From North London we took the trains to Kingston where we met up with my cousins Lloyd & Sarahjane. It had been about 10 years since we last saw each other and so had made plans to spend the day together and catchup. After walking about Olde-town Kingston and seeing the Coronation Stone used by the kings of England some 1200 years ago (below), we had lunch at a wonderful café called 'the Slug and Lettuce'..... No seriously, it was a good lunch, no slugs were found.
A short double-decker bus ride took us to Hampton Court Palace. Best known as the palace made famous by King Henry VIII, it was used by several kings and queens. The buildings are opulent, little expense of the day was spared with grand rooms, lavish tapestries and ornate woodwork. It appears to be easy to understand that whatever the king wanted, he got. Simply the finest craftsmen were used to deliver n the kings demands.
The gardens are formal and extensive, a complete day could be spent here if you really wanted to immerse yourself into the Tudor and Stuart royal families.
After relaxing on the palace lawn for a while we all headed back into the city and had dinner in Leicester square before finishing the evening in the vibrant heart of London, Piccadilly square where we did some shopping and people watching. The trains delivered us back to Broxbourne just ahead of midnight. Another long but wonderful day.
No comments:
Post a Comment