Great Fountain Gardens, Hampton Court

Wednesday
We had a good flight. arriving in Heathrow ahead of schedule, soon after 6am. Our youngest daughter, Laura, who is working in Macedonia with the Peace Corps, was able to get leave to come over for the funeral. She was flying Turkish Airlines, via Istanbul, and wasn't due in until about 3pm, so we had decided to visit Hampton Court for the day. First of all though, we decided to get ourselves a decent breakfast, as the Palace didn't open until 10am anyway. We eventually managed to find a small cafe that did cooked breakfasts, and thus fortified we headed to the Palace. We used the audio guides, and spent several wonderful hours exploring the palace and learning about its history, and the monarchs who stayed there, notably of course, Henry VIII and his six wives. The part I have shown in my blip, however, is the Baroque part, built during the reign of William and Mary, though Mary didn't live to see it completed, and after she died, William lost interest, and work stopped for a number of years. We had called my sister-in-law and asked her if she could check on Laura's flight, and we discovered she too was due in ahead of schedule, so that just left us time for a short walk through some of the gardens before heading back to the airport. It was an overcast and cold day with a biting wind, so we weren't too sorry we didn't have more time! It was so wonderful to see Laura again and give her a big hug - we were both in tears! The journey to Janet's soon passed, with Laura chatting away about her life and experiences in Macedonia.

One year ago: Frosted teasels