.
While the walls were lavished with paintings and golden tapestries, the rooms were very barren.
I took a picture of one of the thrones and suddenly a man yelled, “YOU HAVE COMMITTED HIGH TREASON”
Great, I had finally missed so many no photography signs that I was going to be thrown in jail.
The man approached and I started to reach out and give him my offending camera and say you can have it, just don’t take me. But, he started laughing and said it’s a crime not to bow in front of the throne. We also learned that the rooms were so empty because it was treason to sit unless told to do so by the king or queen while in their presence.
We learned from another gentleman that the tapestries were considered second in value to the queen’s jewels because they were made with golden thread. The people who made the tapestries would usually go blind from the amount of intricate details that had to be made for a tapestry that would be as big as the wall.
My favorite place in Hampton Court Palace was the gardens. They were absolutely breath taking and there were about 10 different ones to choose from. There was rose gardens, hedges, a maze, shaped trees, and every color flower imaginable.
Kamilla and I got to relax under the trees and wonder what it would be like in the time of the Tudors.
Also my favorite ceiling was in the chapel, and to my discontent....I obeyed the no picture sign. The ceiling was a dark navy blue, with little gold stars everywhere. I hope I can do this in my own home one day.
After walking around all day, Kamilla and I decided that food was necessary and became stuck in a hard choice between tea and scones or…the stew that we had been smelling all day.
As soon as we smelled the stew again in the little café area, we really had no choice. I can’t even describe how delectable and spicy it was. After a long day of walking, it just made you feel warm and full.
We made our trip back and went to Enron that night. It was not my favorite play. I’ve noticed a lot that in London it’s ok to talk about 9/11 and joke about it. It creeped me out a little too much and I was not a big fan of all the American stereotypes thrown around. It just wasn’t my style of musical; it also would have helped if I knew something about stocks…
Really though, I want to make my future house beautiful like Hampton Court Palace.
