Hampton Court Palace

Chad's sister lives very close to Hampton Court Palace, so we decided to check it out.  This time we got to go with Scott and the kids.  Shannon wasn't feeling the greatest, so she decided to take it easy at home and make us a really nice meal.

It was a beautiful day, but there is always the chance of rain, so we grabbed our raincoats, piled in the family car and headed to see how the other half lived in times past!  The building is very pretty and impressive.  I liked the bright color of brick!

The courtyard was very pretty and ornate.  Again, I loved looking at all of the architectural elements.  One cool feature was the inlaid clock - beautiful!

The kids had some fun with the statues in the courtyard.  The became one with the locals!

Inside we went on an audio tour.  I like audio tours because you can go at your own pace, hear extras if you want and skip things that don't interest you.  We began in the Great Hall.  It is a huge room with beautiful windows and tapestries.  I tried to get a good shot of the windows, but the light was low and I was a bit shaky with the camera, but at least you get the idea!

I enjoyed seeing the various rooms throughout the castle.  The attention to detail in the architecture was very impressive.  It wasn't just the furnishings, it was the ceiling and windows as well.

I was also impressed with some of the decor.  In one room there were some impressive decorations and dresses made out of Tyvek, which is like paper but more durable and workable.  I was amazed at how intricate they were.  Amazing!

Another neat room was the guard room.  The room boasts beautiful large walls that display the weaponry of the day in beautiful artistic fashion.  At first glance you almost don't realize that you are looking at a collection of weapons.

My favorite part of the palace was definitely the gardens.  What a beautiful view to wake up to each morning!  I would love it, but I would hate to be the one who had to maintain it :).

Walking into the gardens from the courtyard was a cool sight!  The first things we saw were the beautiful mushroom trees.   I'm sure they have a fancier name, but to me they screamed mushroom!  I loved them!

I really enjoyed walking through the English gardens.  They were perfectly manicured and had so much character.

As we walked down the path several of the gardens were somewhat hidden.  I loved looking through the trees to catch a glimpse of what was waiting inside!  The whole scene was so serene and beautiful!!

The palace is located on the river Thames.  There were several archways framing beautiful snapshots the river.

Maybe it's because I grew up watching Mary Poppins, but I loved all of the chimneys I saw in and around London.  The chimney's at Hampton Court Palace were no exception!  There were so many and they just charmed me!

Another thing I loved were the beautiful flowers.  There were several different varieties.  It would have been so relaxing to sit amongst the flowers and read, draw or just take in the scenery.

I guess Chad got to sit and relax a little!

It was all just so beautiful!

We had such a nice time at the palace with Scott and the kids.  This was one of the only times that we got to spend a lot of time with the kids, so we really enjoyed it!

When we got back we were met with a wonderful smell.  Shannon had made a delicious apple pie for all of us!  Thanks Shannon, it was delicious!!  It was a great way to end a great day!

Westminster Abbey to Royal Albert Hall

Today we were on our own in the city.  It was a pretty overcast day and it was threatening rain, so we decided to visit Westminster Abbey where we could be inside.  We did pretty well.  We only got rained on while we were waiting in line to get into the Abbey.  We didn't have an umbrella, but Chad had his raincoat in our backpack and he kindly let me use it!  Such a sweetheart!!

The outside of Westminster Abbey is very impressive.  The detail amazes me.  I am in awe of what the builders were able to do without all of our modern tools!  One of the things I love about being in London is seeing all of the beautiful architecture.  Buildings were works of art back when they were built.  Today our buildings are so often big boxes that lack character.  It was great to see so much attention to detail all around us!

Photography is prohibited inside Westminster Abbey.  It was actually kind of nice.  While I wish I would have been able to snap a couple of photos, I was glad that I was able to take the whole place in with my own eyes.  The tour was conducted via headphones.  It was great to go through the Abbey at our own pace.  It is a very beautiful building and it was fun to actually go into the building that I have seen on TV many times.


As we exited the church we were met with a beautiful serene courtyard.  I loved the contrast between the bright green grass and the muted tones of the building.  As we walked around the courtyard the got a special treat - the clouds parted and we were able to see blue sky!

Once we were done with the tour, we decided to try to find a place to eat.  We ended up going to a pub right across the street from Westminster Abbey.  We put our name in and then we stood there and waited.  We were told it would be about 15 minutes or so.  While we were waiting several other couples came in and put their names in as well.  Tables began to open up and the host kept getting mixed up and seated the other people before us.  After this happened a couple of times, I finally said something to the host.  Long story short, by the time we got seated I was pretty frustrated.  It was so annoying, but I tried to put it behind me and I decided to try the famous fish and chips (that was for you Dad!)  It was good, but it wasn't my favorite (sorry Dad).  I think it was a combination of the greasiness of the meal and the frustration with the host.  :(

Later on in the evening we met up with Shannon and Scott for dinner and the symphony.  We got to the area a little early and had a nice time walking around taking in our surroundings.  The area was very nice and we saw many expensive luxury cars.  Tanner is really into cars right now, so every time we would see cool cars I would take a picture of it and send it to Tanner.  I also took pictures of some of the iconic London cars, one being the black taxi.

Shannon made reservations at Cote, one of their favorite restaurants.  It is located in a beautiful little side street.  We had a wonderful time at dinner.  This was the first time we had really seen Scott since we arrived, so it was nice to catch up with him.

After dinner we walked up to Royal Albert Hall to go to the Symphony.  It was a beautiful night for a walk.

As we arrived we saw a huge monument across from Royal Albert Hall.  It was towering over the street.  Shannon told us that it was a present from the Queen to her husband!  Not sure Chad would love a monument to himself, but it was pretty amazing.  She spared no expense!

The symphony was fantastic!  We were impressed just sitting inside the Hall waiting for the program to start.  It is huge inside and it is a sight to see!  Our seats were pretty high up, but it didn't matter, there really wasn't a bad seat in the house.

At intermission we decided to get a little snack.  We had seen a Haagen Dazs sign when we entered, so Chad and Scott went out to investigate.  Sure enough they had the ice cream, but true to form - it was tiny for a big price!  No matter, it was worth the high price tag, it was delicious!  The perfect treat!

The end of the show was pretty spectacular!  All of the sudden we heard a huge bang from a cannon and then we saw fireworks shooting off from the top floor of the Hall.  It was fantastic!  They definitely know how to deliver a grand finale!  We loved it!!

After the show we decided to get a treat.  Shannon remembered an ice cream parlor nearby, so we checked it out.  It was fabulous!  Talk about ice cream sundaes - wow!  I can't remember the names, but Chad got a chocolate cookie sundae and I got a tropical fruit sundae.  They were huge and delicious!

On our way back to the train station, Shannon and Scott showed us the church building in Hyde Park they attended when they first came to London.  It is a beautiful little building.  I loved the Christus Statue front and center in the building!  What a wonderful sight!!

We had a great day!  Can't wait for more!!