a-MAZE-ing

Hampton Court Palace and Privy Garden
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We decided to spend the day outside of London and away from the crowds, so we headed to Hampton and visited the Palace and the Gardens.

The trip took just over an hour from London, via tube and bus, and we arrived shortly before noon.  When we arrived we toured a part of this mammoth Palace and then decided to enjoy the good weather and see the gardens.  It's a good thing we did that, because later in the day it start to rain quite heavily. At that point we finished touring the rest of the Palace.

The Palace is a lot nicer than Windsor, but it was the Gardens that got our attention

Patrick and Shannon - Hampton Court Gardens
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The Palace itself was nice.  Actually, a lot nicer than Windsor, but it was the Gardens that got our attention.  They are perfectly manicured, lush and green, with a number of different themed gardens to visit.  We had a picnic lunch in one garden and then made our way through the others.

Hampton Court Palace also has a garden maze.  I was really looking forward to the maze, and it didn't disappoint.  It was really fun to go through the maze, try and find the middle and then figure out how we get back out.  It's not a huge maze, but we were probably wandering around in there for about 20 minutes before we completely figured it out.

Hampton Court Gardens - Queen's Jubilee Fountain
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I can't believe I hadn't heard of this place before, it is definitely a highlight of visiting London.  Also, because it is in the 'burbs, it is such a different atmosphere from London - no crowds, a lot cleaner and friendlier people.  We enjoyed this trip completely and would recommend it to anyone coming to London but looking to visit some of the off-the-beaten-track sights.