Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Trip Report Part 2-Hampton Court Palace

Our stay in London was short and our itinerary circumscribed by a combination of the girls’ interests and Boy Genius’s rather, mercurial, behaviour.
One of the first things we did was visit Hampton Court Palace. I must admit that I had no particular interest in hiking out to Hampton Court but a few people told me it was a great family day out and I do think it was worth the trip.
The architectural and decorative features of the palace are magnificent (I particularly liked the chimneys) and its history fascinating. In the morning we tagged along with a guided tour that looked at court life through servant’s eyes. We had hoped to do the complementary tour from a courtier’s perspective later in the day but Boy Genius found the king (or at least the actor with the huge codpiece playing Henry VIII) upsetting-I suspect it was the loud carrying voice-and so we retired to the gardens for a picnic.
The gardens were lovely, the roses being in full bloom, and the afternoon was warm enough that I was grateful for the shade of large trees. I think the children enjoyed the maze in spite of the school group that was also there racing about and squealing as school groups are wont to do. We returned to the palace and managed to get a quick glimpse at most of the state rooms before Boy Genius deemed it was time we left.
I would have to agree that it is a great family day out and I would consider returning there for a couple of hours without the entourage so as to get a decent look about.

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