Today we went to Hampton Court Palace, and let me just say….I would hate living there. But let us rewind to the beginning of our journey. We left today at nine am, and took a tube to Waterloo station. We caught a train to the palace, and it was about thirty seven minutes of travel. I love train rides so much because I enjoy just sitting and listening to music. Earlier I fell down a rabbit hole of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez songs to each other, so I was listening to mostly that on the train. Anyways… we arrived and walked to the palace.

Upon arrival we walked down the drive way and there was a beautiful flower garden. The flowers had such bright colors to them, that they almost looked fake. When we got there we were given little audio guides and they were very helpful in learning. The chapel had the most beautiful architecture. The bean I think my favorite part of the tour was looking through the King’s apartment. When you first walk in there is a big room full of guns. It was said he would have forty plus guards in front of his bedroom. When walking in more there were three rooms with thrones that he would entertain guests in. The more we went in the more private the rooms got. I was really surprised when I saw his private bedroom was so small, compared to his “guest room”.

After leaving Molly and I sat on a bench in the garden. We sat there for a good twenty minutes before leaving for lunch.

We decided to look for lunch and found this one place down the way. I had a really tasty Chicken, roasted pepper, mozzerella panini. I also got it with the soup of the day and it was so delectable. What was funny is that Shawn and Courtneay walked in ten minutes after us, and said they loved this place for the exact sandwich I ordered. Then not even four minutes more of our group walked in, what a silly day. The train ride back was very warm, but not too terrible, and went straight to the room to take a nap. 10/1o day overall

Hampton Court Palace- Day 16

1. We weren’t confused on this train ride, and were able to find our seats quickly…thanks Shawn. 
2. Saw some Shakespearean acting within Hampton Court Palace, they were reenacting Midsummer and another scene that I was not familiar with. 
3. I ate a Jacket Potato with cheese and beans, which is basically just a baked potato with chili on top..but Ted Lasso inspired me and I had to eat one. I will be remaking this when I get home, with a way better baked potato. 
4. We fed Ducks by one of the Hampton Court Ponds. Not entirely sure if I was supposed to, but it felt like they were telling me to feed them and they eat out of my hand. 
5. I sunbathed in the Rose garden, which was GORGEOUS!! And it was less of a sun bathe since I hate jackets on but the sun and all of the flowers were so breathtaking, I’m gonna let it count. 
6. Caught an episode of One Tree Hill upon returning to the hotel, the day after meeting Sophia Bush herself. 
7.  Ate Taco Bell for dinner…for the second time. Somehow it tastes better but also makes me miss Taco Bell from back home. Don’t go to McDonald’s though in my opinion it was lackluster compared to Taco Bell. 
8. Tried a Wagon Wheel and a Timeout (both chocolate cookie things). Timeouts are my new favorite thing, 12/10 recommended, I didn’t vibe with the jam in the Wagon Wheel. 
9. Planned out last minute details for my small group’s adventure to Amsterdam happening on Friday!! Can’t wait!
10. Settling in for another night of board games and blog posts!

Hampton Court Palace is a maze within itself, not including its actual maze that is on its grounds. The two places I spent the most time were William III’s apartment and Henry VII’s home. I enjoyed William’s apartment more as I got to learn more about his life and fun facts about him (did you know he had asthma? That’s why the steps to his apartment were so shallow). I felt like being in his apartment I got to see more of his life even in his bathroom (that was the highlight of his apartment for me, he had a velvet toilet seat). But when I was in Henry’s home it felt more like it was meant for entertaining (he did do a lot of entertaining here and had many halls for this purpose). But I felt like because of the popularity and everyone knowing who Henry VII is, many people were crammed into his home and so were many attractions, including performances. So it was hard to really learn about his life. But I mean do we really want to learn about Henry VII because he was a pretty shitty dude, and that’s an understatement. So I guess it was a blessing in disguise. Even though Henry’s quarters were the ones that connected most of the things I saw before stepping into different sections of the palace, it just felt lackluster to me but again it might have something to do with the man (it won’t be the first or last time I’m saying that).

My favorite part of Hampton Court Palace was being outside! I know, shocking, I’m not the typical outside girly. But sitting in the grass surrounded by the prettiest flowers, so many ducks, and the biggest bumblebees I have ever seen made me realize why people live in palaces. It’s not for the inside, it’s for the outside. You get your own garden, multiple if you’re lucky. And it’s phenomenal, I could have spent all day out there reading, feeding ducks, or simply just watching people harvest blooms (which I did all of these things). The upkeep of these gardens must take forever and a day but in my opinion it’s so worth it, because I could get lost exploring and I didn’t even need to go in the maze. All I had to do was frolic around until my heart was content enough to sit down. I guess I could put up and well out for Henry VII if it meant I got all of these gardens but he would still probably kill me…oh well. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, especially when they don’t have rights.

Today was a much needed Alex-day, and I spent it walking around the halls of a dead king. I felt very much like the good, old queen when she walked with her corgis. For context, we took a day trip out to Hampton Court Palace, the old home of Henry XIII. It was a very impressive building, but the thing that impressed me the most was the gardens. The building was cool and all, but I can only care so much about the stinky, old home of a man who has a very popular musical slandering him, running infinitely through the headphones of young theatre goers (this is in reference to the musical Six). I spent a majority of my time walking through the garden just looking at all the plants and birds. There were so many baby birds, and I spent so much time stalking them. I even had some fun heart to heart moments with a pair of mallard ducks. I just connected with them in a way that made me feel loved… I will never see them again, and there is something beautiful about that. To love something so much that you don’t even need to see it to value it. Those ducks mean more to me than life itself. I know that when we cross paths again, neither of us will know each other. We will be like strangers. Two lovers, forbidden to interact, never to truly connect. It is a pain too beautiful to understand. Anyway, I have come to realize that I like birds (sorry Ryan) and I really just want to bird watch. The palace was cool, but the birds were cooler. 

The bird’s name was Toodles…

I miss her

Hampton Court Palace was a maze. Each certain area designated to a certain royal was like its own little cocoon within the palace walls. I spent a lot of my time in William the III’s royal chambers and what struck me the most was the beautiful mural Verrio painted across the staircases walls and ceiling that you pass under to enter into his residence. The mural was huge! I wondered if he stood on a ladder all day and painted this masterpiece or if this was wallpapered onto the palace because the sheer size of his artwork was magnificent. I cannot imagine having to have painted for so long, especially for a king. Entering William III’s section of the palace, you are first met with these numerous public rooms that allow courtiers and servants to enter and stay waiting upon the king’s arrival. These rooms were lined with tapestries and paintings that depicted the meaning of each room. In King William III’s “bedroom” another Verrio mural painting was present that had the goddess Venus singing to sleep Mars the god of war. I think this was my most favorite mural in the palace. Little angels flew around Mars and Venus holding his armor and weapons and flying them away. Mars is at peace in this painting and that is not something we saw often in Roman mythology, so I found it quite cool that Verrio used this image to replicate the action of the room. A dark and scary king having his afternoon nap under the gaze of Venus. It is kind of hilarious.  

As for the architecture in the palace, it was all constructed in very open spaced rooms, but the paneling and wood read very mundane to me. It was not until you looked at the artwork that was hanging from the walls that I began to read rich and royal from this space. The personal staircases also lent the idea that these people were quite wealthy and high in society. The stained glass in Henry VIII’s eating/party room for his six wives was quite beautiful and it is positioned in a way for Henry VIII to always be in an eye shot of his stained-glass doppelganger. Talk about conceited. But as for the foundation of this palace, I do not know, nothing caught my eye overwhelmingly until I was standing outside in the gardens where I began to appreciate the stone pillars and cobbled walkways. The cushioned toilet of William III did make me lose my mind. That cushion has got to be crustyyy.  

But for most of my time, I spent it outside in the large courtyard where the stream ran through the grass and trees. Me and some ducks became good friends. It was so tranquil out there I kept forgetting I saw sitting in the grass that once belonged to an unjust and power hungry and hateful king. So gross. I picked some grass out of the ground to really stick it to the man. Just a little though; I was totally seeking out justice on my own time, haha. One thing these kings and queens sure knew how to do was import exotic plants and animals and make it feel like they are where they are supposed to be. I watched an Egyptian goose, and her children walk back and forth across the grass for a good hour, and I could not help but continue to think about how they do not belong here. I wonder if that’s how Henry’s wives felt. Trapped and imported from foreign lands to entertain him. To simply look pretty. I hope those ladies had a pact together of some sort that kept them safe in the simplest ways they could. I am sure this palace felt like a prison for most. Especially Anne and Catherine. Godspeed sisters.  

Visiting Hampton Court Palace was a beautiful experience. The town we were in for the day was really peaceful and I would have loved to just sit outside the palace all day. 

 On the flip side, the inside of the palace was also really interesting. I loved having the audio guide with me and being able to tour at my own pace. Being able to listen to the history of the palace at my own pace really helped me absorb all of the information. One of my favorite parts of the tour was wandering into a room where there were actors acting as Shakespeare’s acting troupe and planning out a performance of A Midsummers Night’s Dream. I wasn’t expecting it at all and I’m always happy to see a little bit of theater. Also, it’s crazy how after being in London this long, it’s still shocking to me that places like Hampton Court Palace have existed as long as they have. Learning about Henry VIII and other nobles made me want to watch Six.

 My favorite part of our visit was the gardens. As we walked outside it felt like the clouds parted and the weather became beautiful. We watched baby birds and their parents run around for a while by a stream and at first, it was so peaceful, but then they got close and I started understanding Ryan’s fear of birds. The rose garden was my favorite garden, it smelled so beautifully of roses and had all of my favorite colors in it. Compared to other big city’s I’ve been to London has a plethora of nature, but I’ve still been missing the amount of nature we have in Arkansas. Being at Hampton Court Palace calmed my need to be outside a bit. I also really liked the town outside of the palace, we got some fresh juice and found a calm sitting area and it was very peaceful. I would love to come back here one day and just wander around for hours.

Our day at the National Gallery was successful! After exploring the many rooms full of iconic and beautiful artwork and spending seventy pounds at the gift shop, I left feeling fulfilled. The National Gallery had multiple rooms that included biblical paintings. Many featured the birth and crucifixion of Christ, and some portrayed other stories and figures from the bible such as Samson and Delilah or John the Baptist. I wanted to look at one of the paintings that depicted mythology and Christianity. The painting on the left is by Giovanni Battista Tiepelo and is named An Allegory with Venus and Time. The shape of this piece was different than any other painting as it was in the shape of a huge oval and was mounted from the wall facing down. It depicts the goddess Venus with an angel holding an infant. Though this piece was placed with the other Christian painting, this piece could be perceived as Jesus in the heavens or just something of a mythological symbol of infancy and mortality. I was drawn to this piece because of the colors, details, and blending, however, the face of the baby is what made me stay. This painting and a few others within the museum depicted a distorted baby’s face. At the time, artists were either unfamiliar with an infant’s features, the baby couldn’t sit for long enough, or they just used a grown man’s face on a baby’s body. With such a beautiful piece, whether it be mythological or Christian, even the beauty of Venus couldn’t save that baby’s face.

I also focused on the still life paintings within the museum, as a floral still life will always catch my attention. I noticed a beautiful Rachel Ruysch still life titled Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase on a Marble Edge. This realist painting pictures an abundant bouquet with a dark background. The colors were vibrant, and the detail was prominent. Like the Tiepelo piece, it has amazing pastel colors and told a story, even if it was just a still life rather than a mythological story. It was so exciting to see such a difference in pieces, especially works with such big names in the Gallery like Van Gogh and Monet. I can’t wait to go back!

The National Gallery was maybe my least favorite museum we have been to thus far. I think it is the idea that so many similar paintings that all stand next to one another lessen the effect of some of these beautiful masterpieces. Seeing a room filled with only oil paintings makes pieces like Sunflowers by Van Gogh look less intriguing. And that saddened me a bit because I wanted to be so emotionally pulled by the art and that did not happen for me this museum go- around. My most favorite classic painting I think ever is The Water- Lily Pond by Claude- Oscar Monet. I am a woman of the water and seeing the way in which he has sculpted the dimension of the pond makes my heart flutter. The weeping willows to the left side of the painting are probably some of the most beautiful leaves I have ever seen created with oil. The embankment to the right of the painting with the tall grass sweeping over the water is created in a way that looks like wind is flowing over the water. I loveeee this aspect of the painting. Seeing the effects of the wind brings this piece of art to life along with the reflections in the water. The dimension and life Monet can create in his work inspires me as an actor. You can be given a blank canvas (character) and you are the one with the responsibility to breathe life into it and I believe Monet is a master at this.  

The second painting I loved seeing in the National Gallery was The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur. This painting is almost thirty years older than Monet’s Water Lily- Pond and although both are used with oil paints the technique used by each artist is vastly different. In The Horse Fair Rosa utilizes emotion in almost every stroke. Even the grains of soil at the bottom of the painting are brought to life with visceral emotion by the dust storms the horses and people create. Both paintings use motion to bring about the scenic story. The horses, although stagnant in the paint; you can read the story of a stampede vividly by the brush strokes and imagery Bonheur uses. The biggest difference between these two paintings is the use of still life versus real life. Bonheur depicts motion with people and horses while Monet replicates motion with distorted leaves and water.  

Another similarity between the two is the artist’s use of reflection from the water/the ground. Creating reflection in canvas painting is incredibly difficult to do; specifically with oil paints. Oil can easily become muddy and without an exact idea of what shapes you want to create, creating these vignettes must be done by a skillful hand. I find it interesting these artists have completely unique styles of painting while using the same ingredients: canvas and oil paints. Monet uses impressionism to create his worlds. I highly doubt the Japanese garden bridge he constructed in real life was evident with such greens and blues, but in actuality brown or grey. Monet uses his colors to tell his own story while Bonheur paints realistically and wishes to capture the scene before her in strict detail. But as I said before, both utilize reflections in their work similarly. To show what is there and what can be beyond. Monet’s reflections imitate the lilies and grass in a way that make the 93 x 74 cm frame seem much deeper and larger vertically. Bonheur does the same, but her reflections and shadow make her painting look deeper horizontally, like if you step inside her painting you could travel for miles before reaching the end.