11. I almost had to become a duck in the Hampton Court Gardens

Three blog posts in two days?? Don’t mind if I do… I know you certainly won’t. Creeps.

We set off bright and early this morning for Hampton Court Palace on our second train ride of the trip! I did a crossword the entire way there and still never finished it and probably never will (because sudoku is the superior choice!!). It seems that every single primary school in the United Kingdom decided that today was the day they would travel to King Henry’s “party palace” (as per the paper guide we were given upon entry) so I immediately was put off. I did see everything there was to see, as far as I know, other than all of the gardens. I spent a lot of time following Shawn around because I absolutely cannot stand the culture of handheld audio guides in museums here. They’re extremely helpful, but also not very accessible for people who need to read for comprehension… like me. Eventually, I got swallowed into the Cumberland Art Gallery and got abandoned in the process, which kicked off my solo journey in Hampton Court Palace.

I spent an absurd amount of time combing through all of the paintings in the gallery, then even more time going through King William III’s chambers, which had even more art in them. I wasn’t sure how much of it I was allowed to take pictures of, so I didn’t get many inside. After that, I walked around a bit, and remembered I had a blog to post, so I took a singular picture that shows the mashing of architectural styles in the palace, as it has been built and restored in at least three different architectural periods.

Look at those architectural styles mash!

When I realized I had seen all there was to see inside the palace, I ventured outside into the gardens. What I didn’t realize was that I was missing out on the most beautiful parts of it, but I still had a wonderful time by myself, picking flowers that I meant to give to Kaylee and also seeing bees doing their little thing. At one point, I definitely did worry that I was lost in the garden, and that I would just be left behind and I would have to become one with the ducks at the palace. Not a bad existence, just not a journey I was ready to embark upon then.

I know that in all ages Hampton Court Palace must have been beautiful; it was simply designed to be majestic. The level and type of elegance, however, I am sure has fluctuated over time. In the time of Henry VIII I imagine it had a much more severe type of grace, whereas in the times of Elizabeth I and William I feel that the staff would have been more relaxed, but the palace would have been no less beautiful. All of this is conjecture, though; there are historical accounts everywhere in and out of Hampton Court Palace about what England was like at those times, but even walking on the same ground those people walked on centuries ago cannot reawaken the experiences of those past.

I’ve really been enjoying going to all of these historical sites. I think it’s amazing that so many buildings in England have been around for so much longer than the United States has, and all have such a rich history.