June 6

Everyone was feeling fine this morning.
We left home around 9:15 and took the tube to Richmond, and then a bus to Hampton Court.

Hampton Court Palace is way bigger than we realized. The kitchens, courtyards, and private apartments are vastly spacious. People in authentic tudor costume are placed throughout the palace to answer questions. Two strange facts that we came across were that all swans in England are property of the Queen. If you harm one, it is a mandatory jail sentence of 12 years minimum, in maximum security. The last case was in 2004 and the person is still in jail. If you commit the crime of arson on a dock you will either be shot on the spot, or taken to be executed without a trial no matter what country you are from. If you are from England your execution will be by guillotine, and if from another country by a public hanging. This is the only current law that includes capital punishment. Wow! We made sure to steer clear of swans and docks. Brennin wondered what would happen if you brought a Canadian swan here and it had swanlings with a British swan. Who would the swanlings belong to? What would happen if you harmed one? Lol!
When we got home we googled it, and the arson law was the last law to incorporate capital punishment, but that changed back in the 70s. It turns out only wild swans belong to the Queen now, and if you harm them you pay a high fine. Funny!

Hampton Court's gardens were next. Belia called the trees mushroom trees. We had our lunch there feeling very surreal. The fountains, perfectly manicured trees and gardens really make you feel like you have died and gone to heaven. We took a horse and carriage ride to look around the grounds. Many birds were nesting in the park. Interestingly the river was re-routed to the palace grounds to divide the gardens from the hunting grounds. By doing this they saved the gardens from unwanted grazing by deer etc..

We also enjoyed the hedge maze. It's instant fun - an antique video game.

After the palace we decided to stay in Hampton and go out for supper. The street we were on had a lot of antique shops and pubs. We ate at The Prince of Whales. Most of us ate fish and chips. Brennin opted for a burger (yes Grace we took a picture! Your next drive may have to be to the airport lol). After supper we did a little shopping. Both Mariah and Belia inherited my shopping gene - so fun. We split with the boys for a bit so we could go at our own pace, and met up in time to catch our bus.

We spent the evening at Covent
Gardens - a large square filled with shops, pubs and restaurants. The Apple store is impressive. 3 floors high, mostly glass and brick, and people playing around with apple products. Tim was in Apple heaven, and the kids were in their element.

We stopped for a beer at The White Lion to cheers Matt & Tessa's 15 year anniversary. The streets were filled with people enjoying the great weather. We felt at home hanging out on the cobbled street. I can tell we are all relaxing and getting into a groove.

The subway near The White Lion is a funny one. We descended 193 steps (15 floors) to catch our train. Crazy! I love how simple it is to get from A to B once you wrap your head around the tube lines.