Sunday, June 23
Started off the day early by going to Sunday Morning Mass in Westminster Abbey! Since 1066 with William the Conquerer, all royal coronations have taken place here. It is also where Prince William and Kate Middleton got married.
Unfortunately, there was no royal wedding going on when I was there, but I got to enjoy a short, but sweet service. Since it is still a chapel, you are not allowed to take pictures inside. Definitely a great experience though! I was looking forward to hearing the choir sing, but unfortunately they didn't perform at our service.
Here's a little music to set the mood:
Right after Mass, we hopped on a train and went to Hampton Court!
Hampton Court Palace has served as the home for many royals, including William and Mary of university fame and also King Henry VIII of beheading and divorcing fame.
ehrmagehrd there's a palace behind me
The decadent palace was renovated by William of Orange when he moved there, after assuming the throne by marrying Mary (haha). Hampton Court is where I fell in love with the ceilings of Europe. For the rest of the trip, I am taking picture of ceilings.
Their casual gigantic mural of an entranceway
We toured the various rooms and chambers in Hampton Court. They are truly built for a king.
More ceilings....
Love the ceilings
After I just looked at ceilings for a while, we got to go to the new special exhibit Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber. Unfortunately no photos are allowed. It basically showcased the various beds of the royals. These people had the right priorities (sleep).
Beds looked something like this:
After the exhibit, we visited the gardens which were exquisite. They are enormous and beautiful.
After the gardens we explored the Maze. It wasn't too challenging...we found the centre rather easily.
Then we hopped back on a train to London! Spent the rest of the night eating dinner and then getting some rest for class the next morning!
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