Ah, Hampton Court. A must-see for any Tudor enthusiast. Maddie and I have been looking forward to this for ages.

And you know what? It didn’t disappoint. In fact, it surpassed all of my expectations. It was magical.  It is sad, though, that William and Mary spent time ripping down and rebuilding the palace to “update” it.  The newer Georgian section is wonderful in its own way, but I wish we could see it exactly as it was during Henry VIII’s time.

It did, however, have a lovely and authentic smell today, as there was a big fire going in th great kitchen, filling the air with a lovely woodsmoke.

After an incredible time at the Palace (with beautiful, sunny, and mild weather), we hopped on a bus and met my old friend Jenn for lunch. We haven’t seen each other since high school (and I’m NOT admitting how long ago that was!). Even worse, she lived just outside Richmond for quite a few years and we never got together despite being less than an hour apart. Now she lives in London with her family. And so arranged to meet us at a pub today in -fittingly – Richmond, UK.

I am so grateful I got the chance to see her and spend time with her here. I can’t think of a better way to top off a brilliant day.