Going to the Hamptons...well, sorta

Front view of Hampton Court
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Today we all decided to take a little trip by train to Hampton Court Palace, which is about a 90 minute ride from the city of London (it is still within the borough of London). We were so lucky to have such beautiful weather on our trip, especially today when we were seeing one of England's most famous and impressive castles (I have yet to see Windsor Palace, which is supposed to be #1). I believe the sun made it look all the more better. What is unique about Hampton Court is that the front and back look totally different, as if each side was built in a separate time period, which is exactly what occurred. The front gives off a more medieval feel, while the back is very classical, designed by Christopher Wren (recall St. Paul's Cathedral). Henry the 8th and other royalty inhabited the palace for centuries. In fact, the last people to live there were several women in the 1990's (I'm not sure who they were, but I believe they were employees, and not royalty). It's a lot of fun exploring the grounds, and they have tour guides who dress and speak in period style - kinda corny, but still worth the time to understand the palace's history. We were a little confused getting around, because we were never sure if we saw everything or not, but the guards were more than happy to help us out. Unfortunately, being winter time, the garden was bare and there was nothing to see. However, the famous Maze was open and that was pretty cool. Its just what it sounds like - a large hedge maze about 8 feet tall, where you can spend either 10 minutes or an hour just getting lost - its up to you how long you want to spend, depending on how deep you get in, but after a while it might get dizzying. But you always find your way out - theres no tricks. Just keep walking and you eventually exit. Do this with friends and see who gets out first. That's what I did. (but then you don't spend that much time inside I guess.) They also have a merry-go-round for the kids and an ice skating rink outside. Now that I think of it, lots of places in London seem to have rinks - the Tower of London had one too. Maybe I'll do that another time. A trip to Hampton Court will consume most of your day, so plan wisely.

The big clock, visible from the first courtyard
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That night, back in Croyden, we went to a Sainsbury's, which is a chain supermarket. You can find one of these almost anywhere, kinda like a Shoprite. It's not quite like Tesco's, which is more of a small stop-and-shop type store. We wanted to do a little food shopping for home - you know, biscuits and tea and other goodies for family and friends. Lucky for us, a man was caught shoplifting and it caused a big stir. I couldn't see it from my aisle, but I heard a loud commotion so I thought someone was holding up a register with a gun. I ran as far away as I could, freaking out...turns out it was the cops holding him down and arresting him. You'd think that I would see something like that here in the States, but nope - this was a first for me, and it was in jolly ol' London.

What is unique about Hampton Court is that the front and back look totally different, as if each side was built in a separate time period, which is exactly what occurred.