Exploring Hampton Court Palace was quite a trip. We started our morning with a short and sleepy train ride to a beautiful small town with a river running through it. Once we got to the palace, I was overwhelmed by the colorful view of rainbow flowers in front of the building. The building was a grand red-bricked structure surrounded by many different intricate gardens. We followed the comforting wood fire smell and started our tour in the kitchens. After touring multiple rooms and closets, including a chocolate room and a red velvet toilet, I was in disbelief that this place was real. A king having a space devoted to 24/7 luxury chocolate sounds just like a recurring dream I had as a child with a dangerous sweet tooth. There was a personal chapel adorned by blue ceilings with white stars and holy water by the door. A specific hall was said to be haunted by the fearful screaming of the fifth wife Catherine Howard. I saw many ceilings full of Verrio paintings depicting mythological stories that the King happened to relate to. I saw hundreds of paintings that had been kept amazingly well and were mostly of female courtiers. Though I understand prop meat pies were added, the palace was so strangely fresh looking. It felt more like a replica castle rather than one which was actually built in the year 1699. The paintings were too shiny, and the floors did not nearly creak enough. The gardens were beautifully kept and extremely impressive in how odd the design was. The rose garden blew me away and I couldn’t help but think of all the period movies and shows it reminded me of. The Hampton Court Palace compared to the other landmarks we have seen felt like a newly flipped fixer-upper. I would live in it if they let me, well, only if the chocolate room is available.
Theatre in London U of A 