Category Archives: Uncategorized

Our day trip to Hampton Court Palace was absolutely delightful! It was a short train ride from London – only 30 minutes or so. There is nothing quite like riding a train out of a big city and into the countryside. I love watching the ways that the buildings change and diminish in size; the …

Continue reading “A Palatial Day Trip”

If Hampton Court palace were added to Zillow I cannot even imagine the billions of dollars that it would go for. This palace is completely incredible and an absolute national treasure – we were so lucky to see it! From the get, before we even got to the palace, I didnt know much about it. …

Continue reading “HAMPTON COURT PALACE IN REVIEW!!!”

Much like the Tower of London, I had previously been to Hampton Court Palace. Let me tell you: it was good to be back at my old stomping grounds. I once again got to give “the Merritt tour”, aka lead everyone around as we listened to audio guides and randomly chipping in with fun facts. …

Continue reading “Big Day for Merritt: Hampton Court Palace”

Visiting Hampton Court Palace felt like stepping back in time. This grand palace sits by the River Thames and has been home to many famous kings and queens, including Henry VIII and William III. As I walked through the main gates, I was amazed by the castle’s walls and the beautiful poppy gardens leading up …

Continue reading “Exploring the History and Beauty of Hampton Court Palace”

As an avid lover of Bridgerton (minus season one, we don’t talk about her) and Tudor history, Hampton Court Palace is by far one of my favorite experiences of this trip abroad. From the beautiful back gardens, to the delicately detailed art adorning the walls and ceilings, and the interactive exhibits from the Tudor era …

Continue reading “Howard’s Haunted Hampton Hall (sorry guys I love alliteration)”

Last Thursday, we took a delectable day trip to Hampton Court Palace. The train ride was quite a bit shorter than the one that we took to Bath, which had its positive in that we got to spend more time being active, but the downside is that there are very few things as pleasurable as …

Continue reading “So, basically, The Fall of The House of Usher.”

This portrait of Ada Lovelace was painted by Margaret Sarah Carpenter in 1836. She was born in 1815 with the name Augusta Ada Byron – the only child of Lord Byron with his wife Anne Isabella Milbanke (Lord Byron had many other children out of wedlock). Lord Byron left her mother only a month after …

Continue reading “Ada and I (National Portrait Gallery)”

At the National Portrait Gallery, I consistently found myself drawn to self portraits. It was entirely unintentional as well; one would catch my eye and I would wander over to inspect it, only to discover it to be a self-portrait. In fact, most of the options I ended up giving myself for the subject of …

Continue reading “National Portrait Gallery”

One of the graves that intrigued me was the grave of David Livingstone.  Livingstone was born in Blantyre, Scotland in 1813. He started working very early on (around 11 years old from what I recall) and developed what seems to be an appreciation of academics. I can often be a sucker for the “rags to …

Continue reading “Westminster Abbey”

I was slightly underwhelmed walking up to Hampton Court Palace. It was a dreary, rainy day, and the palace was very far away so it looked tiny. It hardly compared to the great Westminster Abbey and Tower of London we had seen in days or weeks prior. It didn’t glow in the sparkling sunlight or …

Continue reading “Home-Turned-Museum in London”