We picked up sack breakfast bags prepared by the hotel, brought out bags out to the bus, and left at 6 a.m. for a 25 minute ride to the airport to fly to London. On the way, we sang the National Anthem in honor of our independence day (led by Sandy Good, who is a “Good” singer.) Arthur and Sandy left us at the London airport – they are flying home to many family plans in North Carolina.
Flying was easy with Patrick and David to make all the connections. I forgot to show my card validating my steel hip, so I had to be patted down, but it wasn’t hard. Our 9:05 flight left at 9:20, but was comfortable. We landed, got our bags, and when we got to our bus, we met 4 new couples joining us for the rest of our tour.
The first thing I noticed in our bus leaving the airport in London was the trash along the road. There hadn’t been any trash in all of Ireland, it seems to me!
A sign along the way said, “Live Life on the VEG.” What does that mean???
We spent most of the day at the wonderfully restored (and much original) Hampton Court Palace and Gardens. Traffic was heavier than usual because of a flower show near the palace.
This was the castle of Henry VIII and his 6 wives (one at a time) and was really an interesting visit. The King James Bible was commissioned at a Conference at this site in 1604. The Catholic church opposed the translation for the modern man.
The palace is very interesting for tourists. We were given individual audio players which were quite user-friendly (which means I was able to use them comfortably). They narrated two sections of the castle: Henry VIII’s Kitchens and Henry VIII’s Apartments. Each main room was shown and explained and costumed guides lent an air of reality to the experience. Of special interest to me was the Jerusalem Chamber with its wall-sized tapestries that have been prepared for display. This chamber was used by the 17 men who translated the first trhird of the King James Bible Old Testament and the last half of the New Testament.
There were kitchens and bedrooms, their church in the castle, etc. Very interesting. We walked through the gardens. I especially enjoyed the sunken garden and the rose garden.
Henry VIII’s many weddings was evidently his attempts to get a male heir; the six wives only bore him one son and 2 daughters!
Our bus took us to our hotel where we will stay for the next 3 nights at the Double Tree by Hilton London – Greenwich, in London. (011) 44 208 469 4440 It is a treat to stay more than one night in the same hotel room. I used the time at the hotel tonight to type on these notes. We had a tour supper together at the hotel.