Day 3: The Music of Kings and Angels

THE SATURDAY ITINERARY: Early morning train to Hampton Court Palace, where history, Henry VIII and superior gardens live on. After frolicking in the pond, return to town for smoothies and subsequent naps at Naomi's, and an enchanting acoustic concert by college music students.

The Americans at King Henry's Court!

Peek-a-boo, Tudor where are you?

Madeline and Revie were pissed that Gabrielle made them stir the beef stew vat. She doesn't even eat meat!

As duchesses of the court, we had to be suitably dressed for the Royal Wedding. And try not to lose our heads.

Revie thought Madeline ought to cool down a bit after all the excitement.

We thought we would be lost for another 500 years in that maze. Gabrielle's orienteering skills did NOT help.

The girls decided to become Grecian goddesses in honor of the sculpted trees. They should keep their day jobs.

Gabrielle: I love British people. From the man at the ticket office who told us to change at Wimbledon (!) because it would save time, to the friendly guard at Hampton Court who took our picture in our awesome robes, to the young woman playing Katheryn Parr's sister in the reenactment of the Parr-Tudor wedding at HCP today (who gossiped mightily about Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard), to the train worker who figured out that the train home left 15 minutes later than she thought it would, to Naomi who let us crash on her couch and watch Britain's Next Top Model for three hours (same exact thing as in America except with nicer accents and different judges), to Daniel who performed (with many other talented music students) six or seven of his beautiful original songs tonight. I think it's something in the tea.

Madeline: Hampton Court was absolutely amazing. The English have some amazing preservation of their history. The paintings, tapestries, and the ceiling designs in each room was so ornate and amazing, I couldn't imagine that at one point, people actually lived in the palace. I feel like We could've easily gotten lost without the maps among all the rooms. The gardens were definitely one of the most beautiful parts though. They were so well kept, and the trees provided the most wonderful shade. It has been so incredibly warm here, not as warm as at home, but its barely rained at all. Needless to say, I'm getting the feeling I can stop bringing my umbrella everywhere, and I think this whole "It rains all the time in England" claim, is really just a conspiracy to keep away ignorant tourists. There are also quite a few talented musicians in England. As discovered at the concert, there are at least fourteen of them, and I imagine there are quite a few more. The Live at St.Paul's UNPLUGGED concert to benefit Oxjam and Kenya Link was gorgeous, with music composed by one of the 19 year old musicians, and cleverly arranged to include a whole strings section. I'm still amazed.

Revie: I would love to tell you about my lovely time at Hampton Court (and my discovery of the best frappucino I've ever had, it was NOT at Starbucks). However, I would much rather tell you about my amazing friends Madeline and Gabrielle. I have never met such witty, gorgeous, stylish, athletic, cinematic, generous, caring, hard-working, perfect individuals. On the way home from the palace, they entertained me by sleeping on my shoulder and making delightful snoring sounds. They truly are the best friends in the world and no one could ask for any better; they even agreed to write this post for me as I passed out upon returning from the concert. I love my life.