Fitzy's Travel Blog: Day 13: Nipple biting snakes, labyrinthine mazes, glorious gardens

Thursday, 1 May 2014

Day 13: Nipple biting snakes, labyrinthine mazes, glorious gardens - Hampton Court

Today we were very privileged to not only have Shanny all to ourselves, but also to have Shanny as our very own private tour guide for Hampton Court, where she would be sharing her love of all things Tudors with us.

We took the train there, since the boat ride would take some 4 or 5 hours; crossed the Thames and were soon standing in front of the rain soaked entrance to Hampton Court. Thank you London. Good thing we brought our brollies and wet weather gear.

Tickets and audio guides all sorted, we started walking around when we noticed some others wearing Tudor style capes! We had to have some, so back to the entrance hall where capes were donned. Unfortunately though capes were designed before the invention of the back pack.

We toured kitchens and learnt of the logistics in running a huge house feeding hundreds lavishly, which was the way back then. Apparently the starving peasants felt happy when they saw their royal overlords pillaging the land for miles around to the point that the royal procession actually had to move from one castle to another to allow the local wildlife to recover.

Please pass me a pig to roast, or maybe that small child down the end...

Eating meat was a sign of prosperity, and it’s thought that Henry ate his meat to the point of getting scurvy.

We toured the various palaces with their varying styles and splendour, listened to every one of the audio guides, and marvelled at the stained glass and architecture, Ceasers Triumphs, and learnt that William III knocked down half of Henry VIII's palace to remodel it, and fortunately didn't knock it all down as he didn't have enough money. No wonder the people didn't like him!

Now that is a knife, sword, gun collection...

One of the highlights would have to be the gardens. Even on a wet and gloomy day they were simply magnificent: from cultured beds of tulips, vast spreading green lawns, topiary trees, hidden pond gardens ending with a huge wisteria, and the largest vine on earth whose grapes are no longer just for the privileged nobility, but now shared amongst all who are quick enough.