Hampton Court takes a full day if you're an audio guide nerd like me, and this visit ends up being my favorite day in London.
The castle seems so simple, but it is vast. It houses amazing, well-preserved treasure from Tudor times like Cardinal Wosley's closet, which features a one of few surviving portraits of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the younger.
The great hall has the king's tapestries, a decade of restoration work hints at their once-vibrant colors.
The king's chapel doesn't allow photography, but the hallway with his family portraits does.
We stop for lunch, and I’m pleasantly surprised by the quality of their cafe. They mashed potatoes with gravy taste like real potato, and the Steak n’ Ale meat pie has a flaky crust full of shredded meat braised in beer.
I’m less a fan of the Butternut Squash pie, but it’s the same crust and it’s a lighter choice for those who don’t want to walk around with a belly full of meat. The best part is knowing that we’re eating where Queen Elizabeth’s private kitchens stood.
Time to walk it off. The gardens are gorgeous and vast,
with plenty of fountains
and even a fenced-off square of stunning floral beauty.
The greenhouse shelters the largest grape vine in the world, but we are sadly too late for some fast-selling grapes.
Two other sections of the castle detail the rich history of the Hanoverian Georges and William III. Their apartments are lovely, but my favorite thing is their extensive decorative and practical collection of weapons.
It's a delightfully educational day for us, a long-overdue tour of Hampton Court that I've been anticipating for almost ten years. It was everything I hoped it would be. And more.
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