It was probably the most historically authentic place any of us had ever been – you got to go through the halls where Henry VIII had lived, and they were set up like they might have looked back then – there were big fire pits and tables in the main hall set up for dinner, with little factoids written on the tablecloth about how the king always got first dibs on the food, etc.
There were big pillows you could lie on, and a metric ton of paintings within. But besides the inside, there were a ton of things on the outside as well.
The lawn of Hampton Court is huge – it’s bigger than 3 football fields. If you go, and decide to walk around the gardens, the lawns, the fountains, the hedge maze, then you might want to bring your best pair of walking shoes. By the end we were so exhausted of walking everywhere that we were so tired. And we still hadn’t seen everything! To see everything there would’ve taken up an entire day, whereas we just came after class was finished in the early afternoon.
It’s another tourist site I would highly recommend, and even if you’re not a fan of walking, there is a horse and carriage you can pay for and you can ride around the massive lawn instead of walking across it.
Location: London, United Kingdom
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That sounds awesome! I remember being a kid and truly disliking historical sites like that. I think I just didn’t have the patience at that age to give them a chance, because now, I think they’re so interesting! It’s cool to know that these historical people actually stepped foot where you are walking, saw the view you are seeing, and lived life in the area around you. I don’t know what significance that realization will have for you in the future, but it’s just cool to know you have “physical location” in common with that person who made history.