Since this year marks the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's coronation (you know, they guy with all the wives), England has been celebrating him big time. There is an exhibit called "Henry VIII: Dressed to Kill" at the Tower of London and at Hampton Court Palace they had actors and events centered around his 6th marriage (to Kateryn Parr.)
The audio tour of the palace leads you through all the rooms set up as the were when they were used as royal retreats. The Tudor half shows how it was in the mid 1500s when Henry VI
II lived there - featuring everything from apartments to kitchens to the velvet throne. The other side was remodeled by William & Mary in 1689 in the baroque style to compete with Versailles in France.
We kept running into Henry everywhere. I even got my picture taken with him. Luckily, I was better off than Anne Boleyn after my encounters with him. Speaking of Anne, they had portraits of all his wives and children that caught me up on my British history. His wives have a pattern: divorce, killed, died, divorce, killed, outlived Henry.
The grounds were as beautiful as the palace. There are formal gardens, English flower beds, and even a hedge maze. It was taller than I am so we got twisted around a bit, but did make it to the center and back out again.
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