Hampton Comes Courting or Learning to Drive on the Left

Last Saturday was a perfect day to go for a ride. It was sunny and warm, and we had a ZipCar reserved for the day. The only trick was I had to remember how to drive on the left side of the road. How hard could it be?

It wasn't the big city driving that worried me. I like driving around New York when I have the chance. No, it was remembering to stay on the left side of the road, to follow all the rather foreign traffic signs and to operate a left-handed manual transmission. We were in a new Cooper Mini. It's a cool and trendy automobile, but rather challenging to get into and out of especially if one has large feet like me. I did get the hang of driving it, after a fashion, but had trouble judging the location of the left front tire a few times. Just ask passenger John.

Anyway, Saturday was a great day for hopping in a car and heading up (or is it down or maybe sideways) to Hampton Court Palace. We didn't have a detailed road map of England so we got a bit lost and went a wee bit out of our way. We also decided to visit the palace on the weekend when the largest flower show in Europe is held there. Traffic jams are more aggravating on the left for some reason. Just when we were seriously questioning our judgment, we arrived and found a reserved parking lot just for palace visitors.

Hampton Court Palace is an amazing place architecturally and historically. Thomas Cardinal Wolsey built it into a magnificent palace and Henry VIII took it from him as punishment when the cardinal and chancellor could not get the pope to approve Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Henry lived here with 5 of his 6 wives. Two of those lucky women would be beheaded, one died in childbirth, one was annulled and one survived him.

Hampton Court remained the British monarch's principle residence through the reigns of the Tudors, Stuarts and Hanoverians (up to George II, after which it fell out of favor). It is incredible in part because you can see very different architectural styles: Tudor/Elizabethan and Baroque. William and Mary hired the great Christopher Wren to renovate Hampton Court. He wound up destroying much of the Tudor palace, but built an equally impressive addition. What remains is part 16th century, part 17th century. We spent hours walking through the rooms and courtyards captivated by the wealth on display at every turn. Highlights included the Great Hall with its amazing hammer beam roof and the Chapel Royal. The gardens are lush and there is a maze which we have to return to see. It's well worth a trip.

Click here if you want to see more my Hampton Court photos.

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