Today was a glorious day in London. The rain held off, and while we didn't have absolutely sunny skies, at least we were dry. We started the morning off with a bicycle tour of Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park, and St. James's Park. These four royal parks form the green lungs of London, allowing Londoners to escape from the city. We popped by Buckingham Palace for a short time. The queen was not at home but we caught a glimpse of her band. At the conclusion of our tour we walked back across the park to the hotel and boarded a bus for Hampton Court, the home of the Tudor monarchs of England.
It struck me as odd that the kings and queens of England ruled from Hampton Court for as long as they did. Hampton Court was originally built by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey as his personal residence. It was "acquired" by Henry VIII when Wolsey lost favor by failing to secure a divorce for the king from Catherine of Aragon. Poor Wolsey was simply a victim of politics. Catherine's nephew was Charles V, the most powerful man in Europe. His troops had just finished sacking and looting Rome (though surely not upon his orders). There was no way the Pope was going to turn Catherine into the kings mistress. At the time it was built England was far from being a world power, and Hampton Court has a very medieval feel to it. While Louis XIV was controlling all of France in the baroque opulence of Versailles, William and Mary were content to rule from this comparatively modest palace. Oh what a difference a parliament can make.
Tomorrow, we have an entire day of free time to get into trouble in London. I'm planning on hitting up as many free museums as I can and ending the day with high tea at Fortnum & Mason's on Picadilly.
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