This morning started as any other morning for us American tourists in London: 5 hours too early. However we mustered our strength and boarded the train to Hampton Court. As we entered we were greeted by a magnificent coat of arms on the ceiling before we moved into the courtyard where there was a medieval band complete with sackbuts. As usual the first place we went was to the kitchens so Zach could get a cup of coffee.
With our newly re-caffeinated friend now satiated we wandered through the castle. The chapel was gorgeous and was marked in the hall by its very elaborately pretty door decorations. Inside was even more beautiful with painted ceilings and drapery and carpets, however there were no pictures allowed in the actual chapel out of respect.
The grounds were meticulously maintained and absolutely fit for a king. The “pond” in the garden stretched literally as far as the eye could see and had geese, ducks, and majestic (if maybe a little less than bright) swans. The flowers were mostly at the peak of their bloom at this time in spring and I know that my grandmother would have never left the flower area.
The last thing we visited was the bed chambers and rooms of the kings, queens, etc. that had lived there. Everything was wall to wall craftsmanship. I have never seen such magnificent displays of fortune and class.
After this we departed for Soho. There is a lot to do in Soho so we condensed the journey into a trip to Forbidden planet, a nerd-culture store, and Foyles bookshop, 6 floors of empty-your-bank-account books and music. After this we went over to Chintown for dinner and then decided to head back to the hotel.
KSU Honors City as Text Blog 