Visiting Hampton Court and London

In the morning, we decided to have another breakfast at the Premier Inn to save money and time. I didn't like the breakfast there - with mobs of guests and low-quality fare - but it was convenient and inexpensive. I selected a “Continental Breakfast,” while Inna and Alex chose the full hot breakfast. Since Alex was still a teenager, his breakfast was complimentary.

We decided to see Hampton Court, which required purchasing train tickets. This was relatively easy by using our Oyster Card. All we had to do was add additional funds to our 3 cards, and all was set. The train ride from Waterloo to Hampton Court was a short 35 minutes.

Our first tour at Hampton Court focused on its kitchens. We selected a free audio guide to better understand how such a large palace was served. When the King was in residence, he could serve up to 600 guests. How were so many people quickly served?

There were many dedicated rooms for specific food preparation items: a room for baking pies (a ubiquitous dish, i.e., guests did not eat the pie's crust as it served mainly as a vessel for baking). There was also a separate bread oven for baking many loaves of bread.

Roasting meat was considered the way of kings because it was so labor-intensive. It required someone to constantly turn the roasting rod to ensure the meat was evenly cooked. A king could show off his wealth (and impress his guests and foreign dignitaries)  by roasting a lot of meat.

King's guests consumed vast quantities of beer and wine, and there was a dedicated cellar for storage. In those days, most wines were diluted with water before being consumed. The wine was considered good only if it was firm (not how it is now).

In the main hall of Hampton Court, we were allowed to sit at the center of the table to try out what it might have been like to be treated like royalty.

While exploring Hampton Court, we encountered a small procession of court musicians who sang melancholy songs in period-era outfits. This provided an eerie sound to the place.

As we explored further, we found a private chamber where discussions with King's counselors were held. Inna got to try sitting in the King's seat.

We were also introduced to King Henry's private Chapel - where he was married- and looked at some of the royal jewels (for which photography was not permitted).

There was also a lovely museum of famous paintings, which we enjoyed touring, but Alex was tired of all the paintings.

Finishing the indoor tour, we explored Hampton Court's vast outdoor gardens.

The gardens surrounded Hampton Court, and many people were relaxing and picnicking. It was a relatively hot day, and we wanted to find some shade.

Strolling the vast grounds, I discovered a unique version of tennis - Royal Tennis - played at Hampton Court and a few other places. The rules are different from regular tennis. We saw a few tennis players practicing, but it seemed unusual to me to have walls on the court.

After more wandering around, we discovered a maze where we could get lost. Alex led the way, following his algorithm of "always turning left." We eventually made it back out, but it took some time.

We decided to luncheon at Hampton Courts' cafeteria. Alex and Inna ordered a chicken, which was satisfactory but nothing extraordinary (I was hoping for better).

After lunch, we briefly explored a Children's Playground and decided to head back to London.

We boarded the train back to London (it only took about 40 minutes) and decided to explore the free museums. Alex and I headed to the Science Museum while Inna revisited her favorite Victoria & Albert Museum.

The many changes surprised me when I entered the Science Museum. Many older trains and airplanes have been replaced by new paid exhibits for virtual reality. 

There were some remnants of the older exhibits, like the Apollo moon lander and a  Ford Model T car.

However, I preferred the older Science exhibits, though I could see that the museum was trying to cater to the younger audience. I tried to get some tickets for Alex for a flight simulator, but this exhibit was sold out. There was also an exhibit on robots - but it was expensive, and most of the robots were non-interactive. We decided to skip it.

When we finished with the Science Museum at around 5:50pm, we reunited with Inna at the Victoria & Albert Museum entrance in the subway and decided to get something to eat. Inna had a quick bite at V&A and was very tired.

Since we had not eaten at an authentic English pub, we decided to try our luck at The Queens Arms pub in Kensington. The fish and chips were tasty, and the portions were huge but not particularly impressive. It was, however, nice to breathe in a downtown pub's authentic atmosphere.

After finishing dinner, we returned to Kensington Gardens and explored the park, visiting the Abert Memorial.

The park was rather significant, and we decided to find some famous statues there. There was a Princess Diana Memorial Playground and a couple of famous statues.

We first saw a statue of the Egyptian god "Isis," which sat overlooking the small lake.

Next, we visited the famous Peter Pan Statue, which is far away.

We enjoyed strolling through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and relaxing on our last full day in London. We were exhausted, and Alex even rested on a park bench.

We enjoyed exploring London and stopped by the famous Hamley's Children's Toy Store before it closed. It had a vast selection of soft toys, Harry Potter memorabilia, and Star Wars characters.

After walking around London's downtown, we decided to stop by for dessert at the famous Said Cafe.

It's famous for its hot chocolate, which is made by first painting each cup with chocolate before adding the hot chocolate mixture.

Since I had a splitting headache, we returned home to our Premiere Inn. We took the bus home, which was pleasant, as we got to sit on the upper deck and see nighttime London in all its glory.

We were tired and did not want to pack for our return trip to San Jose.