Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is enormous and there is an awful lot to see. As we had been walking around Hampton Court for quite a while we decided we could use a cigarette and walked into the palace's East Front Gardens and had a look around there. These gardens are amazing, they are actually an attraction in their own right and even contain a tennis court. I have to give my complements to the people maintaining the gardens as they have done an excellent job. From the East Front gardens we walked through 'The Wilderness' towards the Maze. Unfortunately by then the palace was closing and therefore we could not go into the maze. :+( We left through the Lion Gate, and walked along the walls surrounding the palace towards the Trophy Gate. Here we found the cash register which (unfortunately for them) was closed.  :+)

Although I love to visit palaces and see all the splendor and wealth there, at some point I was asking myself how anybody could live there at the cost of the inhabitants of England. As I understood the buildings alone must have cost around 30 million pounds (valuated to the income and costs of the nineties). Then, there is so much art in it, which must have cost a fortune too. Does someone who represents his or her country have the right to live like this at the cost of the population? But then, I am not a royalist.

I can recommend you to visit the palace if you want to pick up more information about the history of England, or just love palaces and the magnificence of  them. I also recommend it to people who love to see art, they will find lots of paintings from well known Dutch, Belgian and Italian masters. Although the prices are (at least that's what I heard) quite high, I certainly think it is value for money (however, a free entrance is better of course. :+) ).

If you plan to visit the palace and several other museums, attractions and / or historical buildings in London you might be interested in the London Pass, offering you free access to over 60 museums, attractions and historical buildings in London.