Sun, Aug 23: London:
Had breakfast at Garfunkels restaurant this
morning which is near St. Paul’s Cathedral.
I had poached eggs on toast and Mike had an omelet which was served with
potatoes and tomatoes. Back to the hotel
for a bit and then headed out to Hampton Court.
To get there we took the subway to the Embankment Station and transferred
to the North Line. Took the North Line
south to Waterloo Station which goes under the Thames, so we had to go down,
down, down to board that subway. Got off
at Waterloo Station and took a surface train to Hampton Court Station. Just a short walk to the palace. Hampton Court Palace is immense. We toured Henry VIII’s apartments, kitchens, and
gardens. They prepared meals for
600-1200 people twice a day. I can’t
even imagine. Had a bite to eat at the
Palace café and then walked back to the Hampton Court train station and back to
Waterloo and then the subway back to Blackfriars. Were able to get a table outside at the
Blackfriars Pub and had a couple of cocktails before heading back to our hotel
which is right across the street. Tired.
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| Guests would come in this entrance. |
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| Base Court--Guests would be welcomed here and taken to their suite of rooms. Each suite had its own toilette, which emptied through viaducts underground and into the Thames. |
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| Henry VIII kitchens. They made these pies which were filled with boiled or roasted meat. |
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| They had banks of these charcoal stoves where they would make stews, soups, or whatever. They say they're as efficient as our stoves at home. |
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| Close-up of one of the charcoal stoves. |
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| Huge spits where they roasted the meat. |
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| The wine cellar held these huge casks of wine and beer, which were served at every meal. The wine was imported from France and was meant to impress the guests. |
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| Some of the windows in the palace. |
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| The Great Hall where Henry VIII entertained. This was built when Ann Boleyn was Queen. Sumptuous meals were served here along with all kinds of entertainment. |
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| During the Georgian period, this was the King's bed chamber. |
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| This was the Queen's bed chamber. |
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| The gardens out back are beautiful. The Thames River is in the background. Unfortunately, it was raining so we couldn't explore. |
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| The clock courtyard. |
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| The little village just outside the Palace grounds. Mike stretching his back. He decided to wear shorts and a tee shirt. I told him it was going to be chilly and rainy. |
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| At Blackfriars enjoying some cocktails. Our hotel is in the background just across the street. |
