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Wednesday 2 June 2010

How Much Can You Fit Into One Weekend?

We had a lovely time in London at the weekend, although Saturday it rained for most of the day by the time we went to have afternoon tea it had cleared up. This time we sampled the delights at Fortum & Mason and came out completely stuffed, lol, because I've been trying to eat more healthily it's been ages since i have eaten cake - but it was wonderful! Not such a 'dressy' place as we went to last time but that was OK. I think it's just so decadent to dress up and have afternoon tea! not something that we do very often so it feels very special.
This was our little appetizer, bread sticks with cheese & pesto, salmon and some sort of pastry we couldn't quite work out what but decided it was a 'posh' sausage roll.

We opted for the afternoon tea which consisted of a selection of rolls and finger sandwiches and a lovely selection of cakes, together with a glass of champagne and a pot of tea each.
We had to go for a walk afterwards to work some of it off!
Sunday we caught the train to Hampton Court and spent a great day out, and the weather was kind to us. I was really looking forward to this visit being a recent convert to Tudor novels and everything Henry VIII and i wasn't disappointed, If you are English you will know that usually it cost a fortune to get into these Historic places, although lovely they may be. We spent all day at Hampton Court and the admission was only about £14 absolute bargain! there was lots going on from jousting to demonstrations in the Tudor kitchens, which i must say had THE biggest fireplace i have ever seen - and it was alight. We took advantage of the headset (no extra charge) which gave us a guided tour of everything inside.
Walking to the entrance of Hampton Court Palace
The astronomical clock which is in base court & is 400 years old. This clock has been mentioned a few times in the book I'm now reading so it was nice to place it.
The Grand Hall
Which was lined with the most amazing tapestries

The Palace from the side showing one of the beautiful gardens. Jenny liked the fact that it was symmetrical!
This is a newer part added on by William of Orange.
Apparently he wanted to knock Hampton Court down and start again!
Thank goodness he didn't!




Fancy having this view from your back door!


On Sunday evening we had a table booked at the Ivy, this is the place to celeb spot, not much to look at from the outside is it?
Very nice inside though and the food and the service was excellent, unfortunately we didn't spy any celebs :-( They have a policy of no cameras or mobile phones in the restaurant so no photos of our food!
To round off our weekend we went on a walking tour of Westminster Abbey on Monday morning - if you are ever in London and thinking of doing this tour it's well worth it, our guide was great very knowledgeable, and quite funny with it. I didn't realise so many people were buried there including Henry VII, Elizabeth I & Mary Tudor (Mary & Elizabeth are buried together, strange as they were complete opposites!)
So, how much can you fit into one weekend? well quite a lot it seems! I'm glad i booked yesterday off work to recover, i was, as they say, knackered!!
Hope everyone had a fun Bank Holiday, thank you for stopping by and all your wonderful comments, i really do appreciate them:-)

13 comments:

Loraine said...

Looks like a wonderful little getaway! I love looking at all your photos. makes me feel like I've gotten away!
Have a great rest of the week.

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

Oh my gosh, Maggie! What a wonderful day! The closest thing we have to a castle around here is Biltmore, I think. I'd love to visit an old, English castle! Thanks for all the pictures - sounds like you had a great time!!!

Unknown said...

Wow, what a wonderful day! I just love historical homes - I could easily be happy living in this one, lol.

Thanks so much for sharing pictures.

Ginnie said...

Sounds fantastic, Hampton Court has been on our list of places to visit for ages... (we are hoping to do London in October half term!)I think a family ticket is only £38 which isn't bad considering it was £33 at the Roman Baths!

Julie said...

Great pics of your lovely get-away. Afternoon tea sounds wonderful, i could just eat one of those lovely cakes!

Kathy A. said...

Oh, I am so so jealous. I am a big British history fan and would so love to see these gorgeous English Castles.
I have seen a few of those tapestries in Germany and the U.S. Aren't they the most incredible stitches. Can you imagine how long it took to do just one!

Hillery said...

What a wonderful Holiday you had. I love the pics.

Mylene said...

Looks and sounds like you had a great weekend. Thanks for sharing all the wonderful pictures and those sandwiches & cakes looks soooo yummy!

Karan said...

Oooo I do envy you seeing those places I've only ever read about. Sounds like a fabulous time. TFS. :0)

Siobhán said...

It sounds like a wonderful time, Maggie! Thanks for sharing the pics.

Meari said...

Wow, what a great holiday!

Carolien said...

Thanks for sharing your days in London, Maggie, a joy to read and to see! I immediately long to go to England ... sigh!

Bye, Carolien

MysteryKnitter said...

I am sure you had the time of your life.