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Dr John Hawkins

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Hampton Court Palace

Posted on 2007/07/01 19:27:45 (July 2007).

[Saturday 30th June]
Today was Chie's family's last full day in the UK, and like just about every other day on their trip the weather was looking pretty dreary. Still, we had to do something, and after a bit of thinking in the morning I suggested Hampton Court Palace, on the grounds that there were things to do both inside and out there - so if the weather did improve at any point we could take a stroll around the gardens, but inbetween we could look at all the interior bits.

It turned out to be quite a good choice - I have to say, as tourist attractions go, I rather approve of Hampton Court Palace. The entrance fee is a relatively steep thirteen pounds, but this is at least slightly less than Leeds Castle, and when you compare the two, Hampton Court has far more to see.

Some of the rooms had minstrels, playing presumably authentic music for the period - again, touristy though it may be, I appreciated that some effort was put into actually entertaining visitors, rather than just milking a nice old building for all it's worth. The feeling of grandeur was still very evident in the King's and Queen's state apartments, and I also rather enjoyed the Tudor kitchens.

The rain did let up enough to enable us to go and see the gardens towards the end of our visit, which were also very nice - I particularly liked the great vine (about 250 years old). Oh and we had to visit the maze (it seems all these big castles/palaces are required by law to have one), although it was a fair bit easier than the one at Leeds Castle.

We left Hampton Court some time around 5 or 6, and headed back to the flat, where we spent the rest of the evening. Given the rather inclement weather, we didn't particularly fancy going out anywhere, so instead I cooked dinner at home. I made a couple of big lasagnes, which seemed to go down rather well.