HENRY'S HAUNTS #2

TAPESTRY

I took a lot of video footage inside the palace and also still shots. These are just a few of the rooms and treasures that you will see if you tour Hampton Court. To see the way the royals lived is an awesome experience. (All that dusting and vacuuming!)

HENRY'S BEDROOM WINDOW

Okay, I did get to see in Henry's bedroom. I also saw Mary II's bedroom-- at least, it was a lavish red canopied affair in a sitting room. Seems it wasn't really a bed for sleeping, rather one to sit in while one held court with one's visitors. Oh my! I couldn't help but imagine the goings on in Henry's bedroom. Much more fun! And isn't the window pretty?

TUDOR WORK TABLE

This might have been a scribe's desk. There was also a dining room in the Tudor palace. The banquet room in the baroque palace was immense. I wondered how many waiters they had serving the guests and how the host would manage to keep track of who was there.

I understand Henry dined lavishly on all kinds of exotic fare. Possibly why he had a weight problem in his later years.

INNER PALACE GATE

This is part of the inner court of the baroque palace. You need a map to find your way around Hampton Court. I wonder how the residents kept track of where they were and where their guests where? Well, I guess you just sat in your bed and summoned them.

If you happen to be in London this summer, be sure and check out this fascinating display of events and artifacts at Hampton Court. And the biggest event of all was to be held on June 20 and 21st on Henry's coronation weekend when a spectacular flotilla of boats carried Henry and his Queen from the Tower of London to Hampton Court palace to be greeted in the Privy Gardens. There was also Tudor contests and games on the River Thames.

There will be events and displays at Hampton Court until January 2010 including theatre performances, jousts and a display of the world's rarest arms and armour from the treasures of the Royal Armourers and other international collections. Don't miss it!