Hampton Court

First I want to explain about yesterday's Three Chimney Pub. I had a inquiry that only 2 chimneys were spotted. I said the same thing on arrival. 

During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) it is said that up to 3,000 French prisoners were kept at nearby Sissinghurst Castle. The French seamen were placed on parole in the surrounding area and were allowed out as far as the pub building. At the time locals referred to this as the 'Three Wents' (or three ways) but the prisoners called it Les Trois Chemins. The unique name of the Three Chimneys therefore derives from the French term for the junction of three roads.

There you have it. It is starting out cloudy today, but we are taking our chances and taking the train out to Hampton Court - home of the lovely Henry VIII.

Arrived at Waterloo Train Station just in time to miss the 10:06 to Hampton Court, next train in 30 minutes. We got a great rate on our train tix with our Travelcard plus the "concession" (60+). We also realized that we get 2 for 1 at some of these events with our Travelcard. This made the Palace admission much more reasonable. 

The weather was not terribly good when we left but did get somewhat better as the day progressed. We spent most of the time in the Palace walking

around Henry VIII's opulent quarters. Liked the fountain of wine in the Clock Court - nice touch. The tour includes an audio aide which is always helpful and informative. It was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favorite of King Henry VIII, circa 1514; in 1529, as Wolsey fell from favor, the palace was passed to the King, who enlarged it. The following century, King William III enlarged it even more to compete with Versailles. And, of course, the kings that followed all added more.

We went through Henry's apartments, great hall, and kitchens, where mass quantities of meat and food were prepared daily.  The Fish Court was an uncovered narrow alley way bordered on both sides by stone walls. On either side were rooms that stored various items that needed to be kept cold. The sun did not shine down here and it basically acted like a cold storage facility. 

Time for some lunch. Went directly to the Privy Kitchen Cafe. We ate the traditional food of meat pies, sans meat, with a very nice side salad. Our pie consisted of butternut squash, mixed beans, and cheese. It was delicious. We learned that in Henry's time, the pastry pie shell was just a means of cooking the meat, since they did not have so much cookery. People would open the top, eat the inside, and discard the shell. Not so much today. That was the tastiest piece of cookery I have ever eaten.

After lunch, we visited the chocolate kitchen and chocolate room where they meticulously prepared hot chocolate for the royalty. We were done with touring - the sun was out - time for the gardens. We walked a bit towards the Jubilee fountain. Decided we wanted to take the river boat back to London so we cut our garden tour short. We were pretty weary by this point anyway. Found out the boat was leaving in a few minutes and that today this would be the last one back. They run basically on a tide schedule. This is a 3 hour ride back to Westminster.

Pretty soon after we were underway the clouds gathered and the rains came. Geoff & I headed downstairs for coffee and warmth. Eventually the rain stopped. Went back up top and braved the elements for the rest of trip. No more rain but lots of clouds. 

I found the bridges, of which there were several,  to be the most interesting. Also the modern architecture is amazing.  We traveled through quiet little villages up to the bustling city and it was all very interesting to take in. Passed many a skull crew and rowing clubs. Coming into London the views of Parliament and Big Ben were magnificent. 

It was 6pm by the time we pulled up to the dock. Hopped on the tube and

we were in our supermarket by 6:30, eating dinner by 7:30.  Geoff cooked some delicious Scottish Salmon with a greens, tomato, parmigiana salad. A glass of Pinot Grigio - Absolute heaven!

Two full days left in London. Not quite sure what is next. A few ideas.

Next time ... The Zebra Crossing