Hampton Court Palace

Traveled by boat to Hampton Court Palace today, the home of Henry VIII and several other royal people of note.

While it's pretty and a unique way of seeing London, I don't recommend traveling by boat. It took about 4 hours to get the 15 miles or so upriver, and we often were moving slower than the joggers along the banks. Still, it affords views you would not see otherwise, so if a relaxing boat ride is your thing, go ahead. They serve alcohol, not that I would partake, but there you go.

HCP is as advertised, and worth the admission. I was struck by its scale right away; it dwarfs many of the older structures I've seen in the UK, and its caretakers have struck a good balance between preserving the authenticity of the site vs. making it accessible to tourists. The clock in the Clock Court was boffo, and while I'm not a garden guy, I couldn't help but to be impressed by the magnificent Privy Gardens and the Ponds Gardens on the grounds. The hedge maze did not live up to its hype, I'm afraid, but the great halls inside gave me pause.

However, the highlight of my tour came when Henry VIII and one of his wives were posing for a picture with a family, and a teenager attempted to stand next to him. Fake Henry VIII yelled at this kid.

"On your knees, boy!"

The kid turned red immediately; Fake Henry VIII seemed genuinely angry. (I'm sure he wasn't, but this kid believed he was.) I laughed for a good 15 minutes afterwards. I followed the family to see what would happen next, and sure enough, the little sister ratted out her older brother, telling them, "Jeff said the F-word!"

Thank you, Hampton Court Palace. You were marvelous.