Day Eleven: Hampton Court Palace
Today, we went as a class to Hampton Court Palace. There are 17 people in my class, and we hadn’t done a big group outing with everyone since the London Eye on our first day. One of the girls, Bethany was very excited to go to Hampton Court Palace and invited the whole class. It was fun to do something as a big group! We all boarded the train after class, and it took about a half hour to get there.
Once we arrived, we wandered around the huge grounds, listening to our audio guides. Hampton Court Palace housed many kings and queens, most famously Henry VII and his many wives. Many of the exhibits were dedicated to he and his wives’ lives and habits. There was entire exhibit dedicated to Henry’s rise to power. I find that time period fascinating, especially after I read the Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. (If you haven’t read it, get up right now and go check it out from the library. You won’t be disappointed!)
I hadn’t expected the Palace grounds to be so big. By this point in the trip, I’d seen my fair share of castles ad knew enough to expect the Palace to be elaborate. The castle was separated into different chambers, each more ornate than the next. Different royal couples and families lived in each chamber. My personal favorite was Queen Caroline’s chambers. She had a room dedicated to relaxing and playing cards or other games. According to my audio guide, she was very forward-thinking and recognized the importance of having a place for her children to relax. She also had a private dining room, where she could be served full course meals and eat in peace away from the other guests. She also recognized the importance of bathing, and had her own bathtub where her servants would bath and dress her. (This was a very uncommon idea in those days- yuck!)
The kitchen of the Palace was also shocking. It took up almost the entire first floor, yet most palace residents and guests had no idea it existed or where it was located. There were giant ovens, and the flames were open and projected toward the ceiling, which was made of wood. It seemed extremely dangerous, but there was never a fire so I must just be a worry wart.
Next, we headed to the amazing gardens. The gardens were like a scene out of a movie, so picturesque and exactly what I imagined a king and queen’s gardens to look like. The walkway heading outside reminded me of the scene from Sound of Music when the children are hanging out of the trees along the dirt road. There was a walkway lined with perfectly shaped trees, leading out to a fountain which provided the perfect backdrop for some group pictures. There were also beautiful pink, purple and red flowers, fully bloomed and creating a magnificent scenery. I could have spent the whole day just hanging out in the gardens and staring at the view!
