"Sir what say ye, with your fat face"* Hampton Court Palace

My real reason for visiting Richmond the other week was actually to visit Hampton Court Palace, more specifically the Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber exhibit they had on (sorry, it ended Nov. 3). 

The Palace has an admissions fee, which in my opinion is well worth the cost, but if you are on a limited budget you can wander the beautiful gardens and maze on the grounds.

I don't really know what I was expecting with the historic interpretation of the building and the people that had lived there. We arrived soon after opening to make sure we would have enough time to see every. Single. Room. We discovered a performance of sorts that ran throughout the day and took place all over the Palace, it knitted together a story about the people of the Palace during Elizabethan time. It was interactive, interesting and well done. Since it was Black History Month they focused on the theme of 'Blackamoors' living in England.

Between each performance we wandered the halls taking our time and enjoying the grand space.

I'm so mature

This vine is in the Guinness Book of World Records for 2005. Look it up! Also, did you know there is a different kind of tennis out there other than the one kind of tennis I bet you are thinking of? Yes, there is, really there is. It's called Real tennis, not to be confused with it's derivative of lawn tennis. The courts at the Palace were built in 1625 for Charles I.

Hampton Court Palace was a great attraction and I'd visit the gardens and the surrounds parks again for sure. We of course, ended our day with a couple of pints and a great meal at the Old King's Arms.


*an insult from King Henry VIII period and could be heard at dinner conversations in the great hall. It also became my favourite thing to say that weekend.


Fun travels!

A Stroll Through Richmond Park

Sometimes you just need to get out of the hustle and bustle of the City of London and what better way then going for a walk through Richmond Park and looking out for the wildlife. 

The park covers 2,500 acres being the largest of the Royal Parks in London and is home to Red Deer and Fallow Deer, Fox, Rabbit, Shrew, Mice, Vole, 144 recorded species of bird, and many different kinds of flora and fauna. In 1625 Charles I brought his court to Richmond Palace to escape the plague in London and turned it into hunting grounds in London. 

From it's highest point at the King Henry's Mound one can see all the way to St. Paul's Cathedral 10 miles away, thanks to a telescope, the unobstructed specially maintained avenue across London. 

Can you see it?

Once we finished admiring the view we stopped for a spot of tea at the Pembroke Lodge and then set up a game plan. We wanted to see some deer! At first the thought was that we'd have to head more into the interior of the park to see any kind of wildlife, turns out not to be true. We spotted deer relatively easily and along the main road that ran through the park.

Spot the deer

Spot the deer

We finished our day with a few pints at the 300 year old Kings Arms Hotel, which was actually built into the Lion's Gate of Hampton Court Palace. Love a good pub with history.

Hope you enjoyed my version of "Where's Waldo" in this post.

Fun travels!

Wednesday Wanderings

River Thames along Hampton Court Palace

Fun travels!